• Article

Entity Object (Model Designer)

Defines an entity in the model. This object inherits properties from the ModelItem object.

Properties

Name

Cardinality

Type

Description

CollectionName

0-1

String

The name of a collection of instances of the entity. If the string is not specified, the value defaults to the same string as Name. This value cannot be an empty string.

IdentifyingAttributes

1-N

Object

Specifies the attributes that client applications should use to identify an instance of the entity to the user.

DefaultDetailAttributes

0-1

Object

Specifies the attributes that client applications should show when this entity is displayed.

DefaultAggregateAttributes

0-1

Object

Specifies the aggregate attributes client applications should show when this entity is displayed as an aggregate.

SortAttributes

0-1

Object

Specifies the attributes used to sort when a sort is requested by this entity.

InstanceSelection

1

Enum

Determines the client application behavior for selecting instances of the entity, based on the expected number of total instances. There are four options:

  • Dropdown: Use when the number of instances is small enough to fit in a simple drop-down list.

  • List: Use when the number of instances is too large for a simple drop-down list but does not require pre-filtering.

  • FilteredList: Use when the number of instances is large enough to require that the user filter the values before the user can select instances.

  • MandatoryFilter: Use when the number of instances is so large that users are prevented from building queries on this entity without filtering.

IsLookup

0-1

Boolean

Indicates that the client application should treat the entity as a lookup table instead of a full-fledged entity.

Inheritance

0-1

Object

Defines how this entity inherits attributes and roles from other entities.

DisjointInheritance

0-1

Boolean

Indicates that entities that inherit from this entity are mutually exclusive sets.

Fields

0-1

Object

The fields, either attributes or roles, of the entity.

Binding

1

Object

The database object that represents this entity.

SecurityFilters

0-1

Object

Attributes to use as filters for this entity.

DefaultSecurityFilter

0-1

Object

Attribute to use as a filter for this entity if SecurityFilters are not available, for example, when the user does not have sufficient permissions.

Remarks

  • Selecting the MandatoryFilter option for InstanceSelection causes the Filter List dialog box to open in Report Builder when users select an instance of the entity.