Working with Tables


Tables are database objects that contain all the data in a database. A table definition is a collection of columns. In tables, data is organized in a row-and-column format similar to a spreadsheet. Each row represents a unique record, and each column represents a field within the record. For example, a table containing employee data for a company can contain a row for each employee and columns representing employee information such as employee number, name, address, job title, and home phone number.

Operations available with tables are:

 

Adding New Table


This operation allows you to add new table to the database:

Figure 1  Add New Table

 

When Add New Table dialog box appears, you can enter valid strings (see SQL Server 2000 Book Online), select data types from the dropdown list, lengths (for some data type), select options for Allow Nulls dropdown list (Yes or No, default to No), and default values. After you finish defining the table, click on the Save button. The Enter Table Name dialog box will pop up (see Figure 2).  Enter the name for the table in the dialog box and click on the OK button. The new table with you defined columns and table name will be created.

 

Figure 2  Enter Table Name Dialog

 

Editing a Table


Edit Table option allows you to edit an existing table definition in the database. Only the tables that are checked out or newly created and haven’t been added into Visual SourceSafe can be edited. Otherwise, you can view the table definition but not modifying it. To edit a table you can:

 

The editing process is similar to the process of adding new table. The existing table script is displayed in Script tab (see Figure 4). You can add new column in the table, delete a column or modify a column definition. You might experience some problem of changing an existing column data type to another one. Since existing data in the column of the table could not be changed to new data type automatically, some error might raise up.  If you experience problems like this, please modify data type using SQL Enterprise Manager.

 

Figure 3  Edit an Existing Table (Design Tab)

Figure 4  Edit an Existing Table (Script Tab)

 

The Triggers, Indexes/Keys and Check Constraints that are associated with the table are listed in the three list boxes at the bottom of the Design tab. You can add, edit or delete Triggers, Indexes/Keys and Check Constraints.

 

Add, Edit and Delete Triggers, Indexes/Keys and Check Constraints

 

1.  Add a new Trigger.  Right click on the Trigger list box, then select Add New Trigger from the context menu. A Choose Trigger Type dialog box pops up. A unique name is given to the trigger by default. You can edit the name. You should also set the trigger type as for Insert, Update, Delete, or any combination of them. Click on the OK button, the Edit Trigger dialog box appears with default script (see Figure 6).

 

Figure 5  Choose Trigger Type Dialog

 

You can edit the script for the trigger and click on the Check Syntax button to check the syntax of the trigger.  If there is no error in the script, you can click on the Save button to save the trigger.

 

 

 

Figure 6  Edit Trigger Dialog

 

2.  Edit a Trigger.  Right click on an existing trigger that you want to edit. Select Edit Trigger from the context menu. The Edit Trigger dialog box appears with the script of the trigger. Then you can edit the script for the trigger. 

 

3.  Delete a Trigger.  Right click on a trigger that you want to delete.  Select Delete Trigger from the context menu. The trigger that associated with the table is deleted.

 

4.  Add a new Index/Key.  This feature is available for primary index only.  For other type of index/key, SQLSourceSafe does not support them directly. If you need to edit them in your project, you can do all editing in SQL Enterprise Manager.  Then clicking the Refresh button on the toolbar of SQLSourceSafe Main Window, the changed Index/Key will be loaded from SQL Server to SQLSourceSafe.

 

For setting/removing Primary Index for a table, you can highlight table column(s) that you want to be in the primary key, then right click the row header, select Set Primary Key option from the context menu.

 

 

 

Figure 7 Set/Remove Primary Key

5.  Edit an Index/Key.  This feature is not available in current version SQLSourceSafe. Right clicking on an Index/Key item in the list box, then select Edit Index/Key from the context menu. You can view the property of the index/Key configuration (see Figure 7).

 

Figure 8  Edit Index/Key Dialog

 

6.  Delete an Index/Key.  Highlight the Index/Key you want to delete, then select Delete Index/Key from the context menu.  The index/key will be deleted.

 

7.  Add a New Check Constraint.  Right click on the Check Constraint list box, select Add Check Constraint from the context menu. The Enter Constraint Name dialog box will pop up to prompt the name for the constraint. After entering the name for the constraint, click on the OK button. The Edit Constraint dialog box pops up. You can enter the script for the constraint. Click on the Save button after you finish editing the script (see Figure 8).

 

Figure 9  Edit Constraint Dialog

 

8.  Edit a Check Constraint.  Right click on the item that you want to edit in the Check Constraint list box, select the Edit Check Constraint from the context menu. The Edit Constraint dialog box will pop up (see Figure 8).

 

9.  Delete a Check Constraint.  Right click on the item you want to delete in the Check Constraint list box, select the Delete Check Constraint from the context menu. The constraint will be deleted.

 

Deleting a Table


This operation allows you to delete a table from the database.

To delete a table from the SQL Server Database, you can:

 

Renaming a Table


This operation allows you to rename a table.

 

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