In computer science, a U-form is an abstract data type comprising a collection of attribute–value pairs associated with a universally-unique identifier (UUID).
A U-form essentially comprises an associative array augmented with a UUID and with keys limited to strings.
An important characteristic of u-forms, of significance to distributed database systems, is that they support a clear distinction between copying and replication of data objects.
The name "u-form" derives from the term "e-form", a hypothetical "electronic form" proposed by Michael Dertouzos in his 1997 book "What Will Be".
[1] In addition to their continuing use in Visage,[2][3] they have been used as the basis of a number of significant research[4][5][6][7] [8] and large-scale production systems, most notably the US Army's Command Post of the Future.