Entity references

References between entities can be either automatically added by the iCore system or manually created by the user.

References automatically added by the system

The references automatically added by the system are mainly used for import/export purposes. When an entity is selected for export, the entities that the entity refers to are also exported. For example, exporting an Event configuration that uses a Component configuration means that the Component configuration is also exported. The same applies when entities are imported to an iCore system.

The automatically added references also help ensure the integrity of the iCore system. For example, integrity references can prohibit an entity from being deleted if there are other entities that refer to it (e.g. a Script cannot be deleted if it is used by a Component configuration).

tip

To check the entity references and verify the integrity of the iCore system, run the Powershell cmdlet Test-iCoreEntityReferences. For more information, see iCore PowerShell cmdlets.

References manually added by the user

References can also be added manually by the user to create logical dependencies between entities in cases when these dependencies are not detected by the system. For example, if a Script uses a Node type, this relationship is not detected by the system, but the user can instead create a reference between these two entities.

note

Example

If the user creates a reference between a Script and a Node type, then the Node type will be automatically exported along with the Script. Note however that it is possible to manually disable these dependencies during export/import.

Also, if the user attempts to delete the Node type, a warning will appear stating that this dependency exists and require explicit confirmation for the deletion to occur.

For information on how to add references to an entity, see Viewing entities.

Reference properties

Direction	Indicates the relationship between the currently selected entity and the referenced entity. The Direction can be one of the following: Uses – the currently selected entity is using the entity in the list. Used by – the currently selected entity is used by the entity in the list.
Entity	The name of the entity being referenced.
Entity type	The type of the entity being referenced.
Reference type	Reference types for automatically added references: ExportInclusion – When an entity with a reference of this type is exported, the entities which are used by this entity are also exported. Integrity – Same as ExportInclusion, but with an added constraint – an entity having this reference cannot exist without the entity that it uses. This is an integrity reference. IntegrityCascadeDelete – Same as Integrity, but with an added constraint –  if an entity with this reference is deleted, entities that use this entity are also deleted. This is an integrity reference. Category – Specifies that the entity belongs to a category. MutualInclusion – Specifies that the entities comprehended by the reference cannot exist without each other. This is an integrity reference. Reference types for manually added references: UserDefined – When an entity with a reference of this type is exported, the entities which are used by the entity are also exported by default unless they have been manually deselected. Also, if the user attempts to delete an entity that has a UserDefined reference to it, a warning will appear requesting explicit confirmation of the deletion.

See Also

iCore PowerShell cmdlets
Viewing entities
Import Export Tool