Domain properties

Chapter 3 Building Conceptual Data Models

You can modify an object's properties from its property sheet. To open a domain property sheet, double-click its Browser entry in the Domains folder.

The General tab contains the following properties:

Property	Description
Name	The name of the item which should be clear and meaningful, and should convey the item's purpose to non-technical users
Code	The technical name of the item used for generating code or scripts, which may be abbreviated, and should not generally include spaces
Comment	Descriptive label for the domain
Stereotype	Sub-classification used to extend the semantics of an object without changing its structure; it can be predefined or user-defined
Data type	Form of the data corresponding to the domain, such as numeric, alphanumeric, boolean, or others
Length	Maximum number of characters
Precision	Number of places after the decimal point, for data values that can take a decimal point
Mandatory	Domain values are mandatory for all entity attributes using that domain

The following tabs are also commonly used:

Standard Checks - contains checks which control the values permitted for the domain. For more information, see Check Parameters (CDM).
Additional Checks - allows you to specify additional constraints (not defined by standard check parameters) for the domain.
Rules - lists the business rules associated with the domain. For more information, see the "Using Business Rules in a CDM" chapter.