There are three types of tables in Stonefield Query:

• Real tables physically exist in the database. They are shown as in the TreeView.

• Virtual tables are those that you define and don't physically exist. When the user uses a virtual table in a report, script code you create is used to retrieve the appropriate data. Virtual tables, shown as in the TreeView, are typically used to hide the complexity of an application's data structures.

• Subtables, which appear with as the image in the TreeView, are used to resolve self-joins or multiple relationships between tables.
  

When you select a table in the Configuration Utility, the right portion of the dialog displays the properties for that table. Only the Main page is applicable to tables. The properties displayed are:

• Name: the name of the table.

• Caption: the name as displayed to the user in Stonefield Query.

• Data group: the data group or groups the table belongs to (see the Creating a Data Group topic for information on data groups). "Data group" is replaced with the descriptive name you specify in the Description for data groups configuration setting. This option is disabled if you haven't defined any data groups in the Configuration Utility. To change the data group for the table, click the drop-down button to display a TreeView of the defined data groups and turn on or off the checkmarks in front of the appropriate data group names. Click the drop-down button again to close the list.

  

• User groups: the user groups that can access the table (see the Creating a User Group topic for information on user groups). Leave this property blank to allow all users to access it. To change the user groups that can access the table, click the drop-down button to display a TreeView of the defined user groups and turn on or off the checkmarks in front of the appropriate user group names. Click the drop-down button again to close the list.

• Reportable: if this property is turned on (which it is by default), the user can query on fields from this table. Turning this off makes all the fields unreportable and the table won't appear anywhere in Stonefield Query. This is handy for "system" tables or tables you don't want the user to ever query on.

• Custom Properties: Stonefield Query doesn't use this property for anything. You can use it to hold any information you wish. The value is stored in the UserDefined property of the Table object, which a user-defined script could use for any purpose necessary.
  

The Create data access script link is used to create a Select script for the table. This script is used if you don't want a simple SQL statement used to access the fields in the table. For example, if you want to call a stored procedure instead, create a data access script that calls the stored procedure.