Explore Table Relations window
The Explore table relations window draws the table relations around a table as a graph. Each card is a table, and each arrow stands for one or more table relations from one table to another. Use it to see how a table fits into the data model and to find the code that defines a relation.
Opening Explore Table Relations
- Right-click a table in the Object index, or its heading in the Object view, and choose Explore Table Relations.
- In Universal Search, select the table, press Tab and choose Explore Table Relations.
Your license must include Explore Table Relations. The window opens with that table highlighted and its relations explored in both directions.
The graph
| # | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Save graph to PNG file | Saves the graph as an image at twice the screen resolution and shows the file in File Explorer. |
| 2 | Show | Options for what each card shows. See Show options. |
| 3 | Layout | Layout algorithm, edge routing and layer direction. See Layout options. |
| 4 | Objects | Shows or hides the Objects panel. Hidden by default. |
| 5 | Origin table | The table you started from, highlighted. |
| 6 | Table | A table card. Select a card to select its table; Shift+select adds a card to the selection or takes it out. Right-click for the context menu. |
| 7 | Relation | One or more table relations between two tables. Right-click and choose Show details… to list them. |
| 8 | Objects panel | The included and excluded tables. See Objects panel. |
| 9 | Zoom | Zoom out, zoom in and fit the graph to the view. Each zoom step is a quarter, about the center of the view. |
| 10 | Counts | Tables, relations and excluded tables, such as 12 tables · 31 relations · 2 excluded. |
| 11 | Status | The layout step; see Status and progress. |
Show options
| # | Option | Default | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Detailed labels | On | Adds the number of unexplored inbound and outbound relations to each card. |
| 2 | Subtitle | Off | Adds a line such as Table 18 under each card's name. |
Layout options
| # | Option | Default | Other choices |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Algorithm | Layered | Fast incremental, MDS |
| 2 | Edge routing | Sugiyama splines | Straight line, Spline, Spline bundling, Rectilinear, Rectilinear to center, Smooth curves |
| 3 | Layer direction | Left to right | Right to left |
A change lays the graph out again. The graph is also laid out again whenever tables are added or removed; the view keeps its place.
Graph context menu
Right-click a card or a relation. The items act on the selected tables, and their text counts what they will do, such as Explore all inbound (+3), Explore all outbound (+12 over 4 selected objects), Explore selected inbound… (+3) or Exclude 2 selected.
| # | Item | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Explore all inbound objects | Adds every table with a relation to the selected tables. |
| 2 | Explore inbound objects… | Lists those tables in Select related objects to include in graph, to check the ones to add. |
| 3 | Explore all outbound objects | Adds every table the selected tables relate to. |
| 4 | Explore outbound objects… | Lists those tables to check the ones to add. |
| 5 | Explore all in/outbound objects | Adds both. |
| 6 | Exclude objects | Takes the selected tables out of the graph and lists them under Excluded. |
| 7 | Show details… | On a relation: lists the TableRelation definitions between the two tables in the Usages window, where you go to their code. |
| 8 | Navigate to object | Opens the table in the workspace window. |
Objects panel
| # | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Included | The tables in the graph, as id and name; the origin in the accent color. Select several with Ctrl or Shift and right-click to act on them. |
| 2 | Excluded | The tables you excluded. Right-click and choose Include objects to put them back. |
| 3 | Context menu | Exclude objects…, Exclude unselected objects…, Explore inbound…, Explore outbound… and Explore in/outbound…, acting on the selected tables. |
Find the code behind a table relation
Use this to see which fields relate two tables and how the relation is written.
- Right-click the arrow between the two tables and choose Show details….
- In the Usages window, select a row to go to the TableRelation definition in the workspace window.
Keep the graph readable
Tables that relate to almost everything, such as dimension or number series tables, crowd the graph.
- Select Objects to open the panel.
- On the Included tab, select the tables you do not need, right-click and choose Exclude objects…. To keep only a few, select those and choose Exclude unselected objects… instead.
- Explore further from the tables that remain; excluded tables stay out until you include them again from the Excluded tab.
Save the graph as an image
- Wait until the status reads Done.
- Select Save graph to PNG file and choose a file name in Save graph to image file.
File Explorer opens with the saved image selected.
Status and progress
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Updating graph… (1/3) | Tables and relations are being gathered. |
| Graph layout (N nodes; E edges)… (2/3) | The graph is being laid out. |
| Graph render (…)… (3/3) | The graph is being drawn. |
| Done (…) | The graph is ready, with the time taken. |
| Idle | Nothing is running. |
While a layout runs, the toolbar is disabled and Cancel beside the status stops it.