Glossary

The following terms define nomenclature that is unique to Ansys Granta MI, or specialized in meaning.

Term Definition
Analysis report Analysis reports may be used to analyze lists of materials or substances in Granta reference data modules and/or your own in-house data. The analysis reports available in MI Viewer and MI Explore are provided by Granta MI Restricted Substances, an optional software component for analyzing different aspects of product design and risk.
Attribute A record Attribute holds data on the entity that the record represents (see Data Type). For a material record, these Attributes include its composition, strength, density, etc. For a manufacturing process record, the Attributes include the surface finish, tolerance, economic batch size, etc. For a supplier, the Attributes are the company name, address, telephone number, etc.
Ancestor Generic record or folder that is one or more levels directly above the current record or folder in the browse tree.
CAE Exporter See Material card exporter.
Custom report See Analysis report.
Data Link A data link (also known as a data to data link) is made between a data value for a primary Attribute in the source record and a target record. The data link group specifies which Attribute characterizes the relationship, that is, the target data value in the target record. The result is a link between two data items.
Data Type

Data is stored in the database as one of the following types:

 Range

 Point

 Functional (also known as Graphical)

 Discrete Functional

 Equations and Logic

 Integer

Discrete

 Logical

 Short Text

 Long Text

Picture

 Date

 Hyperlink

 File (for embedded media)

Tabular
Data Record Each data record in the database represents an entity - a material, a process, a supplier, etc. Records have a set of Attributes and a set of properties.
Datasheet You view the Attributes and data values in a record via the record datasheet.
Database A database consists of one or more tables (datasets) which are linked together.
Descendant A record or folder that is one or more levels directly below a folder in the Contents tree.
Embedded Media A file, for example, a PDF file, that can be added to a data record and presented to users as data for that record.
Excel data workbook A Microsoft Excel workbook that includes data that can be imported into Granta MI.
Excel import workbook A specially-configured Microsoft Excel workbook that includes data and the required import metadata that enables that data to be imported into a specific database and table.
Excel template A specially-configured Microsoft Excel workbook that defines the required import metadata to enable data in a separate data workbook to be imported into Granta MI.
FEA exporter See Material card exporter.
Folder

A type of record used to group together data records with similar properties. For example, the MaterialUniverse table includes a Ceramics and glasses folder, a Fibers and particulates, and a Metals and alloys folders.

Folders can contain records and other folders. Folders have the same properties as data records and generic records, for example, full and short name, color, and GUID, but do not have any data associated with them.
Function Functions are used in equations and logic data. For example, range functions such as range, lowValue, and highValue; statistical functions such as mean, erf, phi;  logarithmic functions such as log, log10, and exp; trigonometric functions such as sin, cos, and tan.
Generic Record A record that is both a data record and a folder, for example, Wrought Aluminum Alloys.
Layout A Layout defines which Attributes and headings appear on datasheets, and how they are organized.
Material Card exporter A tool for exporting material card data for use in CAD, CAE, or PLM applications.
Meta-attributes Metadata Meta-attributes allow metadata, such as statistical information or notes about the source of the data, to be stored alongside a data value.
Profile Profiles are defined by the MI Data Administrator and provide a way of presenting related data from different tables and databases as a single dataset.
Quality Rating Where a Quality Rating System has been defined for a database, a quality rating can be associated with data values. See Data quality values in datasheets.
Record Records in a Granta MI database may be one of three types: a data record, a generic record, or a folder.
Record GUID

A Record GUID (RGUID) is a key that uniquely identifies record within a database.

In version-controlled Tables, where multiple record versions exist, each version of the record has a different RGUID, and so RGUID can be used to return a specific record version.
Record History GUID

A Record History GUID (RHGUID) is a key that uniquely identifies a record within a database.

In version-controlled Tables, where multiple record versions exist, the different versions of a record all have the same Record History GUID.
Record Link A record link is made between two records. The record link group specifies between which tables the link can be made. A static record link exists if both records exist and is unchanged if the record changes. A smart record link exists if both records exist and contain matching values for an Attribute. A smart record link updates if the record changes.
Record property The properties of a record include its short name (used in the Contents tree), long name, the date it was created and last modified, the username of the individual who created and last modified it, its type (Record, Generic record, or Folder), color, Record GUID, and Record History GUID.
Report Reports allow you to view and analyze data from multiple records. Several different types of report are available in MI Viewer:
Search template Defined by the Granta MI Data Administrator, search templates provide a pre-configured set of search criteria, enabling you to quickly construct an advanced search without having to add multiple search criteria one by one.
Subset Subsets are used to filter the records and Attributes available for viewing in the Contents tree and on datasheets.
Table Table A Table is a compilation of information relevant to a single type of entities (records). For example, it may contain materials and their properties, or manufacturing processes. A Table can be thought of as one page of a spreadsheet: with records (for example, Materials) in each row and a set of Attributes (sometimes called 'properties' or 'fields') in the columns.
Tree The records in a database are organized into a hierarchical tree structure, where groups of data records with similar properties are grouped together into folders. These folders, which may themselves have properties, are similarly grouped together into other folders. Individual records are the leaves of the tree, and folders are the branches. This tree structure is shown in MI Viewer on the Contents tab.
UTC In the database, times are stored as Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). UTC is a time standard based on International Atomic Time, and is used here for consistency across time zones. Times in MI Viewer are displayed in the current time zone, with the offset from UTC.
Version Control Version control applies to the records in a table, and allows changes to a record and its data to be tracked. Each record has a version number and version state. Each datum has a version number. See About version control.