Metadata tags

The MD-* tags attach metadata (provenance, source URLs, data version, notes) to any value, technology, or commodity in the model. Each tag targets a different scope:

Suffix	Scope
_W	Workbook
_S	Worksheet
_R	Row (a single row in the table)
_C	Column (a single column in the table)
_TR	Table-row scope (multiple values in a single row of a table)
_TC	Table-column scope (multiple values in a single column)

In real models the most commonly used forms are the inline _R and _S variants — they sit next to (or above) the table they annotate, so the metadata is co-located with the data it describes.

~MD-V_S (worksheet-scope value metadata)

Real example from BY_Trans.xlsx :: pumped hydro (row 1, immediately above the table it annotates):

~md-v_s: default parameters for pumped hydro - assuming 6h storage

A single free-text annotation that applies to every value on the sheet.

~MD-V_R (row-scope value metadata)

Real example from BY_Trans.xlsx :: Elec, annotating one row of a ~TFM_INS table. The ~md-v_r cell sits at the end of the data row itself, carrying free-text metadata for that single row:

PRC_AOFF | … | BOH-2027 | 1 | ELE,CHP | | *-STN-* | ~md-v_r: placeholder assumption on standby power generation capacity; date: 01-02-2025; author: Amit Kanudia

~MD_Dimensions

Lives in SysSettings. Administrators specify which dimensions of metadata they wish to capture (e.g. source, quality flag, last updated, contact) by listing them in this table. The dimensions declared here become the recognised metadata field names that can appear inside ~MD-* cells anywhere in the model.

Other metadata variants

The remaining ~MD-V_*, ~MD-T_*, and ~MD-C_* variants follow the same conventions as the two above — only the scope (workbook, column, table-row, table-column) and the target (value vs. technology vs. commodity) differ. The _W / _S forms are placed at the top of the workbook or sheet; the _R / _C forms sit inline on the row or column they annotate.