The following information is applicable to value domains only.
A concise statement that expresses the essential nature of the value domain and how its differentiation from other metadata items.
Mandatory completion.
The definition should be expressed precisely and unambiguously so that the exact meaning of the value domainis clear from the definition.
Describe the value domain concisely, without repeating the name of the value domain at the start of the definition, embedding definitions of related concepts, or embedding supportive information.
The definition should be expressed through terms and a structure which is consistent with related definitions.
The definition should be expressed as a complete, grammatically correct and descriptive phrase, sentence or paragraph, not merely through the use of synonyms or paraphrasing the name of the value domain.
A definition should not contain definitions of other metadata items or concepts. Rather, it should provide an explanation of WHAT is being described. It should generally not include information about the WHO, WHERE, WHEN, WHY and HOW of data collection.
The definition attribute for value domains should be based on the definition templates given in Table 1 below.
Table 1: Definition templates for value domains
Representation class | Value domain definition template |
Code (not based on a classification scheme) | A code set representing … |
Code (based on a classification scheme) | The (insert the short classification scheme name) code set representing … |
Date | A valid day of a particular month and year under the Gregorian calendar. |
Identifier | A combination of (insert numeric, alphabetic and/or alphanumeric) characters that identify an entity. |
Ratio | A relative measure. |
Text | A combination of (insert alphabetic and/or alphanumeric) characters. |
Time | An instance in time represented in a (insert either 24-hour or 12-hour) scale. |
Total | Total number of (insert the unit of measure written in plural); or Total concentration in (insert the unit of measure written in plural. |