# Resolving EHR_STATUS refs

**Category:** [Platform](https://discourse.openehr.org/c/platform-implem/7)
**Created:** 2024-08-27 11:20 UTC
**Views:** 48
**Replies:** 2
**URL:** https://discourse.openehr.org/t/resolving-ehr-status-refs/5628

---

## Post #1 by @sebastian.iancu


It seems to me that EHRbase resolves OBJECT_REF refs in case of EHR_STATUS, replacing it with the actual object - see https://docs.ehrbase.org/docs/EHRbase/Explore/AQL/Common#retrieve-ehr-id-and-external-subject-id-of-a-patient, but basically it is about an AQL like:
```
SELECT
   e/ehr_id/value,
   e/ehr_status/subject/external_ref/id/value
FROM  EHR e
```
So my questions are:
1. Is this a (nice) EHRbase-feature, or an AQL requirement that I am not aware of? 
2. Is this also working on Better platform AQL
3. Is this only implemented for EHR/EHR_STATUS refs, or is it also available to more other situations? (for example for refs somewhere inside COMPOSITION structures)

---

## Post #2 by @ian.mcnicoll

The Better CDR works exactly the same - I would guess this comes from original Ocean CDR behaviour.

Can you give an example of other Composition refs, other than LINKS and EHR_URIS that are not resolved?

---

## Post #3 by @sebastian.iancu

I don't have an example, I was curious about what else besides EHR_STATUS is resolved in this fashion. 
These cases could be for instance refs of the other EHR aspects (directory, ehr_status, contribution, etc) or from FOLDERs enclosing COMPOSITION. any other place where OBJECT_REF is used.

If this case of object ref is always resolved, then:
1. should we have this specified in the AQL specs?
2. what to do with an AQL that is considering the RM and is trying to get he OBJECT_REF? (e.g. `SELECT e/ehr_status/id/type FROM EHR e`)
3. What else (besides EHR_STATUS) should the specs state that it should be always resolved?

In any case, the issue with accessing EHR_STATUS could have been solved in a different way, without having the engine replace the ref with the corresponding object, with using equivalent `SELECT es FROM EHR contains EHR_STATUS es`, right?

---


**Canonical:** https://discourse.openehr.org/t/resolving-ehr-status-refs/5628
**Original content:** https://discourse.openehr.org/t/resolving-ehr-status-refs/5628