Display Multiple Tables

You can join one or more tables to a table displayed in the Browse Table Data dialog. When you first open the Browse Table Data dialog, rows from the selected table are displayed.

Use the Join feature to display related data from other tables in the file. When you join a table, the related data is displayed in an additional browse window in the Browse Table Data dialog.

display of rows from 2 joined tables, described below

You can join several related tables to a single table, or join additional tables to a joined table. Each joined table displays in a new browse window in the dialog. In the example shown, the ORDERS table is joined to the CUSTOMERS table. Note that the displayed ORDERS rows are related to the CUSTOMERS row indicated by the Current Row Indicator.

Join Button

Click the Join

join icon
button in a browse window toolbar to join a related table. The Select Join Table dialog opens when you click the Join button.

Select Join Table Dialog

The Select Join Table dialog lists tables in the Archive File or Extract File that are related to the table in the Browse Table Data dialog.

select join table dialog, described below

Select one or more tables from the list of table names. If a single relationship exists between the tables, the table joins automatically and related rows display in a new edit window. If more than one relationship exists for the table you select to join, the Select a Join Relationship dialog displays.

Specify a Relationship for Joining

If more than one relationship exists for a table you select to join, you must select the relationship to use from the list on the Select a Join Relationship dialog.

select a join relationship dialog, displaying relationships for the table you are attempting to join

Open Relationship Editor

If only one relationship exists between the current table and an eligible join table, you can select Open Relationship from the shortcut menu to open the Relationship Editor. If you select a join table with more than one relationship, you can select Open Relationship from the shortcut menu on the Select a Join Relationship dialog to open the Relationship Editor.

Stack Tables

If a table is related to more than one table, you can join any or all of the related tables. If several tables are joined to a single table, the joined tables are “stacked” in a single browse window, in the order in which they were joined. By default, data from the most recently joined table is displayed, and other tables in the stack are hidden.

Use the drop-down box in the browse window for stacked tables to display data from one of the other tables in the stack. Click the arrow to display a list of stacked tables, then click a table name in the list to display data from that table in the browse window.

Note: When the stacked table displayed in the browse window does not have a related row, the Auto Switch feature automatically displays the next table in the stack. You can disable the Auto Switch feature on the Browse tab in Personal Options.

You can display any table in the stack and join other tables to any table in the stack. In many cases, a table is related to two or more tables, creating different paths for joining and browsing the data.

When a stacked table is displayed, all subordinate joined tables are also displayed. When a stacked table is hidden, all subordinate joined tables are also hidden.

Unjoin Tables

Click the Unjoin button in the browse window toolbar to unjoin the table in the browse window, and all subordinate joined tables. If the table is part of a stack when you click unjoin, data from the next table in the stack populates the browse window.