In metadata

Metadata

The term metadata is an ambiguous term which is used for two fundamentally different concepts . Although the expression "data about data" is often used, it does not apply to both in the same way. Structural metadata, the design and specification of data structures, cannot be about data, because at...

 an indicator is a Boolean

Boolean logic

Boolean algebra is a logical calculus of truth values, developed by George Boole in the 1840s. It resembles the algebra of real numbers, but with the numeric operations of multiplication xy, addition x + y, and negation −x replaced by the respective logical operations of...

 value that may contain only the values true or false. The definition of an Indicator must include the meaning of a true value and should also include the meaning if the value is false.

If a data element

Data element

In metadata, the term data element is an atomic unit of data that has precise meaning or precise semantics. A data element has:# An identification such as a data element name# A clear data element definition# One or more representation terms...

 may take another value to represent e.g. unknown or not applicable, then a Code

Code

A code is a rule for converting a piece of information into another form or representation , not necessarily of the same type....

 should be used instead of an Indicator, and the meanings of all possible values should be clearly defined.

The suffix Indicator is used in ISO/IEC 11179

ISO/IEC 11179

ISO/IEC 11179 is an international standard for representing metadata for an organization in a metadata registry.- Intended purpose :...

 metadata registry standard as a representation term

Representation term

A representation term is a word, or a combination of words, that semantically represent the data type of a data element. A representation term is commonly referred to as a class word by those familiar with data dictionaries...

.

Example of Use of Indicator in XML

An example use of the Indicator suffix is if an XML

XML

Extensible Markup Language is a set of rules for encoding documents in machine-readable form. It is defined in the XML 1.0 Specification produced by the W3C, and several other related specifications, all gratis open standards....

 document was required to contain the passing status of a Student in a statewide assessment. The data element

Data element

In metadata, the term data element is an atomic unit of data that has precise meaning or precise semantics. A data element has:# An identification such as a data element name# A clear data element definition# One or more representation terms...

 would be:

true

Standards that use the indicator representation term

The following metadata registry standards use the term indicator

• ebXML
  EbXML
  Electronic Business using eXtensible Markup Language, commonly known as e-business XML, or ebXML as it is typically referred to, is a family of XML based standards sponsored by OASIS and UN/CEFACT whose mission is to provide an open, XML-based infrastructure that enables the global use of...
  
  
• NIEM
• GJXDM
  GJXDM
  The Global Justice XML Data Model is a data reference model for the exchange of information within the justice and public safety communities...
  
  

See also

Metadata

Metadata

The term metadata is an ambiguous term which is used for two fundamentally different concepts . Although the expression "data about data" is often used, it does not apply to both in the same way. Structural metadata, the design and specification of data structures, cannot be about data, because at...

ISO/IEC 11179

ISO/IEC 11179

ISO/IEC 11179 is an international standard for representing metadata for an organization in a metadata registry.- Intended purpose :...

Representation term

Representation term

A representation term is a word, or a combination of words, that semantically represent the data type of a data element. A representation term is commonly referred to as a class word by those familiar with data dictionaries...

Code

Code

A code is a rule for converting a piece of information into another form or representation , not necessarily of the same type....