Master/Detail Attributes
Description
There are many entity types in ERP.net which are in master/detail relationship.
For example, the Sales Orders entity type is master to the Sales Order Lines entity type.
Following the relationship between their respective entity types, some attributes (or references) might be in master/detail relationship. For example, the SalesOrder.Store and SalesOrderLine.LineStore are in master/detail relationship.
For in-depth information about master/detail attribute relationship, refer to the technical documentation.
Very simplified version of the story from dev perspective:
- The detail attribute is the important one. It is considered by the business logic. The master attribute is used mainly for at-a-glance user information.
- The master attribute contains value only when the value (of the detail attribute) for all lines is the same. Otherwise, it is NULL.
- The detail attribute generally should be a required (not-NULL) attribute. However, there are exceptions, so check the model docs to be sure.
Best practices
When creating data
- Set the value of the detail attribute for each line, according to your business requirements.
- For the master attribute:
- If ALL detail lines have the same value for the detail attribute, set that value.
- Otherwise (if there are different values) - set NULL.
When consuming data
- Use the detail attribute value to properly implement your business logic.
- If you are referring to the value of the master attribute, be sure to properly handle the possible NULL values.
Examples
All lines have the same value
In this example, the master attribute has a value, because it is the same for all lines.
| Entity | Attribute | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Sales Order 00596 | Store | Main |
| Sales Order 00596 - Line 01 | Line Store | Main |
| Sales Order 00596 - Line 02 | Line Store | Main |
| Sales Order 00596 - Line 03 | Line Store | Main |
Different values on the lines
In this example, the master attribute is NULL, because there are lines with different values.
| Entity | Attribute | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Sales Order 00597 | Store | NULL |
| Sales Order 00597 - Line 01 | Line Store | Main |
| Sales Order 00597 - Line 02 | Line Store | Remote 01 |
| Sales Order 00597 - Line 03 | Line Store | Main |