Glossary
Applicability
Whether an attribute is meaningful for a given bearing family or configuration, decided by a documented rule and used to build honest completeness denominators.
Definition
Applicability states whether an attribute is meaningful for a particular product. In the MyBearings draft record envelope it takes one of three values: applicable, not_applicable or unknown.
Why it matters
Bearing families describe themselves with different attributes. An attribute that is essential for one family may have no meaning for another, and some attributes depend on configuration within a family. Without explicit applicability, every blank looks like a gap, completeness figures become misleading and research effort is spent looking for values that do not exist.
How it is decided
Applicability should come from a documented rule, typically keyed on family and, where needed, configuration. The rule is maintained centrally and versioned with the schema. It should not be inferred from whether a cell happens to be filled.
Illustrative, synthetic rules:
| Attribute | Family | Applicability |
|---|---|---|
| contact_angle | demo-angular | applicable |
| contact_angle | demo-radial | not_applicable |
| height | demo-thrust | applicable |
| ring_width | demo-thrust | not_applicable |
| seal_material | demo-radial, open configuration | not_applicable |
| seal_material | demo-radial, configuration not stated | unknown |
Relationship to field status
An attribute with applicability not_applicable has status not_applicable and no value. An attribute with applicability applicable can be populated, unknown, conflicting or not_researched. When applicability itself is unknown, report it separately rather than counting it as missing or excluded.
Apply it
See the applicability field in the draft bearing record schema, read how completeness is defined on the quality page, or discuss your catalog.
Methodology article using synthetic examples only; it states no manufacturer specifications. Independent technical review: not yet assigned. Found an error? Tell us.
