The Category Object

This item maps to the Category object in the FlexNet Manager Suite compliance database.

Database interaction

If an incoming Category is not matched by an existing record in the compliance database, a new record is created there.

If an incoming Category matches an existing record in the compliance database, details are updated (as allowed for individual properties described below).

Behavior in the Business Adapter Studio

When you create new objects in the Business Adapter Studio, the Category appears in the Enterprise Groups group in the right-click context menu.

Within the Business Adapter Studio, the default name suggested for the Output attribute of this Category object is Category_ID.

Properties

The Category object exposes the following properties in the data model for the Business Importer and the Business Adapter Studio.

Table 1. Data model properties for `Category` object (alphabetical listing)
Property	Details
`Address - City`	Type: `varchar`. Maximum: 200. Maps to `Category.address_city` in the compliance database.
`Address - Country`	Type: `varchar`. Maximum: 100. Maps to `Category.address_country` in the compliance database.
`Address - State`	Type: `varchar`. Maximum: 200. Maps to `Category.address_state` in the compliance database.
`Address - Street`	Type: `varchar`. Maximum: 200. Maps to `Category.address_street` in the compliance database.
`Address - Zip`	Type: `varchar`. Maximum: 20. Maps to `Category.address_zip` in the compliance database.
`Business Phone Number`	Type: `varchar`. Maximum: 30. Maps to `Category.businessphonenumber` in the compliance database.
`Description`	Type: `ntext`. Maps to `Category.comments` in the compliance database.
`Email Address`	Type: `varchar`. Maximum: 200. Maps to `Category.email` in the compliance database.
`Fax Number`	Type: `varchar`. Maximum: 30. Maps to `Category.faxphonenumber` in the compliance database.
`ID`	Type: `int`. For the `ID` property, the Business Adapter Studio offers a list of the output field names from previous objects in the adapter. Maps to `Category.groupexid` in the compliance database. It is used (perhaps in conjunction with other properties) as a key for matching existing records there. In the Business Adapter Studio, SQL-like expressions for pattern matching (contained in the `MatchingMask` attribute of the adapter's XML file) are supported for this property. An exception is the case when the incoming `ID` is null. In these cases, the property is excluded from the matching process, which then relies on other properties of the `Category` object. However, updates to the stored value of `Category.groupexid` are not permitted.
`Name`	Type: `varchar`. Maximum: 128. Mandatory: adapters must provide values for this column. Individual groups in the path through the enterprise group hierarchy are separated with the `/` character. Maps to `Category.groupcn` in the compliance database. It is used (perhaps in conjunction with other properties) as a key for matching existing records there. However, updates to the stored value of `Category.groupcn` are not permitted.

Data model version 13.2