SECTION 3: DATA ELEMENT STANDARDIZATION RULES
3.1 Data Element Definition Formulation Rules: This section describes the basic construction
criteria for data element definitions. The development of good definitions is crucial to the
development of meaningful names. The definition of a data element is based on logical, not
physical, characteristics. This means that the definition shall reflect the purpose of the data
element; i.e., what the data element is, rather than how, where or when it is used. Data elements
shall be independent of any particular hardware, software and organizations using the data.
Data elements defined in this manner may be used by other organizations or other applications than
those for which they were originally intended. This is a crucial
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