Tree Terminology (SAP Library - MDM Data Manager Reference Guide: Part 1)

Tree Terminology

Terms like node, branch, sibling and child are used in tree commands. You will also find mention in this reference guide of ancestors and descendants in reference to trees. Check the definitions in the table below and the illustrations in the figure below if you are uncertain about the meanings of these terms.

Term	Definition
Node	Any item in the tree.
Root node	The top node of the tree.
Branch	Any node of the tree below the root node.
Parent node	The node that is one level above the referenced node.
Sibling node	Any node that is at the same level as the referenced node.
Child node	Any node that is one level below the referenced node.
Internal node	Any node that has child nodes.
Leaf node	Any node that has no child nodes.
Ancestors	All nodes at higher levels than the referenced node, including not only parent nodes, but also parents of parents, and so on.
Descendants	All nodes at lower levels than the referenced node, including not only child nodes, but also children of children, and so on.

This graphic is explained in the accompanying text

The trees in MDM can be navigated easily using any of the methods described under Selection Methods. The notes in the following section amplify how the selection methods apply to trees in particular.

Note

Sibling nodes in a tree cannot have the same name.