Concepts

Concepts are bundled metadata properties ..

Concepts

When you create a metadata domain, you're building a framework that lets end users and applications consistently enhance their data through formatting, security rules, and custom properties. This makes data easier to understand, more secure, and more useful.

What is a Concept?

In Pentaho's system, a concept is essentially a bundle of metadata properties that you can attach to business objects (like database tables or columns). Instead of defining metadata properties individually each time, you package them together as reusable concepts. Examples include currency formats, number formats, or text formats.

Concepts can be organized in a hierarchy where child concepts inherit properties from parent concepts. This means you can define metadata once at a higher level and have it automatically apply to everything below it—avoiding repetition and ensuring consistency.

Base Concept

At the foundation sits the base concept, which automatically serves as the parent to all physical columns in your metadata model. Think of it as a safety net: it establishes baseline metadata properties that apply everywhere by default. You can modify or add properties to the base concept, but you cannot delete it entirely. You can, however, remove it as a parent for specific columns if needed.

Three levels of Concepts

1. Self-concepts: Properties applied directly to the object in the editor

2. Parent concepts: Properties inherited from a parent concept set at the business view level

3. Inherited concepts: Properties inherited from other concepts higher up in the hierarchy

In essence, this creates a flexible, reusable system for managing metadata across your data landscape.

Concept Editor

Concept Editor

Parent concepts are independent hierarchies of concepts that can be assigned to one or more business objects through the navigation tree. Before you can assign a parent concept you must first learn how to create one.

The Concept Editor allows you to build concepts to be used as parent concepts. The ability to isolate the concepts, name them, then associate the named concept with one or more business objects gives you flexibility and good concept management. Another feature of the Concept editor is that you can define concepts that build upon other concepts. By nesting concepts this way, you minimize the number of properties you must repeatedly define and create a good inheritance hierarchy.

Default Concept

Default Concept

The Default Concept is the default set of properties assigned to objects, mainly used for formatting. For example, the mask for all currencies could be set to $#,##0.00;($#,##0.00) by default. Every model contains a default concept called Base. This concept is applied as the parent concept to all physical columns created under a connection. The default concept includes metadata properties that are commonly defined and sets a base line set of metadata for all physical columns in the metadata model. The purpose of the default concept is to provide legitimate values for common metadata properties thatmay not be set in other places in your hierarchy. You can update, add, and delete metadata properties on the default concept. You can also remove the default concept as the parent concept for any and all physical columns. You cannot, however, delete the default concept from the list of concepts in the Concept editor.