structuresrecord

Structuresrecord is a term used in information management to describe a structured, record-based representation of information about data structures, software structures, or physical structures. It is not a single formal standard but a flexible pattern used in catalogs, metadata repositories, and API schemas to capture properties and relationships in a consistent way.

A structuresrecord typically represents a single structure as a record with fields such as: id, name, kind or category (for example, data structure, class, interface, or architectural component), type, and a set of attributes. Attributes are often stored as key–value pairs and may include dimensions, constraints, version information, provenance, and descriptive metadata. Relationships to other structures (references, dependencies, or containment) are commonly included, along with timestamps for creation and modification, and optional tags or notes.

Formats and implementations vary. Common interchange formats include JSON, XML, and YAML, while databases may store a structuresrecord as a row in a catalog table with nested attributes. In code, it can be represented as a record or object with a flexible attributes map to accommodate diverse structure kinds.

Typical use cases include software metadata catalogs, API schema registries, hardware or architectural component inventories, and data-structure documentation. While not standardized, structuresrecords can align with general metadata practices and standards such as Dublin Core, Scheme.org, or domain-specific schema catalogs to support discovery, versioning, and interoperability.

Limitations include the lack of a universal definition and potential scope creep as the concept covers diverse kinds of structures. See also data dictionary, metadata management, schema registry, and data catalog.