Database Reference
In-Depth Information
Rate
Percent
Complex
Each column heading represents one of the conceptual entities, and each row represents a
grouping of properties by classword. Recall that a classword is the last part of the data ele-
ment name, which represents a high level domain or category. Within each cell, you can list
the properties for the conceptual entity that have that classword in common. For example,
for the conceptual entity
Order
you can list the two properties
Order Gross Amount
and
Order Net Amount
next to the
Amount
cell,
Order Entry Date
and
Order Delivery
Date
next to the
Date
cell, etc. Realize the initial names we use for each property may
change as we learn more about each property.
To identify the properties for each conceptual entity, ask the question, “What
[Classword]
do I need to know about
[Conceptual Entity]
?” For example, “What
Dates
do I need to
know about
Order
?”
Here are examples for each of the classwords, along with a brief description:
•
Name. A textual value by which a thing, person, or concept is known. Examples:
Company Name
,
Customer Last Name
,
Product Last Name
•
Text. An unconstrained string of characters or any freeform comment or notes
field. Examples:
Email Body Text
,
Tweet Text
,
Order Comments Text
•
Amount. A numeric measurement of monetary value in a particular currency such
as dollars or Euros. Examples:
Order Total Amount
,
Employee Salary Amount
,
Produce Retail Price Amount
•
Date. A calendar date. Examples:
Order Entry Date
,
Consumer Birth Date
,
Course Start Date
•
Code. A shortened form representing a descriptive piece of business information.
Examples:
Company Code
,
Employee Gender Code
,
Currency Code
