Database Field Codes Rules

Use of the same rules and abbreviations in creating data bases will aid in standardization and data communication with others. The following rules for naming data base fields are taken from the National Field Research Handbook by Bob Waymire, pages E-5 to E-6. An extensive list of data base field abbreviations is found in the same handbook on pages E-1 to E-4. Use these abbreviations before creating your own.

Outline:

  1. General Field Code Rules
  2. Specific Field Code Rules
  3. Field Name Rules

GENERAL FIELD CODE RULES

Use of the same rules in creating any new or additional abbreviations you may need will aid in standardization and data communication with others.

A. Use upper case letters and numbers only (i.e. no lower case letters; no symbols, punctuation or special characters (except "_“).

B. An abbreviation should not exceed FOUR (4) characters in length. Utilizing 3 characters as often as possible will allow for more combinations of codes

C. Each abbreviation must be unique.

  • There must be one and only one abbreviation for each word to be referenced in the field name.
  • One abbreviation may be used for multiple expressions of the same root word (e.g. 'DIR' for direct, director, directed).

SPECIFIC FIELD CODE RULES

Specific rules for naming data base field are presented below in order of precedence. If a suitable code (one adhering to the genera! rules above) cannot be obtained using rule 1 below, rule 2 is used and so forth.

0. Use the word itself

1. Use the standard abbreviation commonly used for the word in the world-at-large, if such an abbreviation exists (e.g. "TXT" for text; "YR" for year; 'PCT' for percent).

2. If it is a common multi-word phrase, use the first letter of each word (e.g. "COL" for cost-of-living; 'ABM' for active-baptized-members, "UPG" for Unreached People Group, etc.)

3. Use the first three letters (prefix) of the word (e.g. "CON" for continent; "COU" for country).

4. If the first letter in the word is a consonant and there are only two additional consonants in the word, use the three consonants as the abbreviation (e.g. "LCL" for local; "LDR" for leader).

5. If the three letter prefix (rule 3 above) is not unique or for other reasons unacceptable, add the next consonant that makes the abbreviation unique (and helps sound out the word or indicates its uniqueness from a similar word in the database). If no consonants are available, use the next appropriate vowel. (E.g. "FREQ" for frequency, to distinguish from "FRE" for freedom; 'MEDi' for media, to distinguish from "MED" for medical). Note: Do not exceed 4 characters for any one abbreviation; and 4 character abbreviations should be kept to a minimum.

6. Find a different word with a similar meaning (a synonym) to build an abbreviation from (e.g. use “organization” instead of “agency”; use “end” instead of “conclusion.”

7. Make an exception to the rules. On (hopefully) rare occasions, an appropriate abbreviation cannot be obtained using the above rules 1-6. In this case the arbitrary abbreviation which is chosen still must conform to the general rules (A - C above).

FIELD NAME RULES

1. Field name must not exceed 10 characters in length.

2. Use alpha letters and numbers only (and when letter separation is required, use "_"). Do not use any other special characters. Field name must begin with a letter.

3. Field names are composed of abbreviations from the standard list of abbreviations. (For more field name abbreviations see pages E-1 to E-4 in the National Field Research Handbook by Bob Waymire)

4. In selecting the order of the abbreviations to form the field name: go from the most important word to the least important word-go from the most general to the most specific. Put words such as ‘percent', ‘average', 'number', ‘code' and 'total' at the end of the field name.

    Examples:
    EVPCT = Percent Evangelical
    EVNBR = Number of evangelicals
    POPTDT = Total' population
    ATTAVE = Average attendance
    ETHCOD = Ethnologue Code
    ORGBEGYR = Year organization began
    LIFEXPFEM = Female life expectancy
    OCAA GR = Average annual growth rate of organized churches
    LANTRD = Trade Language
    MEMBAP = Baptized members

For more field name abbreviations see pages E-1 to E-4 in the National Field Research Handbook by Bob Waymire.

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