Element Category Matrix¶
The following matrix provides a quick reference for the structural differences and capabilities of the various categories of elements within the Information System.
| Category | Topological Role | Independent Identity | Primary API Path | Context Membership | Custom Fields Allowed (Schema-Mixed) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Context | Logical Partition | ✅ Yes (UUID) | /contexts |
❌ N/A (Defines the boundary) | ❌ No |
| Type | Type Schema | ✅ Yes (UUID & Name) * | /types |
❌ N/A (Global definition) | ❌ No |
| Resource | Graph Node (Hub) | ✅ Yes (UUID) | /instances |
✅ Yes | ❌ No (Topological extensibility only) |
| Facet | Graph Node (Satellite) | ✅ Yes (UUID) | /instances |
✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| IsRelatedTo | Graph Edge (Association) | ✅ Yes (UUID) | /instances |
✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| ConsistsOf | Graph Edge (Composition) | ✅ Yes (UUID) | /instances |
✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
Property |
Nested Data Value | ❌ No | ❌ N/A (Embedded) | ❌ N/A (Embedded) | ✅ Yes |
| QueryTemplate | Stored Query Definition | ✅ Yes (UUID & Name) * | /query-templates |
❌ N/A (Global definition) | ❌ No |
* UUID & Name Identity: These elements physically possess a globally unique UUID — either supplied by the client at creation (honored if not already in use by another entity) or, if omitted, generated by the system. However, to maximize human-readability and ease of use, the REST API endpoints are designed to address them exclusively using their unique name field (e.g., /types/{name} or /query-templates/{name}). Clients never need to know, retrieve, or use the underlying internal UUIDs for these System Objects.