A dependent model structure designed to support attribute reuse but which may be ignored by tooling such as code generators. This allows grouping of attributes to be used in a number of compositional structures in order to encourage pattern reuse and consistency but which can be structurally flattened in a derived artifact (e.g., a java class representing the composition). An example of this pattern is the CIMI Clinical Statement pattern which combines statement context and topic to build the set of relevant clinical statements.