Data Object Naming Standards
Introduction
Standards
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Business Names
A business name is an English phrase with a specific construction and length that describes a single data object (e.g., data model, database, file, table, data element, etc). Each business name comprises one or more prime words, optional modifying words and one class word. It cannot exceed 100 characters in length. A business name must match the Bachman name assigned for models and attributes. Systems developers assist end users in the construction of meaningful buiness names.
- Class Words
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The class word is the highest level of qualification and the most important word in a business name. The class word is always the last word of a business name. It must be a noun identifying the general purpose of the data object. Data object types such as Database, table, view, and file, are also class words. Example class words forattributes or columns are: number, name, text, and code. A class word list is maintained in the repository.
- Prime Words
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A prime word can be a single word, or a phrase such as 'capital asset'. It is the most important modifier of the class word. It identifies the application area, major data category, file, table, view, or model name, depending on the data object being named. Approximately 200 prime words are available to categorize institutional data. Some example prime words are: account, course, finance, organization, section and student. A prime word list is maintained in the repository.
- Modifying Words
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Modifying words are used to add important business information to a business name. Thus, addition of the modifying word 'phone' to the business name 'customer-number' forms 'customer-phone-number'. Similarly, addition of the modifying word 'last' to the business name 'student-name' forms 'student-last-name'. Modifying words can be any word or phrase needed to adequately describe a data object.
Occasionally a data object clearly belongs to more than one data category. In such cases, the business name should include multiple prime words. For example, the data element GRADE refers to the score received by a STUDENT (prime word #1) for work completed in COURSE (prime word #2). The grade describes neither COURSE nor STUDENT, but the relationship between STUDENT and COURSE. Thus, an appropriate business name would be STUDENT COURSE GRADE, where STUDENT and COURSE are prime words modifying the GRADE class word.
- Technical Names
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The Name Validation and Generation (NVG) process produces technical names by applying standard abbreviations to business names. The length of technical names must meet the constraints of a particular programming language or tool, but must not exceed 32 characters. In most cases, NVG generated technical names meet this specification. However, in some cases, the developer and Naming Specialist must make adjustments to the length of a technical name. The same business name may be abbreviated to different technical names in different applications.
Addition of prime and class words can be requested from the DSS Naming Specialist. Prime and class words are added to the standard list maintained in the repository based on the frequency of their use.
Guidelines
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Business Names should be:
- less than eight words. Nouns should be singular and verbs in present tense.
- derived from the data object description.
- as meaningful as possible.
- self-documenting.
- easily distinguishable.
- generic.
Abbreviations
Abbreviations are not used in business names, but there are exceptions. For example, the abbreviation "ytd", for "year-to-date", would be warranted because it allows more free space for additional modifying words. Also, abbreviations may be necessary to keep business names less than 100 characters.
Some abbreviation guidelines are:
- First, abbreviate the class word, since it is easily recognizable.
- Next, abbreviate prime words.
- Apply abbreviations from the Standard Abbreviation List. Use abbreviations listed as "Bsns" in the "Type" column whenever possible.
- Use singular nouns.("notes" would become "note")
- Use present tense.("completed" would become "complete")
- Use the root form of words. ("cancellation" would become "cancel")
Standards for the construction of business names for data models apply to all
relational database technologies. (e.g., ORACLE)
The prime word identifies the application area to which the model belongs (i.e.
Student Records, Chart of Account, Contracts & Grants).
Optional modifying words are used to specify the content of a model
when the application name is too general. For example, many functional
areas, subfunctions, and subject areas have transaction processing applications
as well as common or central applications. By using 'Financial' as a modifier,
the content is made explicit.
Application areas such as 'Benefits', 'General Ledger', or 'Student Financials'
do not need modifiers, since the university community has a
common business understanding of these terms. Therefore, these model names are
simply 'Benefits Logical Model', 'General Ledger Logical Model', and
'Student Financials Logical Model'.
The class word for Model must be one of the following: conceptual model, logical
model, physical model, or process model.
The Model business name must be stored in BACHMAN as part of the conceptual,
logical, and physical data models. The analyst must key this information into the Data
Model Name field within the Data Model Form.
Refer to the Data Modeling Strategy and Standards Manual for additional information.
Model Standards
| Prime Word | Modifying Words* | Class Words | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Syntax | Application Name |
Functional Area/ subfunction name/ subject area name |
Conceptual Model Logical Model Physical Model Process Model |
| Examples | Financial General Ledger Chart of Account Assessment Course Offering Inactive |
Transaction Student* Student |
Logical Model Processing Logical Model Logical Model Logical Model Conceptual Model Conceptual Model |
*Modifying words can be positioned before and/or after the prime words so that the name appears as it would in normal speech.
The prime word identifies the application area to which the database belongs (i.e.
Course Offering, Chart of Account, Contracts & Grants).
Optional modifying words should be used to specify database contents when the
application name is too general. For example, many functional
areas, subfunctions and subject areas have transaction processing applications as well
as common or central applications. By using 'Financial' as a modifier, the content
of these databases becomes more apparent (i.e. Financial Transaction Processing
Database, Common Financial Applications Database). Contracts and Grants would
be another application which might require a modifier because it is unclear if the
database contains research notes and results or project funding and expenditure data
(i.e. Financial Contracts & Grants Database as opposed to Contracts & Grants
Research Database).
Conversely, an application area such as Employee, General Ledger or Bursar
Accounts Receivable would probably not need additional modifiers since the
university community at large has a common business understanding of these terms.
Therefore, these database names might simply be Employee Database, General
Ledger Database and Bursar Accounts Receivable Database.
The class word is always database.
Database Standards
| Prime Word | Modifying* | Class Words | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Syntax | Application Name |
Functional Area/ subfunction name/ subject area name |
Database |
| Examples | Contracts & Grant Data Object Financial Processing General Ledger |
Financial Metadata |
Database Database Database Database |
*Modifying words can be positioned before and/or after the prime words so that the name appears as it would in normal speech.
Prime and modifying words in a table's business name are the same
in an the Entity's business name when there is a 1:1 ratio
between Entity and Table.
A different business name is developed when there is not a 1:1 ratio
between Entity and Table. In this case, prime words are the model's
business name minus the class words. (e.g. model name = Employee Logical Model; prime word =
Employee). Modifying words must be some variation of the technical entity
name (i.e., the name used in the entity box on the E-R diagram).
Repeated words in a model or technical entity name are dropped.
(i.e., model name = Course Offering; technical entity name = Course Offering
Note; Course Offering should appear only once in the table's business name).
The class is always 'table'.
Tables that have the same description and columns are identified by one
business name.
Table Standards
| Prime | Modifying | Class | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Syntax | Model Name |
Technical Entity Name |
Table |
| Examples | Course Offering Course Offering Employee Contracts & Grants |
Note Academic Leave Proposal Diary |
Table Table Table Table |
Temporary tables have varying degrees of usability: from system wide, to
application wide, to report specific. To accomodate this functionality and
to indicate the range of usefulness of the temporary tables, the following
naming suggestions may be helpful:
The prime word identifies the main functional area of tables and/or views
used to create this view.
Modifying words are a description of the data collection or the purpose of
the view. These words are to be derived from the view description.
The class word is always 'view'.
Views that have the same description and columns are identified by one
business name.
Temporary Table Standards
<sys_cd>_<tmodifying_words>_[<number>]_mt"
<app_cd>_<report_cd>_[<modifying_words>][<number>]_mt"
View Standards
| Prime | Modifying | Class | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Syntax | Primary functional area |
Description of Collection or Purpose |
View |
| Examples | Student Finance ------- Human Resource |
Semester Course Offering RCB Annual In-State Travel Summary by Account Person & Borrower |
View View View View |
Prime words identify the application area to which the file belongs.
Modifying words describe the data contained within the file.
The class word is always 'file'.
File Standards
| Prime | Modifying | Class | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Syntax | Application Area | Description of Data | File |
| Examples | Schedule of Classes Responsibility Center Budget Physical Facility |
Summary Work Order |
File File File |
Prime words are the model's business name minus the class words. (e.g.
model name = Employee Logical Model; prime word = Employee).
Modifying words come from the entity's technical name (e.g. the name
used in the entity box on an E-R diagram).
The class word is always 'entity'.
Repeated words in a model or technical entity name are dropped.
(e.g. model name = Course Offering; technical entity name = Course Offering
Note; drop one occurrence of Course Offering).
Refer to the Data Modeling Strategy and Standards Manual for additional
information.
Entity Standards
| Prime | Modifying | Class | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Syntax | Model Name | Technical Entity Name | "Entity" |
| Examples | Course Offering Course Offering Employee Contracts & Grants |
Note Academic Leave Proposal Diary |
Entity Entity Entity Entity |
Attributes and data elements that have the same description are identified by one
business name.
Attribute names are the business name for corresponding columns and/or
data elements. The column and/or data element name are technical names.
Refer to the Data Modeling Strategy and Standards Manual for additional
information.
Column, Attribute, and Data Element Standards and Guidelines
Standards
| Prime | Modifiers* | Class | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Syntax | Standard Prime Word | Modifying Words | Standard Class Word |
| Examples | account account course section section project organization |
sub authorization manager manager |
number code title number number id id |
*Modifying words can be positioned before and/or after the prime words so that the name appears as it would in normal speech.
Guidelines
The name of data objects are English phrases. The order of the prime and modifying words within a business name is not important, however, the class word is always last. For example, the business name for beginning and ending times of a course section might be named section_begin_time and section_end_time; where 'time' is a class word, 'section' is a prime word and 'begin/end' are modifying words.
Develop and use standard words to qualify or categorize data objects. Examples of the preferred list of extreme, positional, and time qualifiers are listed below.
Extreme Qualifiers The preferred qualifier is minimum/maximum. Other options are low/high and long/short. Avoid using least/most. ex. finance_minimum_payment_number finance_maximum_payment_number
Positional Qualifiers Use begin/end; first, second, third, etc. Avoid using go/stop and arrive/depart. ex. semester_begin_date semester_end_date
Time Qualifiers: Use yearly, year-to-date, monthly, month-to-date, weekly, week-to-date, quarterly, daily, and hourly. It is recommended that xxx-to-date time qualifiers be abbreviated.