Element Type
An Element Type defines the schema for a category of assets. It determines what properties every asset of that kind must have, ensuring consistency across your registry.
Think of it as a template: when you create an Element Type called "Server," you are saying every server in the registry should carry certain properties — like IP address, storage capacity, and location. When someone later creates an Element based on this type, those properties are automatically available for them to fill in.
Core concepts
Element Type vs. Element
| Concept | What it is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Element Type | The schema or blueprint for an asset category | Server, Application, Database |
| Element | A real instance of that type, filled with actual data | Server_001, PayrollApp, HR_DB |
Why Element Types matter
Element Types give your asset inventory structure. Without them, you would have a flat collection of inconsistent records — hard to search, impossible to analyze, and difficult to trust. With Element Types, you can:
- Standardize asset data so that every server, app, or database carries the same fields
- Enforce consistency when integrating data from different tools (AWS, Azure, ServiceNow)
- Enable meaningful reporting by ensuring comparable properties exist across assets of the same kind
- Drive property inheritance — when you add a property to the Element Type, every existing and future Element of that type inherits it
Where it fits in the data model
Element Types sit at the center of the Asset Registry's modeling framework:
- Element Types are grouped into functional categories using Type Functions (e.g., "Infrastructure" groups Server, Load Balancer, Network Device)
- Every Element is based on exactly one Element Type
- Each Element Type carries a set of properties, where each property's unit of interpretation comes from a Type Unit
Built-in Element Types
The Asset Registry ships with a set of built-in Element Types organized into three layers of the Canonical Business Context Model. These are pre-configured and cannot be edited or deleted.
Business Layer
| Element Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Product | An individual sellable offering (goods, software, service, or subscription) that generates revenue |
| ProductLine | A family of related products sharing common platform, technology, or market positioning |
| ProductGrouping | A strategic portfolio or business segment for executive reporting and P&L alignment |
| Customer | An external party that purchases products/services from the business |
| CustomerSegment | A classification grouping of customers with shared characteristics for strategic planning |
| Organization | Top-level tenant in the people hierarchy. Root for AI Dev Cost budget and spend rollups. See People and Budget. |
| Team | Group of engineers that owns Products; primary accountability unit for AI Dev Cost budgets |
| Engineer | Individual developer; unit of attribution for LLM usage, seats, and per-developer budgets |
| Budget | AI Dev Cost spending envelope; scoped via typed edges to Engineer, Team, Product, or Organization |
Technical Layer
| Element Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Application | A logical unit of business functionality that supports operations, independent of technical implementation |
| ApplicationPackage | A deployable technical bundle — the actual software package, versioned and release-managed |
| ApplicationDeployment | A running instance of an ApplicationPackage in a specific environment (Dev, Test, Prod) |
| ApplicationComponent | A modular subunit of an application (API, plugin, UI element, integration endpoint) |
Business Impact Layer
| Element Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Confidentiality | CIA rating for data confidentiality — scored 1–5 |
| Integrity | CIA rating for data integrity — scored 1–5 |
| Availability | CIA rating for system availability — scored 1–5 |
| LegalRegulatoryImpact | Business impact assessment for legal and regulatory exposure |
| ReputationalImpact | Business impact assessment for public reputation risk |
| ExposureZone | Network exposure classification for security and trust boundaries |
These built-in types come pre-loaded with properties. For example, the Application type includes properties like alias, lifecycleStatus, installType, architectureType, businessCriticality, and more. See the Canonical Business Context Model docs for full property details.
Creating an Element Type
Navigate to Types in the top navigation bar and click + New Type.
The form opens in a slide-over panel with three tabs: Summary, Global, and Applies to (view mode only).
Settings
At the top of the panel, five toggles control the Element Type's behavior:
| Toggle | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Active | On | Whether the Element Type is available for use |
| Built In | Off | Marks the type as system-defined. Built-in types cannot be edited or deleted |
| Auto Collect | Off | Enables automatic data collection for elements of this type |
| Assignable | Off | Whether elements of this type can be assigned to users or teams |
| Notifiable | Off | Whether state changes on elements of this type trigger notifications |
Summary tab
| Field | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type Name | Text | Yes | A unique name for this Element Type. Duplicates are rejected with a validation error |
| Description | Text (multiline) | No | A brief explanation of what this type represents |
| Parent | Dropdown | No | An optional parent Element Type for hierarchical classification. The dropdown excludes descendants to prevent circular references |
| Type Function | Dropdown | Yes | The functional category this type belongs to (e.g., Infrastructure, Software). See Type Function |
Global tab — Properties
The Global tab lets you define the properties (attributes) that every Element of this type will carry.
Click Add New to open the Add New Property dialog:
| Field | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Text | Yes | The property name (e.g., storage_capacity, version) |
| Is Built In | Toggle | No | Whether this property is system-defined |
| Type Unit | Dropdown | Yes | The unit of interpretation for this property. See Type Unit |
Properties can be pinned to the top of the list for quick access and reordered as needed.
Applies to tab
Available in view mode only. Displays a read-only table of all Elements currently using this Element Type — useful for impact analysis before making schema changes.
Viewing and editing
Click any row in the Types table to open it in view mode. From there:
- Click the edit icon to switch to edit mode
- Click the delete icon to remove the type (with confirmation)
Built-in types display a warning banner and cannot be edited or deleted.
Best practices
- Use clear, business-relevant names — prefer "VirtualMachine" over "VM" so the type is self-explanatory
- Keep schemas minimal but complete — include only the properties that are meaningful for this asset category
- Align property names with source systems for easier data mapping during integration
- Define Type Units for every numeric or structured property to avoid ambiguity
- Check the Applies to tab before modifying an Element Type to understand how many Elements will be affected