Assigning Attributes to a Type
An attribute holds data about an asset. All asset types include a basic set of attributes for general information such as the asset's name, description, creation date and owner. You define additional attributes to hold data that is specific to the type of asset that you want to store in the registry.
When you define an attribute, you specify:
The type of data that the attribute will hold (e.g., String, Number, Boolean)
Whether the attribute will hold a single value or multiple values (that is, an array)
Whether an attribute is required or optional
Whether the attribute is read-only
Besides basic data types such as String, Number and Boolean, CentraSite supports the following special types:
Attribute Type | Description |
Classification | This type enables users to classify an asset according to a specified taxonomy. |
Relationship | This type enables users to establish an association between an asset and another object in the registry. |
File | This type enables users to link an asset to a file that resides in CentraSite's repository or exists at a URL-addressable location on the network. |
The inclusion of these attribute types facilitate many of the advanced features in CentraSite. It is a good idea to make use of them whenever possible.
Rather than using a String attribute to identify the project manager in this type, you could use a Relationship attribute instead. A Relationship attribute will not only identify the individual who is serving as the project manager, it will also provide the additional benefits of 1) enabling users to obtain detailed information about the project manager (because the attribute itself will link users to the actual User object for that individual), and 2) allowing the relationship to be discovered and reported by CentraSite's Impact Analysis feature. For example, one could use the Impact Analysis feature to locate all of the projects managed by a particular individual.
