Roles

Roles are used for both tables and database fields in QA Build. A table role is specified in table processing and both field and table (join path) roles are given for field processing.

If two fields are processed which store the same type of information – for example, two NAME fields – you must distinguish them by assigning a different role to each. Field roles are defined when a table is set up.

Sometimes you may need to process two copies of the same table; for example, in an EMPLOYEE table each employee may be assigned a MANAGER who is himself an employee. Each copy of the table must be assigned a separate role. Table roles are defined in Table Processing.

Occasions when you might want to define a new table role are:

• A table is its own parent (an employee table defining the manager, a store table also defining the head office), and you want to update the parent record without overwriting the base record
  
• A copy of the table is required to allow a comparison between existing records and updated records (for example, for calculation of the difference between values). The second copy of the table is set up as an additional table.
  

For further information on the use of table and field roles see Field Referencing.