Interesting... My experience is that the same data element can be called different things by different installations e.g. in different states or projects - for example, "Malaria cases in children under five" and "Malaria - under five", etc. Sometimes the range of synonyms becomes so large between databases that importing for cross-database analysis becomes so difficult and a tiring process. At other times there are just two synonyms. In this case having an "alternative name" or "old name" seems to be useful.
This "match-making" process during import is one requirement for an "alternative name" or "old name" or whatever it wants to be called...but perhaps there is a better way of solving this? Ime --- On Thu, 4/28/11, Bob Jolliffe <bobjolli...@gmail.com> wrote: > From: Bob Jolliffe <bobjolli...@gmail.com> > Subject: Re: [Dhis2-devs] Alternative names > To: "Hieu Dang Duy" <hieu.hispviet...@gmail.com> > Cc: "Ola Hodne Titlestad" <ol...@ifi.uio.no>, "DHIS 2 developers" > <dhis2-devs@lists.launchpad.net> > Date: Thursday, April 28, 2011, 12:18 PM > On 28 April 2011 10:09, Hieu Dang Duy > <hieu.hispviet...@gmail.com> > wrote: > > Hi, > > > > We have to be careful in misunderstanding of the > meaning of alternative > > name. The I18n translation functionality which is only > the support one for > > Multilingual. But in this case alternative name which > could understand that > > a another name of a specified object. One data > element, ie. it could be > > having many other alternative name. I'm not familiar > with the health words. > > > > But for example in Chemical field, if you say CH3-OH > so everyone would know > > that is Methanol or Metilic alcohol. > > > > Just a small comment. > > Fair point. AlternativeName does invite the user to > use it like this > in the absence of any other guideline. > > In general many things do have many names (I am Bob, my > passport says > Robert and the University of Oslo has me as Bo). What > is important on > the output side is to know the context in which a > particular name is > appropriate. In the I18n case, the context is > determined by locale > which seems to me to be the right way of determining which > alternative > name to use (assuming, as Ola says, that it works). > > I am not sure if there is really a requirement for > supporting other > sorts of naming contexts - I haven't seen one, but there > might be. > For example different programs might have different names > for the same > indicator. Facilities are perhaps an interesting case > because they do > occasionally get renamed so you might have current name and > old name. > Which is not a very serious problem when we don't use the > name as the > primary identifier. > > It would be easy enough to have a table for alternative > names of any > and all identifiable objects. In fact it might even > be a good idea. > What would be more complicated is to decide the context in > which to > use which name. The simplest approach would be to not > try and be too > artificailly intelligent about it and provide the report > designer with > the set of alternative names to pick from if he/she so > chose. > > But without a clear requirement there's no need to make our > lives > complicated. So to go back to my original question, > do we have an > existing use case (outside of I18n) where people are using > alternativename differently? eg synonymns for > methanol. My guess is > that this is more a requirement in clinical systems than in > aggregate > reporting of datelements and indicators. Except > perhaps facilities > ... > > Cheers > Bob > > > > > On Thu, Apr 28, 2011 at 1:37 PM, Ola Hodne Titlestad > <ol...@ifi.uio.no> > > wrote: > >> > >> Not 100% sure, but I think Alternative Name is > used to store the English > >> translations of the Swahili data elements in the > Tanzanian databases, as an > >> ad-hoc i18n approach. This can of course be > replaced by a using the i18n > >> functionality (given that it works properly, and > that it is also possible to > >> show lists/reports etc. showing both languages). > >> > >> Ola > >> -------- > >> ---------------------------------- > >> Ola Hodne Titlestad (Mr) > >> HISP > >> Department of Informatics > >> University of Oslo > >> > >> Mobile: +47 48069736 > >> Home address: Vetlandsvn. 95B, 0685 Oslo, Norway. > Googlemaps link > >> > >> > >> On 27 April 2011 17:04, Bob Jolliffe <bobjolli...@gmail.com> > wrote: > >>> > >>> On 27 April 2011 15:24, Jason Pickering <jason.p.picker...@gmail.com> > >>> wrote: > >>> > +1 from me as well, assuming that we can > migrate the existing > >>> > alternative names to whatever object > replaces it. > >>> > >>> To what extent to we have existing alternative > names? > >>> > >>> >Also, if you can > >>> > look into how we can match on these > names during import, similar to > >>> > DHIS 1.4, this would be very useful in > hetereogeneous, data > >>> > warehousing situations where multiple > data bases feed DHIS2, but which > >>> > may have slightly different names of the > same data element. > >>> > > >>> > > >>> > > >>> > On 4/27/11, Bob Jolliffe <bobjolli...@gmail.com> > wrote: > >>> >> 2011/4/27 Saptarshi Purkayastha > <sun...@gmail.com>: > >>> >>> I would actually suggest that > multiple alternative names to be added > >>> >>> for a > >>> >>> dataelement or indicator. > >>> >>> It would be similar to the > representing synonyms for a data element > >>> >>> or > >>> >>> indicator. > >>> >> > >>> >> Saptarshi I think I agree with you in > principle. And probably the > >>> >> best way to work towards this is to > start by removing the hard coded > >>> >> alternative name property. So +1 from > me to the proposal. > >>> >> > >>> >>> > >>> >>> --- > >>> >>> Regards, > >>> >>> Saptarshi PURKAYASTHA > >>> >>> > >>> >>> My Tech Blog: http://sunnytalkstech.blogspot.com > >>> >>> You Live by CHOICE, Not by > CHANCE > >>> >>> > >>> >>> > >>> >>> 2011/4/27 Lars Helge Øverland > <larshe...@gmail.com> > >>> >>>> > >>> >>>> Hi all, we are currently > investigating the core domain model in > >>> >>>> order to > >>> >>>> see how we can make the > entities have a consistent set of > >>> >>>> properties. > >>> >>>> In that regard we are > proposing to remove the alternative name > >>> >>>> property > >>> >>>> of > >>> >>>> data element and indicator > entities. It seems this property is a > >>> >>>> ad-hoc > >>> >>>> > legacy internationalization effort and not really useful. > Would it > >>> >>>> be > >>> >>>> okay > >>> >>>> to remove it? > >>> >>>> > >>> >>>> > >>> >>>> regards, Lars > >>> >>>> > >>> >>>> > _______________________________________________ > >>> >>>> Mailing list: https://launchpad.net/~dhis2-devs > >>> >>>> Post to : dhis2-devs@lists.launchpad.net > >>> >>>> Unsubscribe : https://launchpad.net/~dhis2-devs > >>> >>>> More help : https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp > >>> >>>> > >>> >>> > >>> >>> > >>> >>> > _______________________________________________ > >>> >>> Mailing list: https://launchpad.net/~dhis2-devs > >>> >>> Post to : dhis2-devs@lists.launchpad.net > >>> >>> Unsubscribe : https://launchpad.net/~dhis2-devs > >>> >>> More help : https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp > >>> >>> > >>> >>> > >>> >> > >>> >> > _______________________________________________ > >>> >> Mailing list: https://launchpad.net/~dhis2-devs > >>> >> Post to : dhis2-devs@lists.launchpad.net > >>> >> Unsubscribe : https://launchpad.net/~dhis2-devs > >>> >> More help : https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp > >>> >> > >>> > > >>> > > >>> > -- > >>> > Jason P. Pickering > >>> > email: jason.p.picker...@gmail.com > >>> > tel:+260974901293 > >>> > > >>> > >>> > _______________________________________________ > >>> Mailing list: https://launchpad.net/~dhis2-devs > >>> Post to : dhis2-devs@lists.launchpad.net > >>> Unsubscribe : https://launchpad.net/~dhis2-devs > >>> More help : https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp > >> > >> > >> _______________________________________________ > >> Mailing list: https://launchpad.net/~dhis2-devs > >> Post to : dhis2-devs@lists.launchpad.net > >> Unsubscribe : https://launchpad.net/~dhis2-devs > >> More help : https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp > >> > > > > > > > > -- > > Good health ! > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Mailing list: https://launchpad.net/~dhis2-devs > Post to : dhis2-devs@lists.launchpad.net > Unsubscribe : https://launchpad.net/~dhis2-devs > More help : https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp > _______________________________________________ Mailing list: https://launchpad.net/~dhis2-devs Post to : dhis2-devs@lists.launchpad.net Unsubscribe : https://launchpad.net/~dhis2-devs More help : https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp
