Directly-attached Properties

Two options exist to store the properties of a data model object: -- Properties Repository: (Preferred.) A repository that is created to hold the data model object’s properties, then it is attached to the data model object. A properties repository is more flexible and easier to access than directly-attached properties. -- Directly-attached Properties: (Non-preferred.) Properties are added directly to the object definition. These are more ridged and harder to change and adapt over time than properties repositories. The benefits of creating a properties repository is that the properties can be managed, imported and exported more easily, in the same manner that other repositories are rather than the user having to edit the data model object.