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Creating New Structured Data Elements

Structured data elements are complex data types that include embedded data types. For example, you might create a structured data element called building that contains the floor, room, aisle, rack, and shelf child elements. Structured data elements can also contain other structured data elements. For example, a structured data element called person might contain the child elements firstName, lastName, and the child structured data element address.

To create new structured data elements:

1. From the Studio menu, select Show Design Perspective.

2. Click the Dictionary tab.

3. Right-click in the Dictionary view and select Add Structured Schema Element.

   The Create Data Schema Structure dialog box appears.

4. In the Entity field, select the schema entity into which the new data element will be saved.

5. In the Type field, do one of the following:

   • Click Select to select an existing structured data element as the base type for the new element. The new element becomes a subtype of the element you select here, and inherits the base type attributes. See "Leveraging Existing Data Information" and "Deriving from Base Type Elements" for more information about extending existing elements.

   • Click Clear to remove the association of the base type and to use Structure as the base type.

6. In the Name field, enter the name for the data element.

   Design Studio uses the value defined in the Type field (if specified) as the default value in the Name field. Oracle recommends that you use the default value.

7. In the Display Name field, enter the name for the new data element that appears in Design Studio editors and in the run-time environments.

   Design Studio supports multiple languages for this field. The field adjacent to Display Name displays your list of languages. You can define a display name for any language you select from the list.

   If your preferences are set up to work in one language only, the system displays only the [default] option. See "Defining Language Preferences" for more information.

8. In the Multiplicity field, define the minimum and maximum number of times the data element can appear in an instance document.

   See "Details Tab or Attributes Tab" for more information about defining values for this field.

9. (Optional) Select Abstract to indicate that the data element is intended to be inherited and not referenced.

   If abstract data elements are referenced, a warning marker will appear in the Problems view.

10. Click OK.

    The new structured element appears in the Dictionary view.

Related Topics

Creating New Simple and Structured Data Elements

Data Schema Editor