Vicmap Reference: Metadata Table for Shapefile Column Name Mapping

Part of the VMREFTAB reference tables for the Victorian Spatial Data Library, the MD_COLUMN_NAME_MAPPING table maps long column names to shorter ones for shapefile compatibility. This mapping ensures unique column names for spatial objects when generating or importing shapefiles, which cannot have column names longer than 10 characters. The table is provided by the Department of Transport and Planning and was last updated in April 2026.

Use Cases

• Automate shapefile generation from Victorian spatial databases based on the column name mapping logic.
• Resolve column name truncation issues during data import based on the defined mapping rules.
• Ensure data integrity when exchanging spatial datasets with systems requiring 10-character column limits based on the mapping table.
• Standardize column naming across different Victorian spatial products based on the reference mapping.

Strengths

• Provides a unique mapping for column names, ensuring consistency for spatial objects.
• Explicitly supports a critical technical constraint: shapefiles cannot have column names longer than 10 characters.
• Includes a default mapping rule (TABLE_OWNER and TABLE_NAME equal to '_DEFAULT') for broad application.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.

Provenance

Source

Department of Transport and Planning (Victoria, Australia).

Collection Method

Likely created as a technical reference table for the Victorian Spatial Data Library (VSDL) suite.

Time Range

null

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04 07:09:51.453143; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Victoria, Australia.