Syntax

table-name.field-name

The table–name is the name of the database table that contains the field field–name.

The ability to connect to several databases from a single OpenEdge session introduces the possibility of non-unique table names and increases the possibility of non-unique field names. References to non-unique table names within multi-database OpenEdge applications require database prefixes to avoid ambiguous table references. Ambiguous table and field references cause compilation failures.

Use the following syntax to include a database prefix in a table or field reference:

Syntax

database-name.table-name
database-name.table-name.field-name

The database–name is the logical name (or an alias for a logical name) that represents the database that contains the table table–name.

For example, suppose you are connected to two databases db1 and db2, both of which contain a table called Customer. The following procedure will not compile due to an ambiguous table reference:

FOR EACH Customer: /* In db1 or db2 ? */
  DISPLAY Customer.Name.
END.

The procedure below uses fully qualified table references to display Customer names from both connected databases (db1 and db2):

FOR EACH db1.Customer:
  DISPLAY Customer.Name.
END.
FOR EACH db2.Customer:
  DISPLAY Customer.Name.
END.

Notice that the two references to the name field do not need to be qualified because they appear within a FOR EACH block that already contain fully qualified table references.