Data dictionary metadata

The Data Dictionary building block is based on the Adobe application modeling technology, which allows for an independent representation of metadata and back-end integration. Metadata, in the solution context, represents descriptions of the data structures and their associated attributes. Therefore, a data dictionary is a catalog of domain-specific objects and their associated definitions. The Data Dictionary building block allows business users to use models at a solution level. They can also create domain-specific data dictionaries or enhance the artifacts without requiring back-end data integration. For example, an insurance domain data dictionary can contain data dictionary elements (DDEs) such as person, age, eligibility, loan amount, and so on. Data dictionary models can be developed and seamlessly exported into an extended application model, for import into production systems.

The following table details the metadata attributes associated with a data dictionary:

Attribute

Type

Description

name

String

Required. Unique user provided name of the data dictionary.

displayName

String

An optional user-friendly name for data dictionary, which can be modified and localized.

description

String

The description of the data dictionary.

extendedProperties

Object

A map of custom properties added at the data dictionary level, including user interface specific properties or other key-value pair of properties.

The data dictionary created or updated using the Data Dictionary Editor is stored in the Data Dictionary system. The dictionary is available for create, update, and delete operations through the editor and relevant client-server side APIs. The solution accesses the data dictionary definition and metadata to carry out its operations. For example, a Data Dictionary solution accesses the data dictionary to get the list of DDEs that it requires. With each DDE, extended properties are stored and used for rendering, validation, or any business logic that the solution requires.