Default Entityclass Attributes

An Entity Class is a collection of entities sharing the same attributes.

Here follows a description of the default attributes of an entity class, grouped in the sections: identity, information, extra, user-defined, and history and usage:

Section: Identity

This section contains attributes that focus on identifying an entity.

Attributes
  • ID - This is a system-generated unique number for this type of entity.
  • GUID - This is a worldwide generated unique ID. A GUID can be imported with the data entity.
  • Class (or Entity Class) - This defines what conceptually and logically the object is.
  • Name - This is a descriptive name of an entity. A name does not have to be unique. A name can contain a..Z A..Z spaces dashes. A name cannot contain commas, semicolons, quotes, or double quotes.
    If the name matches with other names for other entities in this cabinet a list box is generated showing these names. This helps you to use unique names as much as possible. Note: It is a good practice to have naming conventions.
    If you want a cabinet to enforce unique names, you can set that in the settings.
  • Title - A title is an attractive name for an entity. It is the text that can be used on visualizations or in reports when a name is too functional or technical.
  • Reference (Ref) - A reference is a free format ID you can optionally assign to an entity. You can also place IDs of other entity classes here. Like a viewid, modelid or visualizationid.
  • Image Location - Here you provide a local folder from your accounts sites folder or a URL of a bitmap (.png, .gif, etc...).
  • Description - Here you provide a descriptive text. This description can be as long as you like. A best practice is to keep it under 1024 characters. For long descriptions use the entity text attribute.
  • Image Bitmap - If you have provided an image location, the image will be shown here. You can use this image on the visualizations or in reports.
  • Type - Here you provide a type for the entity. A type is a subset of a class. If the entity class is an application, a type could be core or tool. If the entity class is a process, the type could be business or production.
  • Shape - this holds the name of the shape used to represent an instance of a class. By default, the vector shape with the same name as the Dragon1 icon library is used. For the entity class element often a rectangle or rounded rectangle is used as shape.
  • Version Nr - A system-generated number indicating the version stored in this entity. On visualizations and in reports, you can make use of older versions of an entity.
  • Folder - Here you can change the folder an entity is in.
  • Dossier - Here you can change the dossier an entity is in.
  • Cabinet - Here you can change the cabinet an entity is in.
  • Document URL - Here you can enter a link to a document. You can use this link to generate clickable links to documents in visualizations.
  • Owner - Here you can provide an owner for this entity. This is a free format attribute. But you can use IDs or unique names and match them on visualizations and in a report with, for instance, stakeholders or persons.
  • Primary User - Here you can provide the primary user for this entity. This is a free format attribute. You can use IDs or unique names and match them on visualizations and in a report with, for instance, stakeholders or persons.

Section: Information

This section contains attributes that focus on informing an entity.

Attributes
  • Tags - Here you can provide a comma-separated list of tags you can use in views, visualizations, and reports.
  • Visible - Here you can select if an entity is visible in lists, on visualizations, and in reports.
  • Deleted - Here you can select if an entity is logically deleted. You can undelete an entity via the recycle bin. If you want to remove an entity from the database, you first need to set an entity to Deleted.
  • Date Created - Here you can change the date an entity was created.
  • Date Edited - Here you can change the date an entity was last edited and created.
  • Created By User Id - Here you can change the user who created an entity.
  • Edited By User Id - Here you can change the user who last edited an entity.
  • Category - Here you can provide a category for the entity from a list of categories. Every account can have one list of categories. All cabinets share the list of categories.
  • Weight - Here you can provide a weight number. The lower the number, the higher an entity ranks in a list in the repository, on a visualization, or in a report.
  • Data Source - Here you provide the source of the data of this entity
  • Data Source Holder - Here you provide who owns or manages the data source. The quality of data is dictated by the reliability of the data source and its holder.

Section: Extra

This section contains attributes that often are of secondary importance to an entity

Attributes
  • Benefit - Here you can provide optionally the benefit an entity has. For instance, an application increases efficiency.
  • Costs - Here you can provide the costs of an entity. For instance, purchasing costs or maintenance costs. If you want to administer a variety of types of costs, you can create user-defined attributes for it.
  • Date Introduced - Here you can optionally provide on which date an entity is or will be introduced into the organization.
  • Date Phased Out - Here you can optionally provide on which date an entity is or will be phased out of the organization.
  • Locked - Here you can select if other users than the creator can make changes to this entity.
  • Usage - Here you can provide for what this entity is used. For instance, an email application can also be used for workflow assignments.
  • Justification - Here you can provide what the justification is for having this entity in the organization.
  • Publication Status - Here you can provide the publication status of the entity.
  • Workflow Status - Here you can provide the workflow status of the entity. Depending on the workflow status certain roles can or cannot change certain attributes of this entity or change the status from a certain value to another value.
  • Life Cycle Status - Here you can provide the life cycle status of the entity.
  • Dynamic Link - Here you can provide a link to a model, view, visualization, or atlas. You do that by entering an ID or a name. If the name is not unique, the entity with the lowest weight will be chosen. On visualizations and in reports you can generate the dynamic link.
  • Text - If you have long texts, like a procedure description or product specification, you can enter a text here that can be as long as you want. You can make use of HTML markup.
  • Notes - Here you can place notes for the entity. If stakeholders have commented on this entity in the Viewer, the comments will end up in the notes attribute.

Section: User Defined

This section contains user-defined attributes. By editing the form you can, per entity class, name any number of user-defined values. These values can be text, number, dates, and reference IDs of other entity classes. In that case, a browser button will be generated.

Below we have provided common use examples for 12 values:

Attributes
  • Value1 - Throughput
  • Value2 - Threshold
  • Value3 - # Incidents
  • Value4 - Protocol
  • Value5 - Legal Basis
  • Value6 - Legislation
  • Value7 - Definition
  • Value8 - KPI
  • Value9 - Contract Reference
  • Value10 - Client Reference
  • Value11 - Product Dimensions
  • Value12 - Product Weight

Section: History and Usage

This section contains the history of changes and usage log of an entity.

Normally one imports log files to enter the data for these attributes, but it can also be entered manually.

Attributes
  • History - This is a list of changes made to an entity. For instance, when a server was bought, installed, or put into maintenance.
  • Usage - This is a list of usages of an entity. For instance, when was a user profile or model accessed and viewed?