# 'Type' Entity Controlling Characteristics for 'Instance' Entities - Characteristic Controls

There are type entities that control the characteristics for their instance entities. These are tables typically named `CI_CHTY_<type_entity>`, for example: `CI_CHTY_CCTY`. These type entities specify a list for its instances: the valid characteristic types, default characteristic types, required characteristic types, and so on. This list is the type entity's `Characteristic Controls`.

The following are the naming conventions for the characteristic controls:

Characteristic control class | `<type_entity>CharacteristicControl`
Characteristic control collection | `characteristicControls`

For example, the class name for characteristic control of Customer Contact Type is: `CustomerContactTypeCharacteristicControl`.

And the collection is defined as follows:

    			/**
    			  * @version $Revision: #1 $
    			  * @BusinessEntity (tableName = CI_CC_TYPE,
    			      oneToManyCollections = { @Child (collectionName = characteristicControls, childTableName = CI_CHTY_CCTY)})
    			*/

Parent topic: Special Cases