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COBie

4.2
Data Tables

The data tables in COBie each serve a purpose and are organized in a hierarchy related to a facility, structure, or group of structures.

General Information Space Information Product Information Operational Information Supplementary Information
Company Level Type Instruction Resource
Facility SpaceType Component Job Document
  Space System Event PickList
  Zone Attribute Package  
  Coordinate   Risk  

In the following descriptions, the primary Key Value (data field) for each data table is shown in bold, where applicable. This Key is always the “Name” data field and does not exist for the Instruction and PickList data tables.

Table 1: Instruction

Description Provides written instructions related to the COBie database, but also contains the general submittal information for a particular COBie deliverable.
Status Required
Data Fields Title LinearUnit
Version VolumeUnit
Release WeightUnit
Status AreaMeasurementStandard
Region CoordinateSystemDescription
ExportDateTime CoordinateSystemOrigin
Milestone ClassificationSystem.Company
OriginatingCompany ClassificationSystem.Facility
AreaUnit ClassificationSystem.SpaceType
CurrencyUnit ClassificationSystem.Type
DurationUnit ClassificationSystem.System
Considerations Additional information on this data table related to the instruction is typically reserved for a SpreadsheetML format deliverable (Microsoft Excel workbook).

Table 2: Company

Description Represents the information related to a company that is referenced elsewhere in a COBie deliverable.
Status Required
Data Fields Name PostalCode
Phone Country
Category ExtSystem
Website ExtObject
Street ExtIdentifier
PostalBox Certifications
Town Department
StateRegion OrganizationCode
Considerations This data table was called “Contact” in previous versions of COBie.

Table 3: Facility

Description Provides information related to the facility, structure, or group of structures (in the case of infrastructure projects) for which the COBie deliverable represents.
Status Required
Data Fields Name Longitude
Description Elevation
Type ExtSystem
Category ExtObject
Address ExtIdentifier
Latitude  
Considerations Only one value (data record) is allowed on this table.

Table 4: Level

Description Contains information related to the vertical levels of a facility or, in the case of infrastructure projects, the geographic areas such as the site surrounding a facility/structure, a rail or highway corridor, etc.
Status Required
Data Fields Name ExtObject
Description ExtIdentifier
Category Elevation
PartOf Height
ExtSystem  
Considerations This data table was called “Floor” in previous versions of COBie.

Table 5: SpaceType

Description Provides information related to the different types of spaces that make up a facility, structure, or group of structures for this COBie deliverable. For example: “Office”, “Mechanical”, or “Circulation”.
Status Required
Data Fields Name ExtSystem
Description ExtObject
Category ExtIdentifier
Considerations This is a new data table for COBie V3.

Table 6: Space

Description Spaces represent the breakdown of Levels into rooms/areas, and which have common functional purpose to a user. 
Status Required
Data Fields Name ExtSystem
Description ExtObject
RoomTag ExtIdentifier
SpaceType.Name GrossArea
Level.Name NetArea
PartOf UsableHeight
Considerations Spaces are expected to be occupiable (visitable).
Vertically, Spaces run from top of level to bottom of slab above.
Occupied Spaces run to bottom of the ceiling as expressed by the COBie.Space.UsableHeight data field.
Large Spaces which have more than a single functional purpose or user may be separated into individual spaces.
Spaces may also be used on Levels of type “Roof” or “Site” to identify spatial regions outside a facility enclosure.
It is expected that the total list of Spaces in a COBie deliverable represent the entire span of the facility, structure, or group of structures.

Table 7: Zone

Description Zones represent a grouping of Spaces combined for a common purpose.
Status Required only if specified in the contract.
Data Fields Name PartOf 
Description ExtSystem
Category ExtObject
Space.Name ExtIdentifier
Considerations It is expected that the Zones in a COBie deliverable will include all Spaces.
Spaces may belong to more than one Zone.

Table 8: Type

Description Represents information related to the different types of products and equipment in the Facility.
Status Required
Data Fields Name WarrantyGuarantorLabor
Description WarrantyDurationLabor
Category WarrantyDurationUnit
AssetType ModelReference
ExtSystem NominalHeight
ExtObject NominalLength
ExtIdentifier NominalWeight
Manufacturer NominalWidth
ModelNumber PurchaseCost
WarrantyGuarantorParts WarrantyDescription
WarrantyDurationParts  
Considerations The primary purpose of COBie is to capture data on “maintainable” or “manageable” assets (products and equipment) of a facility, structure, or group of structures.
Do not add custom data fields to this data table (or to the right of the data field columns when represented in a SpreadsheetML / Microsoft Excel format). Use the Attribute data table for this.

Table 9: Component

Description The individual instances of the products and equipment define in the Type data table.
Status Required
Data Fields Name Space.Name
Description Space.SecondaryName
SerialNumber ExtSystem
TagNumber ExtObject
BarCode ExtIdentifier
AssetIdentifier InstallationDate
Type.Name WarrantyStartDate
Considerations All COBie.Component records shall be identified in the COBie.Space in which the asset is found, or the COBie.Space from which the asset it operated.

Table 10: System

Description Systems represent groupings of Components that provide some common function.
Status Required only if specified in the contract.
Data Fields Name ExtSystem
Description ExtObject
Category ExtIdentifier
PartOf Component.Name
Considerations Components may belong to more than one system.

Table 11: Resource

Description Resource records identify the tools, materials, and training needed to maintain the facility, structure, or group of structures.
Status Required only if specified in the contract.
Data Fields Name ExtSystem
Description ExtObject
Category ExtIdentifier
Considerations  

Table 12: Job

Description Identifies the variety of work that is required to operate, maintain, start up, shut down, or troubleshoot a given Component in the facility, structure, or group of structures.
Status Required only if specified in the contract.
Data Fields Name ExtObject
Description ExtIdentifier
TaskNumber Duration
Category DurationUnit
Status Interval
Table IntervalUnit
Table.Name Priors
PartOf ResourceNames
ExtSystem  
Considerations  

Table 13: Event

Description Events represent a single occurrence of a task as part of a Job.
Status Required only if specified in the contract.
Data Fields Name Table.Name
Description ExtSystem
Category ExtObject
Company.Name ExtIdentifier
Job.Name StartDate
Table EndDate
Considerations This is a new data table for COBie V3.

Table 14: Package

Description Includes information about the legal contract that required the COBie deliverable.
Status Required only if specified in the contract.
Data Fields Name ExtSystem
Description ExtObject
Category ExtIdentifier
Company.Name StartDate
Event.Name EndDate
Considerations This is a new data table for COBie V3.

Table 15: Risk

Description Identifies the exchange of business process and exception reporting information related to other parts of a COBie deliverable. 
Status Required only if specified in the contract.
Data Fields Name ExtSystem
Description ExtObject
Category ExtIdentifier
SpatialTable Likelihood
SpatialTable.Name Consequence
PhysicalTable LevelOfRisk
PhysicalTable.Name Company.Name
ProcessTable Mitigation
ProcessTable.Name  
Considerations Even though all the "Table" and "Table.Name" fields are shown as required, the only requirement is that at least one pair of these fields is populated, but there is the option to populate up to all three pairs.
In other words, if the "SpatialTable" and "SpatialTable.Name" pair of data fields are populated, the "PhysicalTable" and "PhysicalTable.Name" pair or the "ProcessTable" and "ProcessTable.Name" pair do not need to be populated (though there is the option to do any combination of pairs).

Table 16: Document

Description Document records identify external files that provide information associated with data in a COBie deliverable.
Status Required only if specified in the contract.
Data Fields Name ExtObject 
Description ExtIdentifier 
Category ApprovalBy 
Stage  Path 
Table  File
Table.Name  Reference 
ExtSystem   
Considerations Files referenced in this data table shall be provided with the COBie deliverable in Portable Document Format (PDF) or a common image file type, such as Portable Network Graphics (PNG) or Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) format.

Table 17: Attribute

Description Used to store custom data fields for the COBie deliverable.
Status Required only if specified in the contract.
Data Fields Name ExtObject
Description ExtIdentifier
Category Value
Table Unit
Table.Name AllowedValues
ExtSystem  
Considerations This data table is to be used in lieu of adding custom data fields to other data tables in a COBie deliverable.

Table 18: Coordinates

Description Represents the simple geometric orientation associated with data in a COBie deliverable.
Status Required only if specified in the contract.
Data Fields Name ClockwiseRotation
Category ElevationalRotation
Table YawRotation
Table.Name RelativeTo
CoordinateXAxis ExtSystem
CoordinateYAxis ExtObject
CoordinateZAxis ExtIdentifier
Considerations This information is useful if a single Space contains multiple Components to help identify a particular one. For example, a light fixture in a large warehouse space.

Table 19: PickList

Description Includes lists of acceptable values for certain data fields.
Status Required
Data Fields Attribute.Category Risk.Consequence
Company.Category Risk.LevelOfRisk
Coordinate.Category Risk.Likelihood
Coordinate.TableName SpaceType.Category
Document.ApprovalBy System.Category
Document.Category Table 
Document.Stage Type.AssetType
Event.Category Type.Category
Facility.Category Zone.Category
Facility.Type Units.Area
Job.Category Units.Currency
Job.Status Units.Duration
Level.Category Units.Linear
Package.Category Units.Volume
Risk.Category Units.Weight
Resource.Category  
Considerations  
National BIM Standard-United States® (NBIMS-US™) Version 4

The NBIMS-US™ v4 is a consensus-based national-level standard focused on defining standard approaches and guidelines to defining requirements, planning BIM adoption, and exchanging information between project team members. MORE