About system tables
Two kinds of system tables exist in the database:
-
System tables provided by your DBMS (for more information,
see your DBMS documentation) -
PowerBuilder extended attribute system tables
About PowerBuilder system
tables
PowerBuilder stores extended attribute information you provide
when you create or modify a table (such as the text to use for labels
and headings for the columns, validation rules, display formats, and
edit styles) in system tables. These system tables contain information
about database tables and columns. Extended attribute information
extends database definitions.
In the Employee table, for example, one column name is
Emp_lname. A label and a heading for the column are defined for
PowerBuilder to use in DataWindow objects. The column label is defined
as Last Name:. The column heading is defined as Last Name. The label
and heading are stored in the PBCatCol table in the extended attribute
system tables.
The extended attribute system tables are maintained by
PowerBuilder and only PowerBuilder users can enter information into
them. The following table lists the extended attribute system tables.
For more information, see Appendix A, The
Extended Attribute System Tables.
|
This system table |
Stores this extended attribute |
|---|---|
|
PBCatCol |
Column data such as name, header and label for |
|
PBCatEdt |
Edit style names and definitions |
|
PBCatFmt |
Display format names and |
|
PBCatTbl |
Table data such as name, fonts, and |
|
PBCatVld |
Validation rule names and |
Opening and displaying system
tables
You can open system tables like other tables in the Database
painter.
By default, PowerBuilder shows only user-created tables in the
Objects view. If you highlight Tables and select Show System Tables
from the pop-up menu, PowerBuilder also displays system tables.