Table Processing Menu

1 Main table processing

For each procedure body in your program that accesses the database, you must select a main table. The processing you set up for this table determines how (and whether) records are read, updated, or deleted in this table.

Use this option to set up or edit the main table processing for this procedure.

2 Validate tables

When you select the validate tables option the Program Editor will examine the data input screens for all the tables used in the procedure body. The process will stop if an answer is inappropriate for some reason. You can then answer the question appropriately.

• You have made changes to the database structure which may affect the tables accessed by your program.
• There were errors when you compiled the program.
• You have changed the table used as the main table.

3 Generate parent checks

Use this option to set up automatically the validations usually performed when records on the main table are updated. You do not have to do this; you may prefer to set up your own validations using option 4.

4 Related tables...

Parent tables of the main table and their parents and grandparents are accessed using Related Table Processing. QA Build works out how and when to access these tables based on the processing you set up: for example when a record is read from the main table, all the corresponding records in the parent tables can be read, whereas if a record in a parent table is selected via a secondary index theprimary key will be copied back to the corresponding fields in the main table.

Note that only parent tables are accessed as related tables - if you find yourself wanting to access a child table of the main table then you need to do one of the following:

• If you want to access all the child records (order lines for an order for example) then you should use a subsidiary procedure with the child table as the main table and this procedures main table as an "Already Fetched" related table.
• Change the main table of this procedure to the child table.
• Access the child table as an additional table. This would be unusual, but it is conceivable, for example you might want to provide an indication that a main table record had at least one child.

5 Additional tables...

Use this option to set up or edit the processing of tables not related to the main table using the Additional Table Processing screen. You will probably not use this type of processing when first learning QAB, but you will find it useful in more complex programs. You may also use this option to set up or edit the processing of related tables if the relationship to the main table is not being used.

To read records from additional tables you must always set up the key fields in the Field Processing tab - there is no automatic copting of fields from one table to another such as occurs for related tables.

8 Exit (X)

Use this option to return to the Procedure Body Editing Menu .