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Define Progress Database Column Properties

In a model based on a Progress target server, you use the two Progress tabs in the Columns dialog or the Domain Dictionary dialog to manage the datatype, null option, default value, and other properties for the selected column.

Note: An asterisk next to any property indicates that the property value is derived from domain inheritance or a macro.

To define Progress column properties

1. Click Columns on the Model menu.

   The Columns dialog opens.

2. Click both Progress tabs, select from the following options in each one, and click OK:

   (First Progress tab)

   Progress Datatype

   Lets you select a datatype from the list to change the datatype of the selected column. If the selected datatype requires a value for precision, scale, or both, enter the value inside the datatype parentheses. For example, you can select the DECIMAL() datatype and specify a precision of 2 and a scale of 10 inside the parentheses, to assign the datatype DECIMAL(2,10) to the selected column.

   Null Option

   Lets you specify a null option for the selected column.

   Average Width

   Lets you enter an estimated average width for the column if the option is available (not dimmed). You can later use the Volumetrics dialog to calculate table and database size estimates based on these and other values.

   Percent NULL

   Lets you enter the estimated percentage of nulls used for that column if the option is available. For example, you can estimate a variable width ADDRESS 2 column assigned a width of 50 characters, to be NULL about 30 percent of the time. Use whole numbers. You can later use the Volumetrics dialog to calculate table and database size estimates based on these and other values.

   Case Sensitive

   Specifies to have Progress consider the case of the values stored in database fields for the selected column during processing. Clear the check box to have Progress ignore the case of the characters in a value. For example, table, TABLE, and Table are treated as different values when this option is selected.

   Note: This check box is only displayed when you select either the CHAR() or CHARACTER() datatype.

   Decimals

   Lets you enter the number of decimal places to display for the values in the selected column. If you do not enter a number, the Decimals value is set to zero.

   Note: This text box is only displayed when you select either the DECIMAL, DECIMAL(), or DECIMAL(,) datatype. In forward engineering schema generation, the ODBC SQL option does not support the Decimals feature in the generated schema. Use the PROGRESS 4GL option if you want to include this information in the physical schema.

   (Second Progress tab)

   Format

   Lets you assign a display format. The display format controls how data appears in Progress applications. For example, dd-mmm-yy displays a date value as 01-May-07. For CHAR(n) datatypes, if you do not specify a format, the format is automatically generated as X(n), where n is the number of characters defined in the datatype. Click the button to open the Display Formats dialog.

   Label

   Lets you enter a name (up to 48 characters) that identifies the column values in Progress applications. By default, the column name with a colon appended is inserted (for example, customer_name:).

   Col Label

   Lets you enter a name (up to 48 characters) that identifies the column values in a tabular layout in a Progress application. By default, the column name is automatically inserted in this text box.

   Note: If you do not enter a column label, Progress uses the name in the Label text box.

   Extent

   Lets you enter the number of elements in an array field.

   Order #

   Lets you enter a number that identifies the display order of a field relative to other fields in a Progress application.

   View As

   Lets you enter a Progress View As phrase that defines the type of widget used to display the column data in a Progress application. The supported widget types are: FILL-IN, EDITOR, RADIO-SET, SELECTION-LIST, and TEXT. The datatype of the column determines the types of widget you can select.

   Note: See your Progress documentation for more information regarding View As phrases.

   Help Text

   Lets you enter help information for the field in a Progress application. Progress displays this help information on the help information line in a Progress application.

   Progress column properties are defined and the Columns dialog closes.