Thesaurus construction rules

  • A term can have many narrower terms
  • A term can have many broader terms
  • A Use term - that is, non-preferred - cannot have other relationships, for example, narrower, broader etc., since it cannot be associated with records
  • No term can be duplicated - except for a term that is a prompt
  • Hyphens (-) cannot be used in terms
  • The prompt option enables you to use relevant cues for the creation of records within your organisation.

    For example, if you want to be able to enter free text within a Thesaurus term as in Region [NSW] or Region [VIC], whereby the detail within the brackets will vary, then add the term as a prompt term.

    In this example, when a user chooses the term Region for a record title, Content Manager will prompt them to enter the appropriate detail within the square brackets ([ ]).

    The free text brackets can be anywhere within the Thesaurus term, for example, Licence No: [ ] or [ ] Regional Office or Number [ ] Licence etc.

NOTE:

  • While every term can have as many narrower terms as you need, a well-designed Thesaurus will have an appropriate number of subordinate terms, typically to a maximum of 10 to 15 terms.

    Content Manager has been designed to function within these recommended parameters.

    If a Thesaurus is designed beyond the scope of a typical setup, then this may have a detrimental effect on Content Manager's performance.

  • Prompt terms are available for both ISO and Descriptor titling.

    Prompt terms can be used as attached terms (Thesaurus indexing or attaching terms as keywords); however, the functionality is limited to act as a normal term without any additional text and witout prompts.

  • A term must be a top term to start a title