| Description: The sample_bits attribute specifies the logical or active number of bits in the data, which is distinct from the physical number of bits (for example, encoding 12-bit data within 16-bit words). These logical bits are stored in the low order (least significant) bits, with unused bits filled with 0 (or 1 for negative integers to preserve a two's complement representation). This is distinct from the valid data range (specified by valid_minimum and valid_maximum in Special_Constants class) because all values, including missing/invalid flag values, must fit within the sample_bits. The intent is that the data should be able to be sent through a communication channel that passes only sample_bits with no loss in fidelity. |