---
title: "Register a Data Element"
description: "Register a Data Element, the building block that reads a single value from your data."
---

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    <span style="font-size: 11px; font-weight: 500; letter-spacing: 0.05em; text-transform: uppercase; color: #534AB7;">TL;DR</span>
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    Turn a raw table column (like <code>annual_inc</code>) into a named, governed Data Element that Features, Models, and Policies can use. Set the Data Type, point it at the source column, and create. This page covers the Simple case (one column → one value); for values computed across many rows, see <a href="/user-guide/how-tos/register-a-data-aggregate/">Data Aggregate</a>.
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## What is it?

The **Data Element** page is your catalog of every data point available on the platform. Each Data Element points at one column of one registered [DataTable](/user-guide/how-tos/register-a-table/) and wraps it with metadata, governance, and versioning, so the column can be referenced by name across Features, Models, and Policies.

<div class="flow-diagram">
  <div class="flow-row">
    <div class="flow-box box-raw">Raw column<small>annual_inc</small></div>
    <div class="flow-arrow">→</div>
    <div class="flow-box box-de">Data Element<small>Annual Income</small></div>
    <div class="flow-arrow">→</div>
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      <div class="flow-box box-feature">Features</div>
      <div class="flow-box box-model">Models</div>
      <div class="flow-box box-policy">Policies</div>
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This page covers the **Simple** case, where one column maps to one value. For values that have to be computed across many rows (like "max DPD in the last 6 months"), see [Data Aggregate](/user-guide/how-tos/register-a-data-aggregate/).

## Benefits of a registered Data Element

**1. A navigable Data Dictionary**

Raw columns are often hard to read (`annual_inc`, `cust_lst_pymt_dt_30d`). Registering one as a Data Element lets you give it a clear name, alias, and description, building a **Data Dictionary** new users can actually navigate.

**2. Governance, versioning, and lineage**

- Tag a Data Element with its **Permissible Purpose** to control where it can be used (for example, marking gender or race as PII so they cannot flow into marketing Features).
- Every change is **versioned**, so you can see what the Data Element looked like at any point and which downstream objects used which version.
- **Downstream lineage** shows every Feature, Model, and Policy using the Data Element, at which version.

## How to Register

Follow these steps to register a Data Element.

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#### Open the Create Form

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On the **Data Vault → Data Element** page, click **+ New Data Element**.

A name prompt opens first. Enter a descriptive name for the Data Element (for example, `Account Vintage In Years`) and confirm to land on the full Data Element form.

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#### Fill in Attributes

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Set the **Data Type** <span style="color: #E5484D;">*</span> - the type of value stored (for example, `numerical`, `string`, `boolean`, `date`). Fill in the **Alias** and **Entity**. See [Common Registration Info](/user-guide/how-tos/common-registration-info/).

Leave **Is Aggregated** unticked.

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#### Fill in Definition

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Point at the column you want to expose:

- **Source Table** <span style="color: #E5484D;">*</span> - the registered DataTable that contains the column.
- **Source Column** <span style="color: #E5484D;">*</span> - the specific column to map.

<figure>
  <img src="/images/how-tos/register-a-data-element/register-a-data-element-04-definition.png" alt="Definition section showing Source Table and Source Column dropdowns." class="screenshot" loading="lazy" />
  <figcaption>Point the Data Element at the registered table and column it should expose.</figcaption>
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#### Fill in Properties and Create

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Fill in the [Properties](/user-guide/how-tos/common-registration-info/#properties) (Description, Permissible Purpose, Group, and Keywords), then click **Create** at the bottom right. The Data Element is saved as a draft and you land on its details page.

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## What's Next

Once registered, the Data Element can be used across [Features](/user-guide/how-tos/register-a-feature/), [Models](/user-guide/how-tos/register-a-model-definition/), and [Policies](/user-guide/how-tos/register-policy-decision-workflow/). You can also [run a simulation](/user-guide/how-tos/run-a-simulation/) on it (with reports for summary statistics, distributions, and percentage of missing values) and trace its lineage to every downstream object.

Next steps:

- Build a [Feature](/user-guide/how-tos/register-a-feature/) on top of this Data Element.
- Send the Data Element for [approval](/user-guide/how-tos/approve-an-object/) so it can be used outside your draft workspace.
- Need a value computed across multiple rows? Register a [Data Aggregate](/user-guide/how-tos/register-a-data-aggregate/) instead, same flow, different Definition section.