Custom properties and relationships for governance artifacts and catalog assets (Watson Knowledge Catalog)

You can extend the default set of properties and relationships available for governance artifacts and catalog assets by creating custom properties and relationships.

Use custom properties and relationships when important details about your data can't be captured by using default properties and relationships. For example, you create a custom property "Credit Risk" of predefined values type, and add values "High", "Medium", and "Low". You select it to be applied to categories and business terms. Then, you can assign this property to any category and business term that is related to credit risk and add more meaning by determining the risk.

Custom properties and relationships are created by administrators. Users who manage governance artifacts set values for them in the details of specific governance artifacts, as any properties like description.

Requirements and limitations

Required permissions

You must have the following user permissions:

  • Manage glossary
  • Manage catalog

The following governance artifacts support custom properties and relationships:

  • Categories
  • Business terms
  • Classifications
  • Data classes
  • Governance rules
  • Policies

All asset types in catalogs support custom properties.

Options for custom properties

When you create custom properties, you have the following options:

Options Description and restrictions Assets Artifacts
Name It is recommended to use a unique name for the custom asset type. A new custom property can’t be created with the same name if it’s created on the same asset or artifact type. Yes Yes
Description Optional. Limit of characters is 255. Yes Yes
Property type Can't be changed after creating custom property.
•Text
•Number. Must use whole numbers, negative numbers, decimals, and scientific notations.
•Date
•Predefined value		 Yes Yes
Allow multiple values The user who add values for the property can add multiple values for the same property. Yes Yes
Groups In predefined asset types, custom properties can only be added in groups. Groups of properties can be assigned to multiple asset types. Yes No

Options for custom relationships

When you create custom relationships, you have the following options:

Options Description and restrictions Assets Artifacts
Name Must be unique for the asset or artifact type. A new custom relationship can't be created with the same name between the same artifact types if a custom relationship with the same name between the same artifact types was created before. Yes Yes
Description Optional. Limit of characters is 255. Yes Yes
Labels Relationship name for the asset or artifact at the source end and the target end of the relationship. Both labels must be unique for the asset or artifact type. Yes Yes
Source types One or more asset types. The artifact type that you selected to create a relationship for. Yes Specified earlier
Target types One or more artifact or asset types. Yes Yes
Numbers of sources and targets Number of assets or artifacts that can be on the source end and the target end of the relationship. Yes No

Viewing asset and artifact definitions

To open screen for creating custom properties and relationships:

  1. Go to Administration > Governance and catalogs.

  2. Select Asset and artifacts definitions.

Filtering

Use the filter icon on the following tabs to filter for items:

  • Artifacts: Filter governance artifacts by custom relationships and custom properties assigned to them.
  • Assets: Filter catalog assets by origin (predefined, custom) and custom properties assigned to them.
  • Custom properties: Filter custom properties by property types (date, number, predefined values, text) and scope.

Creating a custom property for artifacts

To create a custom property:

  1. On the Artifacts tab of the Assets and artifacts definitions page, select the artifact type for which you want to create a property.
  2. In the overflow menu, select Open > New > Custom property.
  3. Specify the name and optionally a description.
  4. Select the property type. You can't modify it later.
  5. If you selected the predefined values type, add your values.
  6. Optionally, in the Advanced section, select the option to allow multiple values.
  7. Click Create. The new custom property is available immediately.

Creating a custom relationship for artifacts

To create a custom relationship:

  1. Choose on one of these tabs: • On the Artifacts tab of the Assets and artifacts definitions page, select the artifact type for which you want to create a relationship. In the overflow menu, select Open > New. • On the Custom relationships tab of the Assets and artifacts definitions page, click Add relationship type > New relationship type.
  2. Specify the name and optionally a description.
  3. Specify the source and target label of the relationship.
  4. Specify the source and target artifact types for the relationship. You can select one or many types. The new relationship is available immediately.

Creating a custom property for assets

Custom properties for assets need to be created inside a group. To create a group:

  1. On the Asset tab, select the asset type for which you want to create a property.
  2. In the overflow menu, select Open > Add.
  3. Choose New group to create a new group, or choose Add a group to select group from the list.
  4. The group is available immediately.

To create a custom property:

  1. Click New property next to the group in which you want to create a custom property.
  2. Specify the name and optionally a description.
  3. Optional. Click Show identifier to make changes to the unique identifier. Unique identifier is generated automatically. You can't modify it later.
  4. Select the property type. You can't modify it later.
  5. If you selected the predefined values type, add your values.
  6. Optionally, in the Advanced section, select the option to allow multiple values.
  7. Click Create. The new custom property is available immediately.

Importing custom properties or relationships from a file

All imported files must be in JSON format.

To import custom properties from a file:

  1. Go to Custom properties tab > Import from file.
  2. Add files by using Drag and drop option, or click a link in the drop box.

To import custom relationships from a file:

  1. Go to Custom relationships tab > Add custom relationship > Import from file.
  2. Add files by using Drag and drop option, or click a link in the drop box.

Modifying custom properties and relationships

After the custom properties and relationships are saved, you can access them in the same place where you created them.

Important: When you modify the definition of a property or relationship, which are already in use by governance artifacts, these governance artifacts are affected. For example, when you delete a predefined value in the property definition, that value is deleted from all artifacts that use it. When you delete an artifact type from the source or target of a relationship, and this type was already used in a relationship, these relationships are deleted.

Deleting custom properties or relationships

You can delete custom properties or relationships by clicking the overflow menu next to a custom property or relationships you want to delete. Choose Delete button. When deleting a custom property or a custom group, your values are removed from all assets. You can restore your values on assets, see details in Restoring values on assets.

Assigning values to custom properties or relationships

User can assign relationships or values for custom properties to governance artifacts. Changes to these properties and relationships are subjected to workflow like any other properties. Catalog collaborators can assign relationships or values for custom properties to assets in a catalog.

Learn more

Parent topic: Managing governance artifacts