# AUTHORING-ITD-002: Data Structure Organization

## CONTEXT

Data structures document the entities in a system. A single project might have dozens of entities (User, Order, Product, etc.). We need a principle for organizing these into documents.

## PROBLEM

How should we organize data structure documents—one entity per doc, or grouped?

## OPTIONS CONSIDERED

1. **One entity per document** - Every entity gets its own DS-XXX file
2. ✅ **Group by aggregate root** - Parent entity + children in one document
3. **Group by domain** - All entities in a bounded context together

## REASONING

*Option 1 (One per doc):* Too granular. An Order without its LineItems is meaningless. Creates excessive cross-references.

*Option 2 (Aggregate root):* DDD principle—the aggregate root is the consistency boundary. Order + LineItems + Shipment belong together. Keeps related entities in context.

*Option 3 (By domain):* Too coarse. A "Commerce" domain might have 50 entities. Unwieldy.

## IMPLICATIONS

* Identify aggregate roots first, then document
* Child entities live in the parent's document
* Document cross-aggregate relationships via references
* Example: `DS-001-order.md` contains Order, LineItem, Shipment


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://losthex.gitbook.io/losthex-docs/authoring-itds/authoring-itd-002-data-structure-organization.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.