Element
An element defines the maximum number of characters and the data type for an attribute value. You must assign an element to every attribute and the element must exist before you can define an attribute that uses that element.
An element is Lawson-defined or user-defined. You can define these types of elements:
-
Alpha type (up to 32 characters)
-
Numeric type (up to 18 characters)
-
Date type (8 characters)
Note: Lawson-defined elements are pre-loaded, along with Lawson-defined attributes, using Attribute, Element Load (MX100).
You can define user-defined elements within the data type and size restrictions listed above. User-defined elements can be more generic than Lawson-defined elements, and you can associate them with more than one attribute. This table shows examples of user-defined attributes and user-defined elements:
| Attribute | Element | Type | Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quality | Alpha 15 | Alpha | 15 |
| Store Square Footage | Numeric 6 | Numeric | 6 |
| Date Opened | Date | Date | 8 |
| Region | Alpha 15 | Alpha | 15 |
You can also associate a Lawson-defined element with a user-defined attribute. For example, you might use the Activity element (Lawson-defined, Alpha15) with the user-defined Quality or Region attributes.
The relationship between transaction attributes and elements is unique. See Transaction attribute.