Using Names and Aliases for Analytic Workspaces

The OLAP DML provides alternative ways to refer to an analytic workspace to allow your code to be unambiguous and flexible.

Workspace Names

A workspace name is assigned when a workspace is created with the AW CREATE command. For example, in the command aw create demo, the workspace name is DEMO.

By default, a workspace is created in the schema for your database user ID. For example, if the user SCOTT created the DEMO workspace, the full name of the workspace would be SCOTT.DEMO. If you have the rights to access a workspace that resides in another user's schema, you can specify the full name when you attach the workspace. For example SCOTT could attach a workspace called REPORTS in a schema owned by SUSAN with the following command.

aw attach susan.reports

In almost any DML command, you can specify the full name of a workspace (for example, SCOTT.DEMO). If the workspace is in your schema, you can specify only the name (for example, DEMO) instead. Optionally, you can reference a workspace using an assigned workspace alias.

Workspace Aliases

A workspace alias is an alternative name for an attached workspace. You can assign or delete an alias with the AW ALIASLIST command.

An alias is in effect from the time it is assigned to the time that the workspace is detached (or until the alias is deleted). Therefore, each time you attach an unattached workspace, you must reassign its aliases.

One reason for assigning an alias is to have a short way to reference a workspace that belongs to a schema that is not yours. For example, you can use the alias in qualified object names and commands that reference such a workspace. Another reason for assigning an alias is to write generic code that includes a reference to a workspace but does not hard-code its name. With the alias providing a generic reference, you can assign the alias and run the code on different workspaces at different times.