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8. Details of Individual Metadata Elements
8.9 Aggregation
Attributes
Attribute
Value
Identifying Attributes
Name
aggregation
Label
Aggregation
Defined by
Government of Canada Records Management Metadata Standard - aggregation
Element URI
[To be actioned by Treasury Board of Canada, Secretariat before publication]
Definitional Attributes
Definition
The resource's level or position in a hierarchy.
Purpose
Allows for easy identification of a record or file.
Allows searches to be restricted to resources at a particular level.
Helps indicate which actions can be carried out on the resource depending on its level.
Rationale
"Metadata for accessibility should do the following:
a) Identify information about records or aggregations of records.
b) Identify and document the aggregation, such as a file or series, in which a record or group of records exists…" ISO Technical Specification 23081-1, s. 9.2.3.1
Value Domain
Enumerated strings of text describing aggregation levels.
Datatype Name
String
Constraint
Applicable at record level and file level.
Obligation
Mandatory at record level; mandatory at file level.
Relational Attributes
Encoding Scheme
Government of Canada Aggregation Scheme [under development - see Comments and Guidance]
References
-
Linkages
File Code; Identifier
Conditions of Application - Record
Format
Text, based on encoding scheme.
Modifiable
Pre Record Declared Locked
Post Record Declared Locked
No
No
Occurrence
Not repeatable
Conditions of Application - File
Format
Text, based on encoding scheme.
Modifiable
No
Occurrence
Not repeatable
Comments and Guidance
a) Explanation of Definition/Usage
This element is used to identify a specific level of a resource. In the context of this application profile, these levels will include Record level and File level. Without this element, users would not have the ability to search specifically for a record only or a file only.
b) Best Practices
This element is intended to be an indicator of whether a resource is a record or a file. Given that, the EDRMS needs to indicate this information in the most efficient manner. There are no set rules for how this might be indicated.
Aggregation is not modifiable as a record cannot become a file and vice versa. Once the determination is made, the value is a constant.
c) Obligation
This element is deemed mandatory based on ISO requirements and for facilitating search and retrieval.
d) Default Values/Auto-populate
This element will be auto-populated based on the level at which the resource is classified.
e) Linkages
Aggregation is linked to File Code in order to gain further context from the identification of the resource's placement within a classification scheme / file plan. It is also linked to Identifier for the unambiguous identification of a record or file, especially since many records share the same value for File Code.
f) Examples
- "Record"
- "File"
