Analysis reports may be used to analyze lists of materials or substances in Granta reference data modules and/or your own in-house data. The analysis reports available in MI:Viewer and MI:Explore are provided by MI:Reports, an optional software component for analyzing different aspects of product design and risk. Once the MI:Report Files package is installed, the reports are made available to client applications through the Granta Service Layer.
A record attribute holds data on the entity that the record represents (see Data Type). For a material record, these attributes include its composition, strength, density, etc. For a manufacturing process record, the attributes include the surface finish, tolerance, economic batch size, etc. For a supplier, the attributes are the company name, address, telephone number, etc.
An attribute is sometimes also called a property, although Property has a particular meaning in the database.
Generic record or folder that is one or more levels directly above the current record or folder in the browse tree.
Custom report
See Analysis report
A data link (also known as a data to data link) is made between a data value for a primary attribute in the source record and a target record. The data link group specifies which attribute characterizes the relationship, that is, the target data value in the target record. The result is a link between two data items.
Data is stored in the database as one of the following types:
Range
Point
Functional (also known as Graphical)
Discrete Functional
Equations and Logic
Integer
Discrete
Logical
Short Text
Long Text
Picture
Date
Hyperlink
File (for embedded
media)
Tabular
Each data record in the database represents an entity - a material, a process, a supplier, etc. Records have a set of attributes and a set of properties.
The datasheet for a record displays the data values for its properties.
A database consists of one or more tables (datasets) which are linked together.
Descendant
Record or folder that is one or more levels directly below the current record or folder in the Contents tree.
An embedded media item is a file generated by another application e.g. a PDF file, that can be added to a data record and presented to users as data for that record.
A folder is a type of record used to group together data records with similar properties. For example, the MaterialUniverse table includes a Ceramics and glasses folder, a Fibers and particulates, and a Metals and alloys folders.
Folders can contain records and other folders. Folders do not have any data associated with them, but they do have properties such as full and short name, color, and GUID.
Function
Functions are used in equations and logic data. For example, range functions such as range, lowValue, and highValue; statistical functions such as mean, erf, phi; logarithmic functions such as log, log10, and exp; trigonometric functions such as sin, cos, and tan.
A generic record is a record that is both a data record and a folder. Its properties span the range of properties of the specific records beneath it in the tree (e.g. "Wrought Aluminum Alloys").
A layout determines the properties visible on a datasheet.
Metadata
Metadata attributes allow subsidiary information to be stored alongside a data value, such as statistical information or notes about the source of the data.
A parameter is a supporting factor that must be taken into account when evaluating a function.
A profile is a collection of table, subsets and layouts. A profile can contain tables from multiple databases. See Contents tab.
The properties of a record identify it within the database, for example an id number.
A quality rating is associated with a data value.
Records in a GRANTA MI database may be one of three types: a data record, a generic record, or a folder.
A record link is made between two records. The record link group specifies between which tables the link can be made. A static record link exists if both records exist and is unchanged if the record changes. A smart record link exists if both records exist and contain matching values for an attribute. A smart record link updates if the record changes.
Report
Reports allow you to view and analyze data from multiple records. Several different types of report are available in MI:Viewer:
- Comparison Tables, Comparison Charts, and X-Y Charts allow you to compare and visualize data for a set of records.
- Analysis reports analyze lists of materials or substances and enable various types of product analysis to be carried out − for example, Restricted Substances, and Critical Materials risk analysis.
Subsets are used to filter the records and attributes available for viewing in the Contents tree and on datasheets.
A table is a compilation of information relevant to a single type of entities (records). For example, it may contain materials and their properties, or manufacturing processes. A table can be thought of as one page of a spreadsheet: with records (e.g. materials) in each row and a set of attributes (sometimes called 'properties' or 'fields') in the columns.
Templates can be used to quickly set up advanced searches and some reports, identifying a set of attributes of interest. They can be useful for frequently run searches or reports, saving you from having to select and add attributes to the search criteria or report one at a time.
Templates may also be used for data exports to Excel.
Templates are defined by the GRANTA MI administrator.
The records in a database are organized into a hierarchical tree structure, where groups of data records with similar properties are grouped together into folders. These folders, which may themselves have properties, are similarly grouped together into other folders. Individual records are the leaves of the tree, and folders are the branches.
This tree structure is shown in MI:Viewer on the Contents tab.
In the database, times are stored as Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). UTC is a time standard based on International Atomic Time, and is used here for consistency across time zones. Times in MI:Viewer are displayed in the current time zone, with the offset from UTC.
Version control applies to the records in a table, and allows changes to a record and its data to be tracked. Each record has a version number and version state. Each datum has a version number.