Attributes

Attributes are Table-level objects that store the data in a record.

Some Attributes are relevant to all records in a Table, others are specific to a particular class of records. For example:
  • Polymer material records may include Attributes that capture general information such as designation and trade names, physical properties such as density, mechanical properties such as tensile strength or flexural modulus, and bio-data such as sterilizability and radiopacity.
  • Test data records may include Attributes that specify the test ID, operator, and the date the test was performed, as well as the test results.
An Attribute's data type determines what kind of data it can store, and the characteristics and behavior of the stored data, such as the units for numerical data or the parameters for functional data.

Some typical Attributes from Granta reference databases include:

Attribute Data type
Specific heat, CO2 footprint, Elongation, L point
Density, Elongation, Young's Modulus range
Reduction of area, Tensile strength float functional
EN name, Element name, Supplier ID short text
Designation, Notes, Condition, Typical uses long text
Polymer type, Statistical basis, Coating type discrete
Recycle, RoHS 2 (EU) compliant? logical

It is possible to define Display Names for Attributes and Meta-attributes. Where a Display Name is defined, the display name will be used instead of the object name defined in the schema, for example, in datasheets and searches. See Display Names.