A practical classification standard for reusable data views

Purpose

This taxonomy provides a consistent way to classify tables/views within the Common Data Model (CDM). It separates:

• what kind of row the table contains (table_type)
• what business subject it relates to (table_class)
• how values behave (optional generator metadata)

The goal is clarity, scalability, and predictable design across domains such as Order, Project, Employee, Invoice, Customer, and Person.

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1. Core Principle

Core identifies, Meta describes, Item records, Event captures, Bridge connects.

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2. Standard Table Types

Type	Definition	Use When	Examples	Typical Fields
core Is it one row per object?	The master object identity row. One row per key business entity.	You need the primary reference record.	order.core project.core employee.core	OBJECT_SEQ OBJECT_CODE OBJECT_NAME master identifiers creation / active status
meta Is it an attribute about the object?	Attributes that describe a core object but do not create new business rows.	You are storing classifications, dates, flags, descriptors.	order.meta_codes project.meta_dates	OBJECT_SEQ META_TYPE ATTRIBUTE CODE_VALUE VALUE_METADATA
item Is it a recognised child transaction/line row?	A recognised child business row belonging to the object. These are operational rows users would recognise.	The source system naturally contains subordinate rows.	order.item_lines project.item_expenses invoice.item_lines	OBJECT_SEQ ITEM_KEY ITEM_TYPE row values / amounts / quantities
event Is it something that happened?	A row representing something that happened at a point in time. Often process, workflow, audit, or lifecycle related.	The row grain is an occurrence, transition, or action. (Order status changed to Partially Delivered on a given date by a named user.)	order.event_stage_lifecycle project.event_status employee.event_assignment	OBJECT_SEQ ITEM_KEY (event id / history seq) event date/time user notes state origin
bridge Is it a relationship between things?	A row representing a relationship between objects where multiplicity must be preserved. The relationship itself is the grain.	One-to-many / many-to-many links exist. (One project linked to multiple role holders.)	project.bridge_role person.bridge_identity employee.bridge_manager	left object key right object key relationship type effective dates (optional) source confidence / precedence (optional)

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3. Naming Pattern

Recommended Pattern

[domain].[table_type]_[table_class]_[aspect]

Examples:

• order.event_stage_lifecycle
• project.bridge_role_active
• employee.event_dates_employment
• invoice.item_values_lines

If no extra aspect is needed:

• order.core
• project.meta_codes

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4. Example Classification

Table	Type
Order Header	core
Order Region / Status	meta
Order Lines	item
Order Lifecycle Changes	event
Order ↔ Contacts	bridge