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Hitachi Vantara Lumada and Pentaho Documentation

Metadata Properties Reference

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This section contains the Metadata Properties Reference.

Out-of-the-Box Properties

The table below shows the properties that are provided with Pentaho Metadata Editor.  Localized properties are indicated with an asterisk ( * ) character.

ID Description Category Values
Name* This property describes the display name for the business object General Alphanumeric
Description* A descriptive text entry describing the business object General Alphanumeric
Comments* Additional comments regarding the business object. General Alphanumeric
Security Information Security rules for granting/restricting access to the business object General Determined by security widget; see Adding Security
Font The font properties to apply to this business object Formatting Determined by selections in the font dialog box
Color of Text The foreground or text color for the business object Formatting Determined by selections in the color dialog box
Text Alignment The text alignment for the business object Formatting Left | Right | Centered | Justified
Background color The background color for the business object Formatting Determined by selections in the color dialog box
Relative Size This property is normally associated with business tables and is used to calculate join paths. The sum of all table relative sizes in a path are calculated when deciding on a multi-table join and the multi-table join with the smallest summed value is used for the join path. Formatting Numeric
Aggregation Rule Determines the method of aggregating the data from this business object Model Descriptors None | Sum | Count | Distinct Count | Minimum | Maximum
Data Type Data type for this business object Model Descriptors Unknown | String | Date | Boolean | Numeric | Binary | Image | URL + Length and Precision (Integers)
Field Type The type or relationship purpose this field serves Model Descriptors Other | Dimension | Fact | Key | Attribute
Table Type Table type is used to automatically determine relationship types with other tables. For instance, if a Fact table is joined with a Dimension table, this is normally an N to 1 relationship Model Descriptors Other | Dimension | Fact
Formula This property allows you to create a calculation defining the business object. See Pentaho Metadata Formulas for more information. Calculation Alphanumeric
Is the Formula Exact?

Determines whether the formula entered in the Value field in the Formula section is parsed by the Metadata Editor or if it is sent exactly as entered to the database.

  • When this check box is selected, then the formula is sent to the database exactly as entered for processing.
  • When this check box is cleared, then the formula is parsed as a Metadata Formula.
 Calculation Boolean
Column Width The width of the column as represented for display Miscellaneous Pixels | Percent of Page Width | Inches | Centimeters | Points ) + Integer
Hidden For the User? Hides the object from being displayed in the Business View of the model Miscellaneous Boolean
Mask for Number or Date The format mask to use when the data for this object is displayed. For dates, the format follows the date/time patterns for a Java SimpleDateFormat format mask. For numbers, the pattern should follow the Java DecimalFormat format mask. Miscellaneous Alphanumeric
Target Schema Defines the database schema to use when querying the business object Miscellaneous Alphanumeric
Target Table Defines the physical database table from which the business object is defined Miscellaneous Alphanumeric

Custom Properties

You can define any number of custom properties. You must give your property an ID to set its type.

  • String
  • Date
  • Numeric Value
  • Color
  • Font
  • Type of Field
  • Type of Aggregation
  • Boolean
  • Field Data Type
  • Localized String
  • Type of Table
  • URL
  • Security
  • Text Alignment
  • Column Width

Custom Table Joins

You can also use a custom property to create table joins in Metadata Editor. To do this, you must define the custom property as path_build_method with a valid value.

Table 1. Valid Values for Custom Table Joins
Value Description
ALL Use all tables and joins.
ANY_RELEVANT Use all joins that lead to any used table even if there is more than one path.
CLASSIC Use the old generation method.
FIRST_SHORT Returns the first path that only contains no duplicate joins between tables.
LOWEST_SCORE Returns a path that chooses all joins that will create the smallest score based on the estimated size of a table.
SHORTEST (Default) Returns a path connecting every required table with the smallest number of joins.

The generator defaults to SHORTEST if the property is not found in the model.

If this is determined to be too risky, then a Boolean value can be toggled in SqlGenerator or SQLGenerator to preferClassicShortestPath when set to true. Both classes will use CLASSIC if no setting is found in the model.

Required Properties per Business Object

The table below contains the required properties for given business objects. Required properties cannot be deleted.

Required = File:/37_check.png Not Required = File:/38_not_required.png

ID Physical Table Physical Column Business Category Business Model
Name File:/37_check.png File:/37_check.png File:/37_check.png File:/37_check.png
Description File:/37_check.png File:/37_check.png File:/37_check.png File:/37_check.png
Security Information File:/38_not_required.png File:/38_not_required.png File:/37_check.png File:/37_check.png
Table Type File:/37_check.png File:/38_not_required.png File:/38_not_required.png File:/38_not_required.png
Relative Size File:/37_check.png File:/38_not_required.png File:/38_not_required.png File:/38_not_required.png
Formula File:/38_not_required.png File:/37_check.png File:/38_not_required.png File:/38_not_required.png
Field Type File:/38_not_required.png File:/37_check.png File:/38_not_required.png File:/38_not_required.png
Data Type File:/38_not_required.png File:/37_check.png File:/38_not_required.png File:/38_not_required.png
Aggregation Rule File:/38_not_required.png File:/37_check.png File:/38_not_required.png File:/38_not_required.png
Is the Formula Exact? File:/38_not_required.png File:/37_check.png File:/38_not_required.png File:/38_not_required.png
Hidden for the User? File:/38_not_required.png File:/37_check.png File:/38_not_required.png File:/38_not_required.png
Font File:/38_not_required.png File:/38_not_required.png File:/38_not_required.png File:/38_not_required.png
Mask for Number or Date File:/38_not_required.png File:/38_not_required.png File:/38_not_required.png File:/38_not_required.png
Color of Text File:/38_not_required.png File:/38_not_required.png File:/38_not_required.png File:/38_not_required.png
Color of Background File:/38_not_required.png File:/38_not_required.png File:/38_not_required.png File:/38_not_required.png