---
title: "Managing Attributes"
canonical: "https://docs.vaultspeed.com/space/VPD/3012722721/Managing%20Attributes"
format: markdown
---
> Macro (toc)

In order to change attribute properties, click on the attribute in the editor and the properties pane will show its information which can be edited. Attribute properties have two sections: General and Attribute Types.

![image](media://13eb4ae6-05ce-4bee-af0f-7f3d63a13fec)

# General properties

The following general properties can be changed:

- **Short Name**: The short name (automatically generated based on the short name length parameter). When there are multiple LNK’s between two tables, the short name of the attribute which uniquely defines the link will be added to the LNK & LKS names (this can be changed later in the DV name management).
- **Abbreviated Name**: The abbreviated name (automatically generated based on the abbreviated name length parameter), this is used when creating attributes in the DV with a prefix or suffix, such as business keys and subsequence attributes.
- **Data Type**: This is the data type that was harvested from the source metadata.  When the CAST_SOURCE_ATTRIBUTES parameter is enabled, you can change this data type
- **Data length, precision and scale **: Same as data type.
- **Comments **: You can add or edit the comments for this attribute.
- **Format Mask **: Define the format mask for this attribute.  If nothing is defined, the general format mask will be used (DV parameters).  
Note that this format must be valid for the target database type, meaning that ids must be entered when the source is used in a SQL Server or Azure Synapse Data Vault.
- **Numeric Decimal** : Select either ',' or '.' as decimal separator.
- **Nullable** : Specifies if this field can contain null values.
- **Ignored** : when an attribute is ignored, it is excluded from further data vault modelling.

# Attribute Types

The following attribute types can be changed:

- **Business Key**: The attribute is a Business Key.  (as defined by the data vault 2.0 standard)
- **Mass Storage:** This attribute is of a mass storage type (CLOB, BLOB, or others like that).
- **Non Historic**: This option will turn the History Attribute of this Field off, and will consider the Field as "Attribute". Attribute will not be used in hash diff calculation.
- **Descriptive attribute: **The Attribute is just descriptive and has no special type.
- **Primary Key** : The Attribute is part of the Primary Key.
- **Primary Key Name**: The name of the primary key where the field is a part of.
- **Subsequence Attribute **: For Multi Active Satellites, this attribute together with the business key should be unique. This is also sometimes referred to as the Dependent Child attribute.  
For example: a source table contains for the same business key all descriptions in all 3 different languages and so the language attribute should be the Subsequence Attribute.
- **cdc timestamp/sequence: **This attribute is used to indicate when the record was last changed.
- **Unique Identifier: **An attribute type used with Non-Historized Link object
- **Unique Key** : The attribute is part of a unique key. For multi column UK’s you have to enter the same name, or use ctr-click to select multiple attributes on the canvas and then right click and set unique key for all of them.
- **Unique key name:** The name of the unique key constraint where the attribute is part of.
- **Universal Identifier** : The attribute is a Universal Identifier (this is the same as setting it to Business key, and is mainly added for documentation purposes).

The attribute type can also be changed by right clicking on an attribute in the canvas.

![image](media://fc0a8220-3560-4ae5-89e1-f4bc9622acc1)

 

# Short and Abbreviated Names

The short and abbreviated names can be downloaded in a CSV File. These actions can be found inside the Extra dropdown menu. 

![image](media://15cf9c45-be70-480f-be77-c5e389f622df)

Using the Download Button a Short- and Abbreviated Names overview is downloaded containing the Short- and Abbreviated Names for all Objects in the source.

![image](media://8d39b153-e107-4dec-bd05-4da4e3454d0c)

And also an option for the same properties for each attribute.

![image](media://94225cf2-d8ea-43f1-9cff-9d218272831f)

After changing these files, you can use the upload functionality (found on the same Extras menu) to upload your changes back to VaultSpeed.