Sets and classes

A value set definition, and it's run time counterpart- value set transitive closure  , is a set of class expressions collected together for a particular business purpose.

There are a range of purposes for a value set. Examples range from defining a data set according to a set of recorded concepts, indicating the expected range of a property in a health record, or testing the presence of a feature in a patient record. 

Value sets are one of the main 4 packages within the common information model:

 

A value set looks very much like a semantic class expression,  in that it uses similar grammar and syntax. The difference is that members of the value set set may or may not shared similar properties and therefore may be semantically diverse.