After having set database connection, we go beyond to the
definition of which tables or views (“Entities” from now on) we’ll manage in
our application. In this form we can define how different entities in the
database will be managed. DataSoul platform is based on an “Alias” concept,
which is a logical representation of a physical table or view present in the
database, enriched with metadata that allow a correct management.
Through these metadata different attributes can be defined, for instance:
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Caption
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MaxRows (for data paging)
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EditMode (read-only, update-only, all-actions, etc.)
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Order By
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Edit Table (if a non-updatable view is used, the “Base Table” is specified)
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Reload On Save (if some triggers modify table data, record reload is forced after every save)
More aliases can be defined on the same table or view and can be used in any
context.
For instance, we define an Alias on “Employees” table that allows display and
editing of all fields, and then another Alias on the same table which shows
only “LastName” and “FirstName” columns to be used as lookup on “Orders” form.
As with SQL Server CE it is not possible to create views on database, if we want to do some Join among more tables it is possible to specify in an appropriate field the “Select Statement” to use on WinCE devices (in the desktop version a view can be used directly).
