The Universal Data Element Framework (UDEF) was [1] a controlled vocabulary developed by The Open Group. It provided a framework for categorizing, naming, and indexing data. It assigned to every item of data a structured alphanumeric tag plus a controlled vocabulary name that describes the meaning of the data. This allowed relating data elements to similar elements defined by other organizations. UDEF defined a Dewey-decimal like code for each concept. For example, an "employee number" is often used in human resource management. It has a UDEF tag a.5_12.35.8 and a controlled vocabulary description "Employee.PERSON_Employer.Assigned.IDENTIFIER".
UDEF has been superseded by the Open Data Element Framework (O-DEF).[1]
In an application used by a hospital, the last name and first name of several people could include the following example concepts:
For the examples above, the following UDEF IDs are available:
Original source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal Data Element Framework.
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