Shorten Attribute Names In Excel Workbooks

You can create an abbreviated way of referring to an attribute in Excel using a Legend Key. Specification of this abbreviated form is optional.

To specify a legend key:

  1. In the Excel rule document, open your Declarations worksheet.
  2. If there is not a Legend Key column, you will need to add one now:
    1. Next to your attribute type and attribute text column headings, add the text "Legend Key".
    2. Click the Heading button in the Declarations and Attributes group on the Oracle Policy Modeling ribbon, and select the Legend Key Heading option from the drop-down menu.
  3. Next to each attribute in the Legend Key column, specify the abbreviated attribute name. Use the Legend Key button on the Oracle Policy Modeling ribbon to set the style of these cells.
  4. Open your Rule Table worksheet. You can now use the legend key text as condition headings and conclusion headings.

Tip: The Travel Compensation example policy model that is installed with Policy Modeling contains Excel rules using a Legend Key.

For example, if you have the declaration shown in the following table:

Table 1. Legend key for non-Boolean attribute declarations in Excel
Attribute Type Attribute Text Legend Key
Text the country of citizenship Country
Text the nationality of the individual Nationality

you could have the rule table shown below:

Table 2. Excel rule table inferring nationality from country of citizenship
Country Nationality
U.S. American
Scotland Scottish
Japan Japanese
else uncertain

You can also use legends with tables which use Boolean attributes.

For example, if you have the declaration shown in the following table:

Table 3. Legend key for Boolean attribute declarations in Excel
Attribute Type Attribute Text Legend Key
Number the individual's age Age
Boolean the individual is disabled Disabled
Boolean the individual is entitled to compensation Compensation

you could have the rule table shown below:

Table 4. Excel rule table inferring entitlement to compensation from age and disability status
Age Disabled Compensation
<18 TRUE TRUE
>65 TRUE TRUE
  FALSE FALSE
  else FALSE