public String getProperties() {
        return this.properties;
    }
<p>
A string map of item-specific metadata. Each element in the map consists of a key-value pair. For example,
<code>{"numberOfRatings": "12"}</code>.
</p>
<p>
The keys use camel case names that match the fields in the schema for the Items dataset. In the previous example,
the <code>numberOfRatings</code> matches the 'NUMBER_OF_RATINGS' field defined in the Items schema. For
categorical string data, to include multiple categories for a single item, separate each category with a pipe
separator (<code>|</code>). For example, <code>\"Horror|Action\"</code>.
</p>
<p>
This field's value will be valid JSON according to RFC 7159, including the opening and closing braces. For
example: '{"key": "value"}'.
</p>

@return A string map of item-specific metadata. Each element in the map consists of a key-value pair. For
        example, <code>{"numberOfRatings": "12"}</code>.</p>
        <p>
        The keys use camel case names that match the fields in the schema for the Items dataset. In the previous
        example, the <code>numberOfRatings</code> matches the 'NUMBER_OF_RATINGS' field defined in the Items
        schema. For categorical string data, to include multiple categories for a single item, separate each
        category with a pipe separator (<code>|</code>). For example, <code>\"Horror|Action\"</code>.
aws-java-sdk-personalizeevents/src/main/java/com/amazonaws/services/personalizeevents/model/Item.java