This data type represents numbers that may include non-whole numbers. As a logical model, the FHIM does not dictate how numbers should be implemented. However, the FHIM does distinguish between whole numbers and numbers that may have a fractional component as it may be known at design time whether fractional numbers may be present. For example, a sequence number (e.g., 1, 2, 3) will always be a whole number. But a measurement may have a fractional component (e.g., 3.5). Note by contrast, the FHIM uses the built-in UML Integer data type to represent those numbers that should only contain whole numbers. This data type is a placeholder, as various platforms have differing built-in floating-point datatypes. It is anticipated that this data type will be replaced by a different data type when transforming to a particular implementation platform. "A scalar magnitude. Typically used whenever quantities are measured, estimated, or computed from other real numbers. The typical representation is decimal, where the number of significant decimal digits is known as the precision." - HL7 V3 "Rational numbers that have a decimal representation." - HL7 FHIR, decimal.