# manage-entities

> Manage OFBiz entity definitions (Data Model). Use when creating/modifying entities, debugging DB errors, or adding views.

- Author: toaditi
- Repository: toaditi/ofbiz-dev-agent-skills
- Version: 20260124175846
- Stars: 0
- Forks: 0
- Last Updated: 2026-02-06
- Source: https://github.com/toaditi/ofbiz-dev-agent-skills
- Web: https://mule.run/skillshub/@@toaditi/ofbiz-dev-agent-skills~manage-entities:20260124175846

---

---
name: manage-entities
description: Manage OFBiz entity definitions (Data Model). Use when creating/modifying entities, debugging DB errors, or adding views.
---

# Skill: manage-entities (v1.0)
## Goal
Manage OFBiz entity definitions (Data Model).

## Triggers
**ALWAYS** read this skill when:
- Creating or modifying entity definitions (`entitymodel.xml`).
- Debugging database or SQL errors.
- Adding View Entities.

## Use when
- Creating new entities or views.
- Extending core entities (only with permission).
- Auditing data model.

## Don't use when
- Modifying core framework entities directly (strict rule).
- Creating duplicates of existing generic entities (e.g., Party, Facility).

## Inputs
- required: Entity Name, Package
- optional: Fields, Relations

## Outputs
- Definition in `entitydef/entitymodel.xml` or `entitydef/entitymodel_view.xml`.

## Procedure
1. **Search**: `grep` for similar entities first.
2. Application entities in `entitydef/entitymodel.xml`.
3. **View Entities**: ALWAYS define in `entitydef/entitymodel_view.xml` for complex reads or joins. Avoid manual iteration/finding in code.
4. **Type**:
    - `entity`: Standard table (must have `prim-key`).
    - `view-entity`: Join.
5. **Build**: `./gradlew build` to validate.

## Guardrails
- **Core Policy**: Do NOT modify/extend core entities without specific user approval.
- **Types**: Use standard field types (`id`, `name`, `currency-amount`, `date-time`).
- **Relations**: References must be exact (case-sensitive).
- **System Design**: Perform data aggregation and calculations at the database level (using View Entities or SQL) whenever possible, rather than iterating in code. This improves performance and scalability.

## Failure handling
- **Missing Entity**: Check `ofbiz-component.xml` loads the `entitymodel.xml`.
- **DB Error**: SQL exceptions usually mean type mismatch or missing PK.

## Examples
**Example A (New Entity)**:
Input: 'Feature' entity.
Output:
```xml
<entity entity-name="Feature" package-name="com.company.feature" title="Feature">
    <field name="featureId" type="id"/>
    <field name="description" type="description"/>
    <prim-key field="featureId"/>
</entity>
```