Data element naming system and method

A system for assigning a name to at least one element that represents business information, the system comprising:

• a processor;
• and
• a memory including at least:
• (i) a data element configured to have associated therewith an object class term that represents a logical grouping to which the data element is associated, and a property term that represents a characteristic of the logical grouping;
• (ii) an aggregate data element that defines the logical grouping;
• (iii) a data type that defines values that are valid for being assigned to the data element, wherein the data type comprises a qualifier term that represents an additional semantic restriction describing the data type;
• and
• (iv) a name assignor that assigns the qualifier term to a selected one of the property term and the object class term of the data element based upon a name of the aggregate data element, wherein the name of the aggregate data element comprises an aggregate class term, that determines whether the qualifier term is identical to the aggregate class term, wherein the qualifier term is assigned to the object class term upon a determination that the qualifier term is identical with the aggregate class term, and wherein the qualifier term is assigned to the property term upon a determination that the qualifier term is not identical with the aggregate class term, and that associates at least the object class term, the property term and the qualifier term assigned to one of the object class term and the property term into a name for the data element.

A computer program product tangibly embodied in a computer-readable medium, the computer program product including executable instructions for performing operations for naming at least one of several data elements that can identify business information in a communication, the operations comprising:

• selecting a data type, based on a user input designating the data type, that defines values that are valid for being assigned to a data element, the data type comprising a qualifier term that represents an additional semantic restriction describing the data type, the data type including a restriction of a physical representation of the value associated with the additional semantic restriction;
• performing an assignment of the data type term to a representation term, wherein the data element includes at least an object class term, a property term, and the representation term, wherein the object class term represents a logical grouping to which the data element belongs, and the property term represents a characteristic of the logical grouping;
• determining whether the qualifier term of the data type matches an aggregate data element name, including comparing a name of an aggregate data element to the qualifier term, wherein the name of the aggregate data element includes an aggregate class term, wherein the aggregate class term semantically defines the logical grouping;
• upon a determination that the qualifier term is identical with the aggregate class term, assigning the qualifier term to the object class term;
• upon a determination that the qualifier term is not identical with the aggregate class term, assigning the qualifier term to the property term and determining whether an additional qualifier term matches the name of the aggregate data element, wherein upon a determination that the additional qualifier term is identical to the name of the aggregate data element, the additional qualifier term is assigned to the object class term, and wherein upon a determination that the additional qualifier term is not identical to the name of the aggregate data element, the additional qualifier term is assigned to the property term as a qualifier;
• and
• associating at least the object class term, the property term and the qualifier term assigned to one of the object class term and the property term into a name for the data element.