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When the server accesses a data source, it needs to know how to interpret the data stored there. For each data source the server will access, you create a synonym that describes the structure of the data source and the server mapping of the Excel data types.
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The SUFFIX attribute in the Master File identifies the adapter needed to interpret a request. Use the SUFFIX value SQLEXCEL to identify the Adapter for Excel.
FILE[NAME]=file, SUFFIX=SQLEXCEL [,$]
where:
Is the file name for the Master File. The file name should start with a letter and be representative of the table or view contents. The actual file must have a .mas extension, but the value for this attribute should not include the extension.
Is the value for the adapter.
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Synonyms define unique names (or aliases) for each Excel table or sheet that is accessible from the server. Synonyms are useful because they hide the underlying data source location and identity from client applications. They also provide support for extended metadata features of the server, such as virtual fields and additional security mechanisms.
Using synonyms allows an object to be moved or renamed while allowing client applications to continue functioning without modification. The only modification required is a redefinition of the synonym on the server. The result of creating a synonym is a Master File and an Access File, which represent the server metadata.
The Applications page opens.
The Connect to Data page opens.
Depending on the type of adapter you chose, one of the following options appears on the context menu.
The button may be labeled Next, Create Synonym, Create Base Synonyms, Create Cluster Synonym, or Update Base Synonyms.
The synonym creation process for most adapters has been consolidated so that you can enter all necessary parameters on one page. However, for some adapters such as LDAP, you must click Next buttons until you get to a page that has a Create Synonym button.
The synonym is created and added under the specified application directory.
Note: When creating a synonym, if you choose the Validate check box (where available), the server adjusts special characters and checks for reserved words. For more information, see Validation for Special Characters and Reserved Words.
The following list describes the synonym creation parameters for which you can supply values.
Select a Workbook. The default is the workbook selected for the ODBC source.
You can type in a different workbook name or click on the ellipsis (...). This opens the Select Excel Workbook dialogue with the workbook name entered selected.
Selecting this option adds the Object Name parameters to the screen.
Type a string for filtering the object names, inserting the wildcard character (%) as needed at the beginning and/or end of the string. For example, enter: ABC% to select all objects whose names begin with the letters ABC; %ABC to select all whose names end with the letters ABC; %ABC% to select all whose names contain the letters ABC at the beginning, middle, or end.
Select the Cardinality check box to reflect the current cardinality (number of rows or tuples) in the table during metadata creation. Cardinality is used for equi-joins. The order of retrieval is based on the size (cardinality) of the table. Smaller tables are read first.
If the cardinality of the tables to be used in the application are dynamic, it may not be beneficial to choose this setting.
To specify that the Master File created for the synonym should not contain column information, select the Dynamic columns check box.
If this option is selected, column data is retrieved dynamically from the data source at the time of the request.
Select an application directory. The default value is baseapp.
If you have tables with identical table names, assign a prefix or a suffix to distinguish them. For example, if you have identically named human resources and payroll tables, assign the prefix HR to distinguish the synonyms for the human resources tables. Note that the resulting synonym name cannot exceed 64 characters.
If all tables and views have unique names, leave the prefix and suffix fields blank.
To change the data type mappings from their default settings, select this check box. The customizable mappings are displayed.
Select Create to overwrite any existing synonym with the same fully-qualified name, or Update to synchronize the metadata with an existing synonym. If you select Update, the next screen will show a list of attributes from the DBMS catalog that you can check to allow attributes from the DBMS catalog to override attributes from the existing synonym.
To specify that this synonym should overwrite any earlier synonym with the same fully qualified name, select the Overwrite existing synonyms check box.
Note: The connected user must have operating system write privileges in order to recreate a synonym.
This column displays the name that will be assigned to each synonym. To assign a different name, replace the displayed value.
Is the name of the underlying object.
Select tables for which you wish to create synonyms:
The list of tables consists of:
An Adapter for Excel synonym comprises a Master File and an Access File. This is a synonym for the table nf29004.
Master File
FILENAME=ONHAND, SUFFIX=SQLEXCEL, $
SEGMENT=ONHAND, SEGTYPE=S0, $
FIELDNAME=PROD_NUM, ALIAS=Prod_Num, USAGE=A255V, ACTUAL=A255V,
MISSING=ON, $
FIELDNAME=PRODNAME, ALIAS=Prodname, USAGE=A255V, ACTUAL=A255V,
MISSING=ON, $
FIELDNAME=QTY_IN_STOCK, ALIAS=Qty_in_Stock, USAGE=D20.2, ACTUAL=D8,
MISSING=ON, $
FIELDNAME=PRICE, ALIAS=Price, USAGE=D20.2, ACTUAL=D8,
MISSING=ON, $
FIELDNAME=COST, ALIAS=Cost, USAGE=D20.2, ACTUAL=D8,
MISSING=ON, $
Access File
SEGNAME=SEG1_4,TABLENAME=EDAQA.NF29004, CONNECTION=DB1,KEYS=1,WRITE=YES,$
This chart describes the keywords in the Access File for Excel.
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Keyword |
Description |
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SEGNAME |
Value must be identical to the SEGNAME value in the Master File. |
TABLENAME |
Identifies the Excel table. The value assigned to this attribute can include the name of the workbook as follows: TABLENAME=[filename]table |
CONNECTION |
Indicates a previously declared connection. The syntax is: CONNECTION=connection Absence of the CONNECTION attribute indicates access to the default database server. |
KEYS |
Indicates how many columns constitute the primary key for the table. Corresponds to the first n fields in the Master File segment. See the KEY attribute below for information about specifying the key fields without having to describe them first in the Master File. |
KEY |
Specifies the columns that participate in the primary key without having to describe them as the first fields in the Master File. The syntax is: KEY=fld1/fld2/.../fldn |
WRITE |
Specifies whether write operations are allowed against the table. |
Once you have created a synonym, you can right-click the synonym name in the Adapter navigation pane of either the Web Console or the Data Management Console to access the available options.
For a list of options, see Synonym Management Options.
Data types are specific to the underlying data source.
You can alter the length and scale of numeric columns returned by a SELECT request to the server by creating different specifications in your login profile or in a stored procedure. The conversion settings are reflected in the Master File in the USAGE and ACTUAL formats of the fields generated by CREATE SYNONYM. This affects how the fields are processed and formatted by the server.
Tip: You can change this setting manually or from the Web Console.
For more information, see Override the Default Precision and Scale
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