Type Unit

A Type Unit defines the unit of interpretation for a property value. It covers both numerical units like GB, USD, and ms, as well as non-numerical formats like semantic_version, status_label, or enum types with controlled vocabularies.

Type Units ensure that property values are consistently described and understood across teams and systems.

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Core concepts

Numerical and non-numerical units

Type Units are not limited to traditional units of measure. They clarify how to interpret any kind of property value:

Property	Value	Type Unit	Kind
storage_capacity	500	GB	Numerical
cost_per_month	250	USD	Numerical
response_time	120	ms	Numerical
version	2.3.1	semantic_version	Non-numerical
status	active	status_label	Non-numerical
environment	Prod	Environment (enum)	Controlled vocabulary

Where Type Units are used

Type Units can be applied to:

• Element properties — attributes of assets like storage capacity, cost, or lifecycle status
• Edge attributes — properties of relationships like latency or connection type
• Node metadata — contextual tags or custom labels

They ensure that any value stored in the registry is semantically enriched and interpretable — a 500 without a Type Unit is ambiguous, but 500 GB is clear.

Built-in Type Units

The Asset Registry ships with a comprehensive set of built-in Type Units. These are pre-configured and cannot be edited or deleted.

Basic data types:

Type Unit	Data type	Description
String	string	Human-readable text values
Text	string	Detailed descriptions and notes
String (nullable)	string	Optional string values
Text (nullable)	string	Optional detailed descriptions
UUID	string	Universally unique identifiers
VARCHAR(50)	string	Short strings up to 50 characters
VARCHAR(100)	string	Strings up to 100 characters
List<String>	string	Collections of related string values
Boolean	boolean	True or false values
Integer	integer	Whole numbers (counts, ports)
DECIMAL(5,2)	float	Decimal numbers up to 999.99
DateTime	datetime	Timestamps
Timestamp	datetime	Record tracking timestamps
Duration	datetime	Time durations (e.g., RTO, RPO)

Enum types (controlled vocabularies):

Type Unit	Allowed values
LifecycleStatus	Active, Retired, Pending Active, Pending Retired
TimeClassification	Tolerate, Invest, Migrate, Eliminate
ApplicationType	Non Platform Application, Platform Application, Platform Host
InstallType	On Premise, Cloud, Hybrid, Third Party Hosted
ArchitectureType	Non Platform Application, Platform Application, Platform Host
Environment	Dev, Test, Prod, Stag
ComponentType	API, Plugin, Module, Interface, UI, Integration Endpoint
ServiceCategory	Database, Storage, Compute, Network, Backup, Monitoring
Status	Active, Retired, Pending, Deprecated, Deployed, InMaintenance, Failed
LifecyclePhase	concept, development, launch, growth, mature, decline, retired, ...
BusinessCriticality	missionCritical, businessOperational, administrative
CustomerType	enterprise, smb, consumer, partner, government, internal
RiskTolerance	low, medium, high
ImpactLevel	none, low, medium, high, critical
RegulatoryFramework	gdpr, hipaa, sox, pci, glba, ccpa, fedramp, epa
ExposureType	Internet, AuthenticatedInternet, PartnerNetwork, CorporateNetwork

And many more, including ProductType, PricingModel, PlatformType, DeploymentModel, LicenseType, StrategicPriority, StrategicTier, AccountStatus, and others. These enum types provide dropdown options when filling in Element properties that reference them.

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Creating a Type Unit

Navigate to Type Units in the top navigation bar and click + New Type Unit.

Settings

Toggle	Default	Description
Active	On	Whether the Type Unit is available for use
Built In	Off	Marks the Type Unit as system-defined. Built-in Type Units cannot be edited or deleted

Details

Field	Type	Required	Description
Type Unit Name	Text	Yes	A unique name for this Type Unit. Duplicates are rejected with a validation error
Description	Text (multiline)	No	A brief explanation of what this unit represents
Data Type	Dropdown	Yes	The underlying data type. Available options: string, number, integer, float, boolean, datetime, enum. This field cannot be changed after creation

Enum values

When Data Type is set to enum, an additional section appears where you define the allowed values:

• Click Add Value to add a new entry
• Each value appears as a text field with a delete button
• Enum values are presented as a dropdown when an Element property uses this Type Unit

Organization

Field	Type	Required	Description
Module	Dropdown	Yes	The data source this Type Unit is associated with. See Module
Parent	Dropdown	No	An optional parent Type Unit for hierarchical organization. The dropdown excludes self and descendants to prevent circular references

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Viewing and editing

Click any row in the Type Units 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 Unit (with confirmation)

note

The Data Type field is read-only in edit and view mode. It can only be set during creation.

Built-in Type Units display a warning banner and cannot be edited or deleted.

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Supported data types

Data type	Description	Example use
string	Free-form text	Names, identifiers, descriptions
number	Decimal number	Cost, percentage
integer	Whole number	Count, port number
float	Floating-point number	Latency, score
boolean	True or false	Feature flags, status
datetime	Date and time value	Created date, expiry
enum	Predefined set of allowed values	Status (active/inactive), environment (dev/staging/prod)

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Best practices

• Apply Type Units consistently across similar Element Types — if two types both have a storage_capacity property, use the same GB Type Unit
• Always pair numeric properties with a unit — do not assume numbers are self-explanatory
• Use enums for controlled vocabularies to enforce consistency (e.g., environment names, risk levels)
• Choose the most specific data type — prefer integer over number when decimal values are not meaningful
• Check the built-in list first before creating a new Type Unit — the one you need may already exist