Primitive Types
A Primitive Type is a data type. Defining a Primitive Type enables you to define your own data types and then specify how data of that type is interpreted.
You can specify what values the data can have or any constraints on the data, for example. It enables you to refine your data to your specific business domain. You could create a Primitive Type called Patient ID and specify that Patient IDs should always be a maximum of 7 characters long, and consist of 2 letters followed by 5 numbers, for example. See Setting Restrictions on Primitive Types and Attributes on page 10 for more information on the restrictions you can set.
All the Primitive Types that you define must be based on the following standard business object model Primitive Types that are available in the business object model Editor. Some types have subtypes. The types are described in the following table.
| Primitive Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Boolean | A value of True or False. |
| Date | A date in the format dd/mm/yy. |
| Date Time and Time Zone | A date (in the format dd/mm/yy hh:mm) and time zone. |
| Number | Any whole number, positive or negative. |
| Text | Any characters can be entered up to the length you specify. |
| Time | A time in the format hh:mm (24 hour clock). |
| URI | A Uniform Resource Identifier. |
For information on constraints on field or parameter values, see Value Spaces for BOM Native Types
When you create a Primitive Type, it defaults to Text. the type is displayed above the name of the Primitive Type in italics as shown below.
You can change the standard type on which the Primitive Type is based by clicking on the
button in the
Superclass field, on the General tab in the Properties View. Additional information required by the Primitive Type is specified on the Advanced tab; see
To Set Restrictions on Primitive Types and Attributes.