7.7 Attachment Data Object

Use the attachment data object (Figure 7.7-1) to “attach” any binary file to a WITSML object or sub-object. The attachment object is a top-level WITSML data object and references the object it is attached to using the CTA data object reference. If used, the attachment object must also reference its parent wellbore object. Attachments are typically images (pictures, schematics, etc.), which may be attached to:

• Top-level objects (e.g., attach a picture of the rig to a rig data object).
• Child objects such as a trajectory station (e.g., a schematic of the wellbore trajectory).

• Specific depth of an interval (e.g., pictures of cuttings from a particular depth).

The “content” tag contains the binary file. It is base64 encoded, so it can be contained in an XML document. Additionally, it contains some metadata such as file type (i.e., jpg, bmp, and pdf), description, etc.

Figure 7.7-1 UML diagram of the attachment data object.