7 Entity Types You Need to Know for Export Management
Entity types are the basic building blocks of any export management system. They define the different kinds of objects, people, or organizations that are involved in the export process. In this article, we will explain what entity types are, why they are important, and how to use them effectively.
What is an entity type?
An entity type is a category or class of things that share some common characteristics or attributes. For example, a product is an entity type that represents a physical item that can be exported. A customer is an entity type that represents a person or organization that buys products from an exporter. A shipment is an entity type that represents a group of products that are sent together to a destination.
Entity types are not fixed or predefined. They can be customized and modified according to the needs and preferences of each exporter. However, there are some common entity types that are widely used in export management systems. These are:
– Product: A physical item that can be exported, such as a car, a laptop, or a pair of shoes.
– Customer: A person or organization that buys products from an exporter, such as a retailer, a distributor, or an end-user.
– Supplier: A person or organization that provides products or services to an exporter, such as a manufacturer, a wholesaler, or a freight forwarder.
– Order: A request from a customer to buy one or more products from an exporter.
– Invoice: A document that shows the details and the amount of money that a customer owes to an exporter for an order.
– Shipment: A group of products that are sent together to a destination, such as a port, an airport, or a warehouse.
– Document: A paper or electronic file that contains information or evidence related to an export transaction, such as a bill of lading, a certificate of origin, or a packing list.
Why are entity types important?
Entity types are important because they help to organize and manage the data and information that are involved in the export process. By using entity types, an exporter can:
– Identify and classify the different kinds of things that are relevant to their business.
– Define and specify the attributes and properties of each entity type, such as name, description, price, quantity, weight, etc.
– Establish and enforce the rules and relationships between different entity types, such as which products can be sold to which customers, which documents are required for which shipments, etc.
– Store and retrieve the data and information of each entity type in a database or a spreadsheet.
– Analyze and report on the data and information of each entity type using charts, graphs, tables, etc.
How to use entity types effectively?
To use entity types effectively, an exporter should follow these steps:
– Identify the entity types that are relevant to their business and their export goals.
– Define the attributes and properties of each entity type and assign them appropriate values.
– Establish the rules and relationships between different entity types and ensure they are consistent and logical.
– Store and update the data and information of each entity type in a secure and accessible location.
– Analyze and report on the data and information of each entity type using suitable tools and methods.
By following these steps, an exporter can create and maintain a comprehensive and accurate export management system that can help them to achieve their export objectives.
What is Entity Type and Why It Matters for Data Management
Entity type is a term that can have different meanings depending on the context. In general, it refers to the type of information that is being stored or mastered by a system or organization. For example, an entity type could be a customer, an order, a product, or a concept. Entity types are important for data management because they help define the structure, relationships, and attributes of the data.
One way to understand entity types is to use the Entity Data Model (EDM), which is a framework for describing the structure of data using entities and their properties. An entity is an instance of an entity type, such as a specific customer or order. A property is an attribute of an entity type, such as a name, an address, or a quantity. An entity type can also have navigational properties, which allow entities to be linked to other entities through associations.
For example, consider a simple entity data model for an online store. The entity types could be Customer, Order, Product, and Category. Each entity type would have properties that describe its characteristics, such as Customer.Name, Order.Date, Product.Price, and Category.Name. The entity types would also have navigational properties that define their associations, such as Customer.Orders, Order.Products, Product.Category, and Category.Products.
Entity types can also vary depending on the level of abstraction or granularity of the data. For example, in a conceptual model, an entity type represents a high-level concept that is relevant to the business domain, such as Customer or Order. In a logical model, an entity type represents a more detailed and normalized structure of the data that is independent of any specific implementation, such as Customer_Address or Order_Line. In a physical model, an entity type represents the actual table or collection that stores the data in a database or system, such as Customers or Orders.
Another context where entity types are used is in business law, where they refer to the legal structure of an organization. For example, some common types of business entities are sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, limited liability company (LLC), and trust. The choice of business entity affects the legal and financial aspects of a business, such as taxes, liability, profits, and growth. Different countries and regions have different laws and regulations for different types of business entities.
References:
https://www.sbif.cl/sbifweb/internet/archivos/DISCURSOS_5983.pdf
https://e-albania.al/dokumenta/qkr/MANUALI_SHPK.pdf
https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/imdm/12.0?topic=concepts-key-entity-attribute-entity-type
https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/small-business/business-entity
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/framework/data/adonet/entity-type
https://help.sap.com/doc/saphelp_ssb/1.0/en-US/88/1c6f2eaaca48eb967a05bf6be00ba6/content.htm
https://www.ignitespot.com/blog/what-is-an-entity-type
https://www.export.gov/article?id=Export-Basics
https://www.trade.gov/export-solutions
https://www.sba.gov/business-guide/grow-your-business/export-products
