Binary
A resource that represents the data of a single raw artifact as digital content accessible in its native format. A Binary resource can contain any content, whether text, image, pdf, zip archive, etc.
- Schema
- Usage
- Relationships
- Referenced By
Elements
| Name | Required | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| contentType | ✓ | code | MimeType of the binary content DetailsMimeType of the binary content represented as a standard MimeType (BCP 13). |
| securityContext | Reference<Resource> | Identifies another resource to use as proxy when enforcing access control DetailsThis element identifies another resource that can be used as a proxy of the security sensitivity to use when deciding and enforcing access control rules for the Binary resource. Given that the Binary resource contains very few elements that can be used to determine the sensitivity of the data and relationships to individuals, the referenced resource stands in as a proxy equivalent for this purpose. This referenced resource may be related to the Binary (e.g. Media, DocumentReference), or may be some non-related Resource purely as a security proxy. E.g. to identify that the binary resource relates to a patient, and access should only be granted to applications that have access to the patient. Very often, a server will also know of a resource that references the binary, and can automatically apply the appropriate access rules based on that reference. However, there are some circumstances where this is not appropriate, e.g. the binary is uploaded directly to the server without any linking resource, the binary is referred to from multiple different resources, and/or the binary is content such as an application logo that has less protection than any of the resources that reference it. | |
| data | base64Binary | The actual content DetailsThe actual content, base64 encoded. If the content type is itself base64 encoding, then this will be base64 encoded twice - what is created by un-base64ing the content must be the specified content type. | |
| url | url | Uri where the data can be found DetailsA location where the data can be accessed. If both data and url are provided, the url SHALL point to the same content as the data contains. Urls may be relative references or may reference transient locations such as a wrapping envelope using cid: though this has ramifications for using signatures. Relative URLs are interpreted relative to the service url, like a resource reference, rather than relative to the resource itself. If a URL is provided, it SHALL resolve to actual data. |
Search Parameters
NoneInherited Elements
| Name | Required | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| id | string | Logical id of this artifact DetailsThe logical id of the resource, as used in the URL for the resource. Once assigned, this value never changes. The only time that a resource does not have an id is when it is being submitted to the server using a create operation. | |
| meta | Meta | Metadata about the resource DetailsThe metadata about the resource. This is content that is maintained by the infrastructure. Changes to the content might not always be associated with version changes to the resource. | |
| implicitRules | uri | A set of rules under which this content was created DetailsA reference to a set of rules that were followed when the resource was constructed, and which must be understood when processing the content. Often, this is a reference to an implementation guide that defines the special rules along with other profiles etc. Asserting this rule set restricts the content to be only understood by a limited set of trading partners. This inherently limits the usefulness of the data in the long term. However, the existing health eco-system is highly fractured, and not yet ready to define, collect, and exchange data in a generally computable sense. Wherever possible, implementers and/or specification writers should avoid using this element. Often, when used, the URL is a reference to an implementation guide that defines these special rules as part of it's narrative along with other profiles, value sets, etc. | |
| language | code | Language of the resource content DetailsThe base language in which the resource is written. Language is provided to support indexing and accessibility (typically, services such as text to speech use the language tag). The html language tag in the narrative applies to the narrative. The language tag on the resource may be used to specify the language of other presentations generated from the data in the resource. Not all the content has to be in the base language. The Resource.language should not be assumed to apply to the narrative automatically. If a language is specified, it should it also be specified on the div element in the html (see rules in HTML5 for information about the relationship between xml:lang and the html lang attribute). |
There are situations where it is useful or required to handle pure binary content using the same framework as other resources. Typically, this is when the binary content is referred to from other FHIR Resources. Using the same framework means that the existing servers, security arrangements, code libraries, etc. can handle additional related content. Typically, Binary resources are used for handling content such as:
- CDA Documents (i.e. with XDS)
- PDF Documents
- Images
A binary resource can contain any content, whether text, image, pdf, zip archive, etc. These resources are served in their native form on the rest interface, but can also be represented in XML, JSON, or other formats, such as when including these resources in a Bundle (used when it is convenient to include these in the response directly rather than leaving them by reference).
When a FHIR server finds it convenient to manage the content within the same overall REST framework as the other resources, the Binary resource is generally used as the target in the Attachment data type to reference content via the .url element, such as in the DocumentReference and Media resources. Consequently, the Binary resource can be a target wherever the Attachment data type is used such as in the DocumentReference resource.
The DocumentReference and Media resources allow conveying binary content (via attachment) or pointing to one (as a Binary or non-FHIR URI) along with the metadata around that resource, and as such are searchable. Binary resources do not support 'search'.
While CDA and PDF documents are conveyed as Binary (because they cannot be expressed natively in FHIR), FHIR Documents do not need to be similarly encoded and can be sent natively in FHIR using Bundle. However, in some situations FHIR Documents may be sent as a Binary if there is a need to treat them the same as other types of documents or binary files.
The Binary resource does not convey context of the file. If the context (information such as author, procedure, technique, etc.) should be conveyed, Media or DocumentReference resources are appropriate. The Binary resource may be used to convey actual binary file content conveyed by those resources.
The Media resource is preferred for handling images, but this is not possible when the content is already binary (e.g. in some uses of IHE XDS ).