Bookshelf v7.5.3: Creating Union and Partition Tables

Siebel Marketing Guide > External Data Mapping > Working With Tables >

Creating Union and Partition Tables

Use the Partition Tables view to associate partition tables to a union table you have created. When you partition transaction data, you typically choose a date field as the partition field. This method allows you to create separate tables for data such as time periods (1999, 2000, 2001). Some companies need to partition by months and even weeks to keep tables at a manageable size.

Create the partition tables as you would any other table, with the table Type as Regular. If required, apply a constraint statement to the table (for example, CUSTOMER_ID < '1004000402') to restrict the records accessed in that partition.

When creating partition tables, use the description field to indicate that these records are partition tables. For example, you might use Transactions Partition 1 as the description for one partition table and Transactions Partition 2 as the description for another.

When creating a union table, designate the table as a union table by choosing Union as the type. In this case, you do not need to specify a data source server or a table name. For a better understanding of the rules governing union tables, see Understanding Partition and Union Tables.

Table names for physical tables are typically in uppercase letters. To make the table names easier to identify, make only the first letter of each word in the union table name uppercase, for example, Transactions_All.

If you modify the partition tables to add new fields, you can regenerate the union table by clicking Create Union Table again.

To create union tables with associated partition tables

From the application-level menu, choose View > Site Map > Marketing Administration > External Data Mapping.

Click the Partition Tables view tab.

To create the union table, in the top list, create a new record.

Set the table type to Union and complete other fields using Table 19 as a guide.

In the lower Partition Tables list, create a new record that you will use to associate the first partition table with the union table.

Create a new record.

Click the Reference Name select button.

In the Pick Tables dialog box, choose the partition table and click OK.

NOTE: Repeat Step 5 to choose additional partition tables to associate with the union table.

In the lower Partition Tables list, click Create Union Table.

This action connects associated partition tables to the union table. The union table allows access to the fields in each partition table. The partition tables now behave as if they were in one physical table.