Modeling Metadata

• Metadata Elements
  • Name
  • Type
• Applicability
• Metadata Types
  • Name
  • Parent type
  • No augmentation points
• References

Metadata Elements

Name

A metadata element should end with the representation term Metadata.

For general metadata that may be applied to anything, the name Metadata is sufficient. For more specific metadata, a more descriptive name should be used, like PersonMetadata.

Type

A metadata element must have a metadata type.

Applicability

A metadata element may be able to be used by any NIEM element or type, or it may be constrained to only certain ones.

If a metadata element is constrained to a given type, then any element of that type or of a type that extends from that type may reference it. For example, a metadata element constrained to type structures:AssociationType may be used by any association element.

Use the attributes appinfo:appliesToElements and appinfo:appliesToTypes to limit the metadata element to one or more elements and/or types.

Metadata Types

Name

A metadata type should end with the representation term MetadataType.

For general metadata that may be applied to anything, the name MetadataType is sufficient. For more specific metadata, a more descriptive name should be used, like PersonMetadataType.

Parent type

A metadata type must extend structures:MetadataType.

There is no need to extend other metadata types in the model. Elements can link to multiple metadata elements.

No augmentation points

Metadata types should not contain augmentation points. Other namespaces can define their own metadata elements and types and create references to them in NIEM release elements.

References

• NDR Section 10.5 - Metadata