What is Metadata?

Metadata is any information added to an item aiding in its categorization. The types of data useful in categorization are familiar to most computer users: numbers, dates, text, and choices.

User Defined Fields

The User Defined Field (UDF) is the answer to a customer’s need for item metadata that is not easily expressed in a hierarchical classification set. UDFs are data entry fields appearing on the UDF tab of an item.

The following Pro! users are important in the life of a UDF:

• The UDF manager, an authorized user who creates UDFs and manages the catalog of UDFs.
• The item reviewer or test developer who enters the values for UDFs in items.

Adding a New User Defined Field

The UDF manager configures the following when adding a new UDF to the catalog:

• The display label, which is arbitrary text. It provides a visual cue of what the reviewer or test developer should enter. For example, a data label may contain the text “Patient’s Age” and so on.
• The data type, which defines the type of data one can enter into the UDF.
• The exam titles, the list of exam titles that will use the UDF.
• If the field is required to be supplied before item promotion.
• If the field is to be shown to external item writers and reviewers.

Data Types

A UDF is one of five possible data types. The available data types and a brief description of each are as follows:

Entering UDF Data

Any Pro! user authorized to access an item can access the UDF data. Pro! verifies that the entered data matches the UDF’s data type. For example, letters cannot be entered into a numeric UDF. Additionally, when the item is promoted, a check will be made to ensure that required UDFs are populated.

Permanence

A new UDF appears on an item’s UDF tab immediately after the UDF manager adds it to the catalog. In turn, the UDF will disappear immediately after the UDF manager deactivates it. An item’s UDF tab can contain an unlimited number of UDFs.

Searching and Reporting

Using the tabular display’s column management feature, UDFs can be added as columns to an item search result set or poolbook. The results can be exported and reported See the feature briefs on Item Search and Tabular Displays for more information.