Modifying Device Designs › Editing Device Designs › Viewing and Editing Format Relations

Viewing and Editing Format Relations

Each of the database fields present on a function’s device format is there because of a relation. Each relation in the access path to which the function attaches gives rise to a device design relation. Each of these relations is resolved into one or more field entries in the device format.

By default, all of the relations on an access path are present on the device design. Depending on the function type, you can override the defaults to drop particular relations. Dropping relations has the effect of dropping the panel field entries resulting from the resolution of the relation.

File-to-file relations, such as Refers to, can also lead to referential integrity checking. This check is implemented as a Read to the Referred to file in order to ensure that a valid key was specified. You can improve performance by dropping or using these checks for functions where this check is not required. This would typically be on those functions that do not update the associated foreign key. The Edit Screen Format Relations panel is used to adjust how these relations are processed.

To edit the format entries, use the following steps:

1. View the details. At the device design, place the cursor on the field you want to modify and press Enter.

   The Edit Screen Entry Details panel appears.

2. View the format relations. Press F7 to view the relations.

   The Edit Screen Format Relations panel appears.

   Note: Use the Edit Report Format Relations panel for report designs, which you reach through the Edit Report panel.

When CA 2E generates a program to implement the function, it normally includes source code to check that all of the relations are satisfied. For a particular relation on the device design you can specify that this enforcement of the device design relations should not take place. You can specify five different degrees of enforcement: