What is an Element?
An element defines the maximum number of characters and the data type for an attribute value. An element must be assigned to every attribute and the element must exist before you can define an attribute that uses that element.
An element can be Lawson-defined or user-defined. You can define the following types of elements:
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Alpha type (up to 32 characters)
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Numeric type (up to 18 characters)
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Date type (eight characters)
Note: Lawson-defined elements are pre-loaded, along with Lawson-defined attributes, using Attribute, Element Load (MX100).
Lawson-defined attributes have a one-to-one correspondence with Lawson-defined elements. For example, the Company attribute is associated with an element called Company. The following table shows additional examples of Lawson-defined attributes and corresponding Lawson-defined elements:
| Attribute | Element | Type | Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| SALES REP | Sales Rep | Numeric | 4 |
| CR ANALYST | Credit Analyst | Alpha | 4 |
| CREDIT LIMIT | Credit Limit | Signed | 15.0 |
| CREDIT LIMIT DATE | Credit Limit Date | yyyymmdd | 8 |
| CURRENT BAL | Current Balance | Signed | 18.2 |
You can also create user-defined elements within the data type and size restrictions listed above. User-defined elements can be more generic than Lawson-defined elements, and can be associated with more than one attribute. This table shows examples of user-defined attributes and user-defined elements:
| Attribute | Element | Type | Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| BROKER | Broker | Alpha | 30 |
| VERTICAL | Vertical Market | Alpha | 20 |
| LAST CALL | Last Call Date | yyyymmdd | 8 |
| GEO DOMAIN | Geographic Area | Alpha | 10 |
You can also associate a Lawson-defined element with a user-defined attribute. For example, you might use the Major Class element (Lawson-defined, Alpha 4) with the user-defined Vertical attribute.