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Slot: Table Orientation (table_orientation)

Whether the companion file is wide (one column per variable) or long (one value column, variables discriminated by row). Required.

Tier: core

Why this slot matters

Every other column binding in this class is read relative to the orientation: in a wide file value_column names a variable-specific column, in a long file it names a shared column whose rows must be filtered. Without this flag a consumer cannot interpret the bindings and so cannot reliably locate this record's values in the companion file.

In plain terms

Wide means one column per measurement type (a tmax column, a vp column, and so on); long means one row per measurement, with a shared value column and a label column saying which measurement each row is. Long is also known as "tidy" format.

URI: envar:slot/table_orientation

Applicable Classes

Name Description Modifies Slot
DataLayout How the companion data file (CSV / parquet) is laid out and how this record's... yes

Properties

Type and Range

Property Value
Range TableOrientationEnum
Domain Of DataLayout

Cardinality and Requirements

Property Value

Examples

Value
wide
long

See Also

Identifier and Mapping Information

Annotations

property value
tier core
justification Every other column binding in this class is read relative to the orientation: in a wide file value_column names a variable-specific column, in a long file it names a shared column whose rows must be filtered. Without this flag a consumer cannot interpret the bindings and so cannot reliably locate this record's values in the companion file.
explanation Wide means one column per measurement type (a tmax column, a vp column, and so on); long means one row per measurement, with a shared value column and a label column saying which measurement each row is. Long is also known as "tidy" format.
covered_by None

Schema Source

Mappings

Mapping Type Mapped Value
self envar:table_orientation
native envar:table_orientation

LinkML Source

name: table_orientation
annotations:
  tier:
    tag: tier
    value: core
  justification:
    tag: justification
    value: 'Every other column binding in this class is read relative to the orientation:
      in a wide file `value_column` names a variable-specific column, in a long file
      it names a shared column whose rows must be filtered. Without this flag a consumer
      cannot interpret the bindings and so cannot reliably locate this record''s values
      in the companion file.'
  explanation:
    tag: explanation
    value: Wide means one column per measurement type (a `tmax` column, a `vp` column,
      and so on); long means one row per measurement, with a shared `value` column
      and a label column saying which measurement each row is. Long is also known
      as "tidy" format.
  covered_by:
    tag: covered_by
    annotations:
      omop_gaia:
        tag: omop_gaia
        annotations:
          extent:
            tag: extent
            value: absent
          status:
            tag: status
            value: asserted
          where:
            tag: where
            value: no column
          note:
            tag: note
            value: The OMOP external_exposure table is implicitly long, but no orientation
              flag is declared as a field — it is a structural property a consumer
              must infer.
      degauss:
        tag: degauss
        annotations:
          extent:
            tag: extent
            value: absent
          status:
            tag: status
            value: asserted
          where:
            tag: where
            value: no column
          note:
            tag: note
            value: DeGAUSS's daymet CSV is wide (a `tmax` column) but declares no
              orientation field.
      amadeus:
        tag: amadeus
        annotations:
          extent:
            tag: extent
            value: absent
          status:
            tag: status
            value: asserted
          where:
            tag: where
            value: no column
          note:
            tag: note
            value: Amadeus's gridmet_tmmx.csv is wide but declares no orientation
              field.
      cher:
        tag: cher
        annotations:
          extent:
            tag: extent
            value: partial
          status:
            tag: status
            value: asserted
          where:
            tag: where
            value: table_column_dictionary.column_tag (Index / Value distinguishes
              table structure)
          note:
            tag: note
            value: 'C-HER''s per-column tags (Index vs Value) expose table structure,
              though not a wide/long orientation flag. Conservative: partial.'
      codata:
        tag: codata
        annotations:
          extent:
            tag: extent
            value: out_of_layer
          status:
            tag: status
            value: asserted
          where:
            tag: where
            value: no column
          note:
            tag: note
            value: File orientation is an instance-layer layout detail; CODATA's conceptual
              layer does not describe physical table shape.
description: Whether the companion file is wide (one column per variable) or long
  (one `value` column, variables discriminated by row). Required.
title: Table Orientation
examples:
- value: wide
  description: one column per variable, e.g. a `tmax` column in a Daymet extract
- value: long
  description: tidy format with a shared `value` column, e.g. tract-level PM2.5
from_schema: https://w3id.org/linkml/microschemas/envar
see_also:
- https://doi.org/10.18637/jss.v059.i10
rank: 1000
domain_of:
- DataLayout
range: TableOrientationEnum