A schema field is a description of a field that would typically appear in a dataset. You can consider a schema field as somewhat similar to a dictionary definition of table in a database.
The Pretectum platform uses schema field definitions to drive automation, validation and data entry choices. The definitions also inform for APIs and reporting.
A schema field is made up of a Field Name, Field Description and Data Type.
Additional attributes relate to searching and sorting optimization.
When a schema field is flagged as “required” – then any dataset that is added must have this schema field defined, failing which the column will be populated with nulls.
Classifier Tags can also be added to the schema fields which will help with automation and sorting and searching as well as reporting.
Different Data Types are natively supported according to the needs of specific Schema Fields
Each Data Type supports various types of configuration that will drive automation and data quality checks.
By default all newly added schema fields are strings with a minimum length of 1 character and a maximum length of 500 characters.
It is recommended that you always optimize the configuration of a schema field according to the needs of your source or target systems to ensure the best quality data.