libref

libref is a Python library designed to facilitate the creation and management of reference data. Reference data, often referred to as lookup data or master data, is a critical component in many applications for standardizing information and ensuring consistency. libref provides a structured approach to defining, accessing, and validating such data.

The library allows users to define reference data sets, which can be loaded from various sources, including CSV files, JSON files, or directly from Python dictionaries. Each reference data set can have a unique identifier and a set of attributes that describe the data elements. libref supports defining primary keys for these data sets, enabling efficient lookups and preventing duplicate entries.

Key features of libref include data validation, which helps ensure the integrity of the reference data. Users can specify data types for attributes and define constraints to enforce business rules. The library also offers methods for querying and filtering reference data, making it easy to retrieve specific information. Furthermore, libref can handle relationships between different reference data sets, allowing for the creation of more complex data structures. This capability is useful for scenarios where one piece of reference data depends on another, such as linking country codes to country names. The library aims to simplify the process of working with static or semi-static data that is frequently used across an application.