How to name fields and entities

Field names

Use snake_case with the unit at the end:

object_property_state_unit

Part	What it is	Examples
object	What you’re measuring	`reactor`, `filter_inlet`, `patient`
property	The attribute	`temp`, `press`, `vol`, `mass`
state	Target vs actual (optional)	`set`, `lim`, `min`, `max`, `avg`… (see States)
unit	Include for measurements	`_C`, `_kg`, `_bar`, `_mm`

Examples

Process data

reactor_temp_set_C — Target temperature
reactor_temp_C — Measured temperature
glucose_feed_vol_L — Volume of glucose added
filter_inlet_press_lim_bar — Pressure limit

Manufacturing & QC

housing_length_mm — Measured length
screw_torque_lim_Nm — Torque specification
leak_test_result — Pass/Fail observation

Clinical & patient data

patient_weight_kg — Body weight
sys_BP_mmHg — Vital sign (systolic blood pressure)
pain_score — Patient-reported outcome

Choosing a naming standard

Context	Use	Why
GMP Manufacturing	This guide	Functional names work across equipment. Track assets via an `equipment_id` field.
R&D / Process Development	This guide	Equipment changes. Functional names let you compare data across scales.
Clinical	This guide internally, CDISC on export	Readable names for daily work, map to SDTM/ADaM for submission.

External standards (Allotrope, CDISC, ISA-88)

These standards are optimized for data exchange between systems, not daily usage. They prioritize universal definitions over specific context. For example, an ontology defines “Temperature,” but your process needs to distinguish inlet_temp from outlet_temp. Using abstract codes (like AFO_0000123) strips away this context, making data analysis harder and increasing the risk of interpretation errors. Best practice: Use descriptive, functional names inside Seal for clarity and safety. If you need to export to external standards (Allotrope, CDISC, etc.), speak to your solutions consultant—we can easily set up the appropriate transformations for your workflows.

Templates

Prefix_Product_Process

Example: BR_MAB_Upstream, SOP_Deviation_Handling See Template prefixes for the full list. Versioning is handled automatically by Seal—don’t add _v1 to names.

Instances

Naming depends on whether the entity is a process (happening in time), a resource (physical), or a document (static).

Process (time-based)

Type	Format	Example
Batch	`B-YYYY-NNN`	`B-2024-001`
Project	`PRJ-CODE`	`PRJ-X15`

Resource (physical)

Type	Format	Example
Equipment	`EQ-ID`	`EQ-BIO-01`
Material	`RM-CODE`	`RM-GLUC-01`

Document (static)

Type	Format	Example
Document	`PREFIX-ID`	`SOP-QA-005`

Tip: Don’t repeat the product or process name in the instance (e.g., MAB_Upstream_B-2024-001). That metadata comes from the Template.

Common mistakes

Bad	Good	Why
`Value_1`	`reactor_temp_C`	No meaning
`temp`	`reactor_temp_C`	Missing context and unit
`Temperature (°C)`	`reactor_temp_C`	Spaces break code
`reactor_temperature_celsius`	`reactor_temp_C`	Too long
`REACTOR_TEMP_C`	`reactor_temp_C`	ALL_CAPS harder to scan
`ReactorTempC`	`reactor_temp_C`	camelCase harder to read
`temp2`	`jacket_temp_C`	Numbers don’t explain
`AFO_0000123`	`reactor_temp_C`	Ontology IDs are for machines
`VSTESTCD`	`sys_mmHg`	CDISC codes are for submission
`BIO01_TEMP`	`reactor_temp_C`	Asset tags break comparison (use `Equipment ID` field)

Vocabulary reference

Use these standard abbreviations consistently.

Properties

Physical & process

Term	Meaning	Term	Meaning
temp	Temperature	press	Pressure
vol	Volume	mass	Mass / Weight
flow	Flow Rate	level	Level / Fill
speed	Speed / RPM	agit	Agitation
torque	Torque	force	Force
power	Power	energy	Energy
time	Duration	rate	Rate
freq	Frequency	cycle	Cycle Count

Dimensions

Term	Meaning	Term	Meaning
length	Length	width	Width
height	Height	depth	Depth
dia	Diameter	OD	Outer Diameter
ID	Inner Diameter	thickness	Thickness
area	Area	radius	Radius

Chemical & analytical

Term	Meaning	Term	Meaning
pH	pH Level	conc	Concentration
cond	Conductivity	osmo	Osmolality
turb	Turbidity	visc	Viscosity
density	Density	RI	Refractive Index
abs	Absorbance / OD	trans	Transmittance
fluor	Fluorescence

Gas & dissolved

Term	Meaning	Term	Meaning
DO	Dissolved Oxygen	dCO2	Dissolved CO₂
pO2	Partial Pressure O₂	pCO2	Partial Pressure CO₂
O2	Oxygen	CO2	Carbon Dioxide
N2	Nitrogen	air	Air

Cell culture & bioprocess

Term	Meaning	Term	Meaning
VCD	Viable Cell Density	TCD	Total Cell Density
viab	Viability	doubling	Doubling Time
growth	Growth Rate	PDL	Population Doublings
gluc	Glucose	lac	Lactate
gln	Glutamine	glu	Glutamate
NH4	Ammonia	Na	Sodium
K	Potassium	Ca	Calcium

Product quality

Term	Meaning	Term	Meaning
titer	Titer	yield	Yield
purity	Purity	potency	Potency
recovery	Recovery	activity	Activity
aggregate	Aggregate	fragment	Fragment
HCP	Host Cell Protein	DNA	Residual DNA
endotoxin	Endotoxin	bioburden	Bioburden

Chromatography

Term	Meaning	Term	Meaning
RT	Retention Time	area	Peak Area
height	Peak Height	resolution	Resolution
asymmetry	Asymmetry	tailing	Tailing Factor
HETP	Plate Height	plates	Theoretical Plates
CV	Column Volumes	DV	Diavolumes

Filtration & TFF

Term	Meaning	Term	Meaning
TMP	Transmembrane Pressure	flux	Flux
NWP	Normalized Water Permeability	CF	Concentration Factor
DF	Diafiltration	LMH	L/m²/hr

Electrical

Term	Meaning	Term	Meaning
voltage	Voltage	current	Current
resistance	Resistance	impedance	Impedance
capacitance	Capacitance	inductance	Inductance

Mechanical (device)

Term	Meaning	Term	Meaning
tensile	Tensile Strength	elongation	Elongation
modulus	Modulus	hardness	Hardness
fatigue	Fatigue Life	creep	Creep
seal	Seal Strength	burst	Burst Strength

Clinical vitals

Term	Meaning	Term	Meaning
sys	Systolic BP	dias	Diastolic BP
MAP	Mean Arterial Pressure	HR	Heart Rate
RR	Respiratory Rate	SpO2	Oxygen Saturation
temp	Body Temperature	weight	Body Weight

Clinical labs

Term	Meaning	Term	Meaning
WBC	White Blood Cells	RBC	Red Blood Cells
Hgb	Hemoglobin	Hct	Hematocrit
PLT	Platelets	ANC	Absolute Neutrophil Count
ALT	Alanine Transaminase	AST	Aspartate Transaminase
ALP	Alkaline Phosphatase	bili	Bilirubin
BUN	Blood Urea Nitrogen	creat	Creatinine
eGFR	Est. GFR	alb	Albumin
INR	INR	PTT	Partial Thromboplastin Time

PK/PD

Term	Meaning	Term	Meaning
Cmax	Maximum Concentration	Tmax	Time to Cmax
AUC	Area Under Curve	halflife	Half-life
clearance	Clearance	Vd	Volume of Distribution

Particle & size

Term	Meaning	Term	Meaning
D10	10th Percentile	D50	Median Size
D90	90th Percentile	span	Span
count	Particle Count	size	Particle Size

Objects

Process equipment

Term	Meaning	Term	Meaning
reactor	Bioreactor / Fermenter	tank	Hold / Storage Tank
vessel	Generic Vessel	mixer	Mixing System
filter	Filtration Unit	column	Chromatography Column
skid	Process Skid	cassette	TFF Cassette
membrane	Membrane	resin	Chromatography Resin
pump	Pump	valve	Valve
probe	Sensor / Probe	balance	Weighing Balance
autoclave	Autoclave	lyophilizer	Lyophilizer
filler	Filling Machine	capper	Capping Machine
labeler	Labeling Machine	cartoner	Cartoning Machine
incubator	Incubator	shaker	Shaker
centrifuge	Centrifuge	homogenizer	Homogenizer

Analytical instruments

Term	Meaning	Term	Meaning
HPLC	HPLC System	UPLC	UPLC System
MS	Mass Spectrometer	GC	Gas Chromatograph
UV	UV Spectrophotometer	IR	IR Spectrometer
Raman	Raman Spectrometer	NMR	NMR Spectrometer
plate_reader	Plate Reader	flow_cyt	Flow Cytometer
particle_counter	Particle Counter	osmometer	Osmometer

Process locations

Term	Meaning	Term	Meaning
inlet	Inlet Port	outlet	Outlet Port
jacket	Temperature Jacket	headspace	Headspace
sparger	Sparger	impeller	Impeller
diptube	Dip Tube	vent	Vent

Streams

Term	Meaning	Term	Meaning
feed	Feed Stream	harvest	Harvest Stream
load	Column Load	wash	Wash Stream
elute	Eluate / Elution	strip	Strip Stream
regen	Regeneration	equil	Equilibration
permeate	Permeate Stream	retentate	Retentate Stream
filtrate	Filtrate	concentrate	Concentrate
diluent	Diluent	waste	Waste Stream

Materials

Term	Meaning	Term	Meaning
buffer	Buffer Solution	media	Growth Media
WFI	Water for Injection	PW	Purified Water
product	Product	API	Active Ingredient
excipient	Excipient	raw_mat	Raw Material
sample	Sample	std	Standard
ref	Reference	ctrl	Control

Batch & campaign

Term	Meaning	Term	Meaning
batch	Batch / Lot	run	Process Run
campaign	Campaign	lot	Lot
sublot	Sub-lot	pool	Pool

Facilities

Term	Meaning	Term	Meaning
room	Room / Suite	cleanroom	Cleanroom
lab	Laboratory	warehouse	Warehouse
coldroom	Cold Room	freezer	Freezer
env	Environment	HVAC	HVAC System

Utilities

Term	Meaning	Term	Meaning
WFI_loop	WFI Loop	PW_loop	PW Loop
steam	Clean Steam	CDA	Compressed Dry Air
N2_supply	Nitrogen Supply	vac	Vacuum

Clinical & patient

Term	Meaning	Term	Meaning
patient	Patient	subject	Study Subject
site	Clinical Site	visit	Study Visit
arm	Study Arm	cohort	Cohort

Body locations

Term	Meaning	Term	Meaning
arm_L	Left Arm	arm_R	Right Arm
leg_L	Left Leg	leg_R	Right Leg
abdomen	Abdomen	deltoid	Deltoid
inj_site	Injection Site	tumor	Tumor Site

Medical device

Term	Meaning	Term	Meaning
device	Medical Device	implant	Implant
catheter	Catheter	stent	Stent
electrode	Electrode	lead	Lead / Wire
housing	Device Housing	connector	Connector
seal	Seal / Gasket	screw	Screw / Fastener
coating	Coating	substrate	Substrate

States

Suffix	Meaning	Example
set	Setpoint / Target	`reactor_temp_set_C`
lim	Specification Limit	`filter_press_lim_bar`
min	Minimum Limit	`temp_min_C`
max	Maximum Limit	`temp_max_C`
lo	Low Alarm	`press_lo_bar`
hi	High Alarm	`press_hi_bar`
lolo	Low-Low Alarm	`level_lolo_pct`
hihi	High-High Alarm	`temp_hihi_C`
avg	Average / Mean	`temp_avg_C`
sum	Sum / Total	`vol_sum_L`
calc	Calculated Value	`yield_calc_pct`
obs	Observation (Categorical)	`color_obs`
init	Initial Value	`mass_init_kg`
final	Final Value	`mass_final_kg`
start	Start Time/Value	`temp_start_C`
end	End Time/Value	`temp_end_C`
pre	Pre-operation	`weight_pre_kg`
post	Post-operation	`weight_post_kg`
raw	Raw / Unprocessed	`signal_raw_mV`
adj	Adjusted / Corrected	`conc_adj_mg_mL`
(none)	Actual / Measured	`reactor_temp_C`

Units

Temperature

Unit	Suffix
Celsius	`_C`
Fahrenheit	`_F`
Kelvin	`_K`

Mass

Unit	Suffix
Kilograms	`_kg`
Grams	`_g`
Milligrams	`_mg`
Micrograms	`_ug`
Nanograms	`_ng`
Pounds	`_lb`

Volume

Unit	Suffix
Liters	`_L`
Milliliters	`_mL`
Microliters	`_uL`
Gallons	`_gal`
Cubic meters	`_m3`

Pressure

Unit	Suffix
Bar	`_bar`
Millibar	`_mbar`
PSI	`_psi`
Pascal	`_Pa`
Kilopascal	`_kPa`
mmHg	`_mmHg`
cmH2O	`_cmH2O`
atm	`_atm`

Length

Unit	Suffix
Meters	`_m`
Centimeters	`_cm`
Millimeters	`_mm`
Micrometers	`_um`
Nanometers	`_nm`
Inches	`_in`
Feet	`_ft`

Time

Unit	Suffix
Seconds	`_s`
Milliseconds	`_ms`
Minutes	`_min`
Hours	`_hr`
Days	`_d`
Weeks	`_wk`

Speed & frequency

Unit	Suffix
RPM	`_rpm`
Hertz	`_Hz`
Kilohertz	`_kHz`
m/s	`_m_s`

Force & torque

Unit	Suffix
Newtons	`_N`
Kilonewtons	`_kN`
Newton-meters	`_Nm`
Pound-force	`_lbf`

Power & energy

Unit	Suffix
Watts	`_W`
Kilowatts	`_kW`
Joules	`_J`
Kilojoules	`_kJ`

Electrical

Unit	Suffix
Volts	`_V`
Millivolts	`_mV`
Amps	`_A`
Milliamps	`_mA`
Microamps	`_uA`
Ohms	`_ohm`
Kilohms	`_kohm`
Megohms	`_Mohm`

Concentration

Unit	Suffix
Percent	`_pct`
Parts per million	`_ppm`
Parts per billion	`_ppb`
Molar	`_M`
Millimolar	`_mM`
Micromolar	`_uM`
g/L	`_g_L`
mg/mL	`_mg_mL`
mg/L	`_mg_L`
ug/mL	`_ug_mL`
ng/mL	`_ng_mL`
IU/mL	`_IU_mL`
EU/mL	`_EU_mL`

Flow

Unit	Suffix
mL/min	`_mL_min`
L/min	`_L_min`
L/hr	`_L_hr`
m³/hr	`_m3_hr`
SLPM	`_SLPM`
LMH	`_LMH`

Cell & biological

Unit	Suffix
Cells/mL	`_cells_mL`
10⁶ cells/mL	`_Mcells_mL`
CFU/mL	`_CFU_mL`
PFU/mL	`_PFU_mL`
copies/mL	`_copies_mL`

Analytical

Unit	Suffix
mS/cm	`_mS_cm`
µS/cm	`_uS_cm`
NTU	`_NTU`
FNU	`_FNU`
AU	`_AU`
mAU	`_mAU`
RFU	`_RFU`
RLU	`_RLU`
mOsm/kg	`_mOsm_kg`
cP	`_cP`
mPa·s	`_mPa_s`

Clinical

Unit	Suffix
bpm	`_bpm`
breaths/min	`_br_min`
mmol/L	`_mmol_L`
mg/dL	`_mg_dL`
U/L	`_U_L`
10⁹/L	`_G_L`
10¹²/L	`_T_L`
g/dL	`_g_dL`

Template prefixes

Quality documents

Prefix	Document Type
`SOP_`	Standard Operating Procedure
`WI_`	Work Instruction
`PRT_`	Protocol
`TM_`	Test Method
`SPEC_`	Specification
`FRM_`	Form / Template

Batch & production

Prefix	Document Type
`MBR_`	Master Batch Record
`BR_`	Batch Record
`BPR_`	Batch Production Record
`CPP_`	Critical Process Parameter

Reports

Prefix	Document Type
`RPT_`	Report
`COA_`	Certificate of Analysis
`COC_`	Certificate of Conformance
`BSR_`	Batch Summary Report

Validation & qualification

Prefix	Document Type
`VAL_`	Validation Protocol/Report
`IQ_`	Installation Qualification
`OQ_`	Operational Qualification
`PQ_`	Performance Qualification
`CSV_`	Computer System Validation
`TMV_`	Test Method Validation

Quality events

Prefix	Document Type
`DEV_`	Deviation
`NC_`	Non-conformance
`CAPA_`	CAPA
`OOS_`	Out of Specification
`OOT_`	Out of Trend
`COMPLAINT_`	Complaint

Change & risk

Prefix	Document Type
`CHG_`	Change Control
`ECO_`	Engineering Change Order
`RA_`	Risk Assessment
`FMEA_`	FMEA

Clinical

Prefix	Document Type
`CRF_`	Case Report Form
`ICF_`	Informed Consent Form
`SAE_`	Serious Adverse Event
`DSR_`	Data Safety Report

Getting started

Platform structure

Change control

Entity content

Misc

Validation

IT & security policies

Regulatory standards

​Field names

​Examples

​Process data

​Manufacturing & QC

​Clinical & patient data

​Choosing a naming standard

​External standards (Allotrope, CDISC, ISA-88)

​Templates

​Instances

​Process (time-based)

​Resource (physical)

​Document (static)

​Common mistakes

​Vocabulary reference

​Properties

​Physical & process

​Dimensions

​Chemical & analytical

​Gas & dissolved

​Cell culture & bioprocess

​Product quality

​Chromatography

​Filtration & TFF

​Electrical

​Mechanical (device)

​Clinical vitals

​Clinical labs

​PK/PD

​Particle & size

​Objects

​Process equipment

​Analytical instruments

​Process locations

​Streams

​Materials

​Batch & campaign

​Facilities

​Utilities

​Clinical & patient

​Body locations

​Medical device

​States

​Units

​Temperature

​Mass

​Volume

​Pressure

​Length

​Time

​Speed & frequency

​Force & torque

​Power & energy

​Electrical

​Concentration

​Flow

​Cell & biological

​Analytical

​Clinical

​Template prefixes

​Quality documents

​Batch & production

​Reports

​Validation & qualification

​Quality events

​Change & risk

​Clinical

Field names

Examples

Process data

Manufacturing & QC

Clinical & patient data

Choosing a naming standard

External standards (Allotrope, CDISC, ISA-88)

Templates

Instances

Process (time-based)

Resource (physical)

Document (static)

Common mistakes

Vocabulary reference

Properties

Physical & process

Dimensions

Chemical & analytical

Gas & dissolved

Cell culture & bioprocess

Product quality

Chromatography

Filtration & TFF

Electrical

Mechanical (device)

Clinical vitals

Clinical labs

PK/PD

Particle & size

Objects

Process equipment

Analytical instruments

Process locations

Streams

Materials

Batch & campaign

Facilities

Utilities

Clinical & patient

Body locations

Medical device

States

Units

Temperature

Mass

Volume

Pressure

Length

Time

Speed & frequency

Force & torque

Power & energy

Electrical

Concentration

Flow

Cell & biological

Analytical

Clinical

Template prefixes

Quality documents

Batch & production

Reports

Validation & qualification

Quality events

Change & risk

Clinical