Mixing of DwC class terms in DwCA files

[cgarrettjones]

Hi there,

as my organization further explores using DwCA to package biotic data, there is a common question that i get asked and am a little unsure about.

we understand that DwCA files are separated by DwC term classes with each file representing a linked class of those class terms. it seems that many data sets do mix other class terms in those class files though… for example, if one has an DwCA file that represents Occurrences but one has Location terms in those records instead of linking to a Location class file.

is this ideal? is it mostly a convenience that avoids the linking complexity? is it only important that the data structure be navigable and be consistent?

appreciate any insight