Access Definitions

An Access Definition defines a set of related data to be processed by Optim™.

Use an Access Definition to select a set of related data that:

Note: Access Definitions can be stored in the Optim Directory and shared among users.

An Access Definition references tables, prescribes relationship usage, and includes criteria and other parameters:

Tables
An Access Definition must reference at least one table, view, alias or synonym. The table, view, alias or synonym from which rows are selected first is called the Start Table. You can enter the name of a Start Table and easily include the names of all tables related to the Start Table (to a maximum of 24,000 tables) in the Access Definition.
Relationships
Relationships determine the traversal path for selecting data from tables. By default, relationships are traversed from parent to child, but you can control the direction of traversal using settings in the Access Definition. Relationships among tables referenced by the Access Definition are listed on the Relationship tab (to a maximum of 24,000 tables) so that you can select those to be used in processing and the direction in which they are traversed.
Table Specifications
Table Specifications define the data and provide special instructions for processes that use the Access Definition. Table Specifications include:
  • Selection Criteria for focusing on a specific set of related data. You can visually select rows (Point and Shoot), specify SQL operators and values, and use substitution variables with default values.
  • Column and Sort options for displaying data for Point and Shoot selection or for editing.
Additional Parameters
Additional parameters in an Access Definition include:
  • Sampling parameters for extracting rows that correspond to a particular column value in the Start Table, or using a specified sampling rate (every nth row).
  • Specifications for indexes that enable quick access to data in Archive Files.
  • Specifications for custom SQL statements that can be executed at selected action phases of an Archive, Extract, Delete, or Restore Process.

Naming Conventions

A fully qualified Access Definition name is in the form identifier.name, where:

identifier
Qualifier assigned to the Access Definition
(1 to 8 characters).
name
Base name assigned to the Access Definition
(1 to 12 characters).

A logical set of naming conventions can identify the use for each Access Definition and be used to organize them for easy access.

Contents

This section explains how to create and maintain Access Definitions, including how to: