Modifying field-level information

At the field level, labels, descriptions, field triggers, and validation can be modified for each field in a table in the schema image.

To modify information in the schema image at the field level:

  1. From the Data Dictionary main window, choose the Fields mode button.
  2. Select a table from the Tables list.
  3. Select a field from the Fields list.
  4. Choose the Field Properties button. The following dialog box appears:


    You can enter information at the field level, such as a validation expression or a validation message. You can change the data type or the format in which OpenEdge displays the data.

    For example, choose the Oracle DataServer NUMBER data type, which in turn defaults to the OpenEdge decimal data type mapping. However, you can change the decimal mapping to either the OpenEdge INTEGER or INT64 data type instead. (The previous Field Properties dialog box shows the NUMBER data type with the INT64 data type option selected.) For more information about optional settings for data types, see Data types.

    For CHARACTER fields that are not indexed, you can change the case sensitivity. You cannot change a field definition to be an extent through the Data Dictionary.

  5. Choose the DataServer button. The following dialog box provides information about the corresponding column in the Oracle database:


  6. Choose OK to return to the Field Properties dialog box.
  7. When you are done making changes, choose OK to return to the Data Dictionary.
    Note: You can override field-level validation expressions in your application by including the appropriate ABL statement.