What is the purpose of Network Attributes and Network Categories in Utility Network?

[MohamedIsmael]

What is the purpose of Network Attributes and Network Categories in  Utility Network?

[JohnAlsup · Accepted solution]

Network attributes are assigned to fields in various Utility Network classes.  They can be used to control traversability and to allow the field it is assigned to be used in a network summary.  They can also make it easier to include fields in network exports.  

Network Categories are assigned to Asset Group/Asset Types in Utility Network classes and make it easier to include the asset types in network trace configurations.  If you had to list the asset types, you may need to use multiple asset types in the network trace configuration, where the categories can be assigned to multiple asset types.  

[gis_KIWI4]

John has explained this perfectly.
I will just add to this by giving an example of how we do it. 
We have all our isolation and protection devices assigned with a network category so when it comes to tracing it can be easily used within the query. 

The alternative to this would be 

SourceID=9 AND ASSETGROUP=5 AND ASSETTYPE=1

OR

SourceID=9 AND ASSETGROUP=5 AND ASSETTYPE=2

so on for all devices you want to use as barriers/filters. 
This can get quite complicated if you want to include a multitude of devices like fuses, reclosers, circuitbreakers, etc.

[MohamedIsmael]

Thanks🙏