AX2615

Creating a table

You can create new tables as needed. Only administrators and users with the Administer Tables permission can create tables in the Desktop ClientGeneral term for using either the Excel Client or the Windows Client, both of which are installed to the user's desktop..

Using the Create Table wizard in the Desktop Client, you can create the following kinds of tables:

  • Data tables
  • Reference tables (including picklist tables but excluding KPI tables)

Other kinds of tables are created differently. Document reference tables can only be created using Save Type 3 in Axiom spreadsheet files. KPI tables can only be created using the Table Manager in the Web Client. For more information on the different kinds of tables, see About table classifications.

NOTE: Although it is possible to create picklist tables in the Desktop Client, the Web Client Table Manager is the intended area for picklist table management. Additionally, users with the Administer Picklists security permission can only use the Web Client Table Manager to create picklist tables, edit picklist table properties, and delete picklists.

To create a table:

  1. On the Axiom tab, in the Administration group, click Tables > Table Administration > Add Table.

    The Create Table wizard opens.

    NOTE: If you are using an Axiom packaged product, you can access this feature from the Admin tab. Click System Browser to open Axiom Explorer, then right-click the Table Library and select New > Table.

  2. Define the general characteristics of the table, and then click Next.

    Item Description

    Table Name

    Type a name for the table.

    This name is used in Axiom queries and Axiom functions to query data, so it should be descriptive and short. The table name must be unique. See Table and column naming requirements.

    Table Type

    Select a table type. You can select from existing table types, or click New Type to create a new table type. If you select None, then the table will have no table type.

    Table types are used to create groups of related tables. You can then define security settings for the group instead of by individual table.

    The new table must contain any required columns for the table type. For more information, see Table types.

    Folder

    Specify the folder for the table, to determine where the table displays in the Table Library.

    You can type the folder name (for example: GL Data), or you can click the Set Folder button to view the Table Library structure and select a folder.

    For more information on the Table Library, see Managing the Table Library.

    Table Classification

    Select a table classification:

    • Reference Table: Use for tables that define reference information, such as dimension tables or mapping tables.
    • Picklist Table: Use for simple tables that hold lists of values from which users can make selections.
    • Data Table: Use for tables that will hold historical data or plan data.

    If you have assigned the table to a table type, then the table classification is automatically selected based on the table type and cannot be changed.

    For more information on table classes, see About table classifications.

    Add description column

    If the table is a reference table, then by default Axiom Software will create a column to hold descriptions for each key code. This column is named Description and is a string column with a length of 50. (You can change these defaults later if desired.)

    If you do not want a description column, clear this check box. However, it is recommended to have a description column to display descriptions for the items in the table throughout the software.

    This option does not display if the table is a data table or a picklist table. (Picklist tables do have a Description column, but it is required and has a different size.)

  3. If the selected table type has required columns, a dialog opens to display a list of those columns. Click OK to add the required columns and continue creating the table.

    You can click Cancel, but you cannot continue creating the table unless the required columns are added.

  4. Define the following table properties, and then click Next.

    Item Description

    Table Description

    Optional. Type a description for the table.

    Table Properties

    Optional. In the Table Properties grid, edit table settings as desired. If you want to use the default settings, you can skip this step. For more information on the available settings, see Table properties.

  5. Define columns for the table, and then click Next.

    If you added required columns for the table type in step 3, then those columns are listed here. The table must contain all required columns for the specified table type. If the table is missing a required column, then when you save the table you will be prompted to add it.

    Otherwise, the Columns screen starts out as follows, depending on the table classification:

    • Data: One "starter" column is listed, named KeyColumn. You can rename and edit this column as needed

    • Reference: Two columns are listed—the key column and the description column. By default, the key column has the same name as the table (for example, the DEPT table has a key column named DEPT). You can rename and edit these columns as needed.

    • Picklist: The three required columns of Code, Value, and Description are present.

    You can add more columns as needed. For more information on creating table columns, see Managing table columns.

    NOTE: You can click Finish at this point and in any of the following screens to create the table. All of the remaining screens of the wizard are optional.

  6. Optional. Define aliases for table columns.

    When querying information from the database, you can use alias names instead of column names. For more information, see Column aliases.

  7. Optional. Define column sequences for the table.

    Column sequences are used to group and order related columns. For more information, see Column sequences.

  8. Optional. Define calculated fields for the table.

    Calculated fields can be used to automatically calculate values such as Total and YTD. For more information, see Calculated fields.

  9. Optional. Configure data conversions for the table. Only applies to Data tables.

    Data conversions can be used to convert data on-the-fly, such as for currency conversions. For more information, see Data conversions.

    NOTE: Although the Data Conversion screen is present in the Create Table wizard, the table must be saved before data conversion can be fully configured. If you want to use data conversion with this table, you should finish creating the table, then edit the table later to add the conversion settings.

  10. Click Finish.

After you create a new table, you may need to configure security access for the table. If the table belongs to a table type, then it automatically inherits the security permissions set for the table type. Otherwise, no user has security permissions to access the new table.

NOTE: If a user with Administer Tables permission creates a new table and does not assign it to a table type, then that user will not have access to data in the newly created table. An administrator must configure access to the table in security.

See also