Question 2.1.17 Data Field (21)

Are the character restrictions in the Contract ID field necessary?

<xs:simpleType name="contractIdType">

<xs:restriction base="xs:string">

<xs:maxLength value="50"/>

<xs:pattern value="[A-Za-z0-9_:-]+"/>

</xs:restriction>

</xs:simpleType>

Is it possible to relax the restriction to be a normal string? Having a restricted character set makes this harder than it needs to be; contractNameType which is defined in the TRUM the same (as an alphanumeric) does not have these restrictions

Answer

The schemas for data delivery and the restrictions imposed by characters in the contract identifier are limited to those fields which are to be used as primary keys in the ARIS database. It is typical for character restrictions to be imposed to prevent non-printable or special characters from being used and to ensure that primary keys can be easily matched.