Target Table Definition - Intergraph Smart Instrumentation - Help

Intergraph Smart Instrumentation Help

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Smart Instrumentation Version
13.1

Every table in Smart Instrumentation has at least one definition that you can use when importing or comparing data. When you open a link in the Import Link window, all the displayed columns appear in the table definition that is set as the active definition. By default, every table has its own active definition called Default. You can set any other user-defined or shipped definition as the active definition instead of the Default definition. You manage table definitions using the Target Table Definition dialog options. Your working area, where you create or modify key definitions, is the Key definition pane; a complete definition appears in the Column definition pane, where each column is indicated with a designated color. For details, see Target Column Colors.

Changing the settings in the Target Table Definition dialog alters the relations between the tables. We therefore recommend you do not change these settings unless absolutely necessary and only if you are familiar with the Smart Instrumentation database structure.

When importing data using the Comparison List options, table definitions allow you to control the way in which the Import Utility regards the source and the target rows as identical during the import process. This is important, because when the Import Utility encounters identical source and target rows, it can overwrite the target row or leave it intact, depending on the Comparison options which you select on the Link Properties dialog. You can therefore control the import process result by selecting the appropriate import comparison criteria.

In Smart Instrumentation, the database is organized in tables, for example, CABLE, COMPONENT, CONTROL_VALVE, and so forth. These tables contain data arranged in table columns, which represent properties of various items such as instruments, cables, panels, and so forth. For example, the COMPONENT table contains all the instrument tag data together with the appropriate links to other tables that are contain instrument properties, such as COMPONENT_MFR (instrument manufacturer table), COMPONENT_MOD (instrument model table), and so forth.

Every Smart Instrumentation table is defined at a specific plant hierarchy level. This means that the value of the primary key column of that table is unique at the specified level. For example, CMPNT_NAME is a primary key in the COMPONENT table. If you define the COMPONENT table at the <unit> level, the CMPNT_NAME value becomes unique at the <unit> level. This means that at the <unit> level, there cannot be more than one row with the same value in the CMPNT_NAME column. In the following example, the COMPONENT table primary key is CMPNT_ID, which holds database ID numbers of instrument tags. Each row in the COMPONENT table has a unique value at the <unit> level for the CPMNT_ID column.

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The CABLE_MFR_MOD table key definition consists of the CABLE_MFR_ID and CABLE_ MOD_ID keys. These keys ensure that the value of any cable model is unique. Both keys are required because different manufacturers may use the same model number, and therefore the manufacturer name must be included to specify model uniqueness, as shown in the following example.

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Every Smart Instrumentation table has a key definition, which is used to specify a unique set of values. You can use one or more table columns in each table as constituents of the key definition.

Key name

Appears in every table and is used only by Smart Instrumentation to access the corresponding table. The key name column is usually denoted by an _ID suffix. In most cases, the key name is designated as a primary key.

Reference table column

Appears in every table and is used by the user to access the table. For the COMPONENT table, the reference column is CMPNT_NAME. This means that each row in the COMPONENT table has a different value in the CPMNT_NAME column. You can select an appropriate reference table column for every table in the database. This way you can create different comparison criteria for each table.

Foreign key

In some tables, the key name is designated as a foreign key, which is used as a reference column to link to another table called a reference table. For example, the CPMNT_MFR_ID foreign key in the COMPONENT table contains the COMPONENT_MFR table value in its key definition. This way, the CPMNT_MFR foreign key column links the COMPONENT table to the COMPONENT_MFR table. This allows Smart Instrumentation to obtain the required instrument manufacturer data from the COMPONENT_MFR table. You can create a link to other tables by defining appropriate foreign keys. This way the Import Utility imports additional reference data during the import process, depending on the selection you make on the Source tab of the Link Properties dialog.

Regular column

Appears in most tables and contains the appropriate table data such as display color, item price, remarks, specifications, and so forth.

  • Both the key name and the reference table column provide access to the Smart Instrumentation database, but only the reference table column is accessible to you (the key name is for Smart Instrumentation internal use only).

  • When comparing rows, the Import Utility treats source and target rows as identical only if both the source and the target reference table column values are the same. For example, if the COMPONENT table in both source and target rows contains the same values in the reference table column data fields, both rows are considered as identical.

  • When the Import Utility encounters identical source and target rows it can either replace the contents of the target row with the source row contents or leave this target row intact, depending on the import process settings.