Relationship and Multivalue Attributes Versus Regular Attributes

This section compares the capabilities of relationship attribute and multivalued attributes with regular repository attributes.

In most cases, the behavior of all the attributes is the same, but there are some subtle differences. When a relationship is defined, one or more attributes can be defined for the relationship. Attribute definitions are similar to repository attributes.

Multivalue attributes have more than one value for the same record.

The following table shows a comparison of relationship and multivalue attributes compared with regular repository attributes.

Comparison of Relationship, Multivalue, and Regular Attributes
Description Additional Information Relationship Attribute Multivalue Attribute Regular Attribute
Terminology Metadata terminology
  • Relationship Repository
  • Relationship Attributes
  • Multivalue Attribute
  • Repository
  • Repository Attributes
Record terminology Relationship record Record Record
Name, description, help, data type, position, display name, and column name can be specified.   Yes Yes Yes
Attribute can be designated as "partition key".   No No Yes
Attributes can be multivalue.   No   Yes
Attribute can be grouped by specifying group name.   No Yes Yes
Data type change is allowed.   No No No
Attribute names, display name, and column name uniqueness.   Yes

Uniqueness is only required within the relationship definition.

Yes

Uniqueness is only required within the repository attributes definition.

Yes

Uniqueness is only required within the repository attributes definition.

Attributes add, modify, and delete supported.   Yes Yes Yes
Attribute can be marked as "include in record list".   Yes Yes Yes
Attribute can be marked as "searchable".   Yes Yes Yes
Attribute can be marked as "include in quick view".   No (Always included by default) Yes Yes
User-specified table name in which attributes are stored.   Yes Yes Yes
Default table name   RCT_XXX

(XXX = ID of internal relationship repository)

MVT_XXX

(XXX = ID of internal multivalue repository)

MCT_XXX

(XXX = ID of repository)

Attribute definitions exported or imported with other metadata.   Yes Yes Yes
Input map support for importing of data.   Yes Yes Yes
Exporting of data   Yes (With limitations: Explicit mapping is not required. Attributes are exported in a relationship
specific file.) Yes (With limitations: multivalues are separated by a delimiter in a file. Data truncation may occur.

When a multivalue attribute is mapped to an Integer, Date, Decimal, or Amount data type, only the first value of the attribute is exported.)

Yes
Repository copy - Attributes are copied.   Yes Yes Yes
Record copy - Attributes are copied.   Yes Yes Yes
Records compare   Yes Yes (Ordered before compare) Yes
Subset Search by "List"   No Yes Yes
Subset Search by "Expression"   No Yes Yes
Subset Search by "Search"   Yes Yes Yes
Rulebase support assign Yes Yes Yes
connect Yes NA NA
check Yes Yes Yes
softlink Yes Yes Yes
select (drop-down list) Yes Yes (with limitation: no value attribute not supported) Yes
access Yes Yes Yes
SQL expressions No Yes (with limitation: only supported in where clause. Supported operators: in, eq, like) Yes
changed No Yes Yes
defined, undefined Yes Yes Yes
eq, neq Yes Yes Yes
gt, lt, geq, leq Yes No Yes
Workflow activities RecordCompare No Yes Yes
GetRecord Yes Yes Yes
EvaluateRulebase Yes Yes Yes
SaveRecord Yes (with limitation: Not supported in INPUT mode) Yes Yes
MergeRecord No Yes Yes
MatchRecord No No Yes
CreateWorkitem No No Yes
VerifyRecordStatus No No Yes
ImportCatalogRecords Yes Yes Yes
UpdateRecordState (conflict/merge support) No Yes Yes
CreateOutputFile Yes (Attributes can be mapped to output files via Relationship Attributes Output Map and are also exported in a relationship-specific file.) Yes (With

limitations:

Multivalues are

separated by a

delimiter in a file. Data truncation

may occur.)

Yes
ConvertRecordToOutput Yes Yes Yes
Versioning   New relationship record on change. Versioned as record version. Versioned as record version.
Mass Update support   No No Yes
One click sort on record lists.   Yes No Yes