Key generation is performed for tables that have sequential or system generated prime key. This is performed automatically for java instances via the SPL enTegrity.
Tables with a system-generated key contain their own unique key that is replicated in a related ‘key table’ suffixed with ‘_K’. The purpose of the key table is to store the table identifier as well as the identifier of the environment in which the data row exists. An example is the Account table containing the Account identifier and the Account Key table containing the Account identifier and the Environment identifier.
These key tables support the Archiving and ConfigLab functionality by ensuring that a key will be unique across environments.
The required table metadata that is used by the key generator indicates:
· The type of key, i.e. whether it is system-generated or sequential
· The key table in which key values are stored
· The length of the inherited portion of the key.
Example Table Metadata Key Information
In the Service Agreement table metadata example above, the metadata key information is shown by the values in the fields Key Table, Type of Key and Inherited Key Prefix Length.
Example Table Metadata Constraint Information
The primary key constraint is used to retrieve the name of the key field for the table from the field metadata.
Example Field Metadata Information
The field metadata shown provides the field data type and length.
Key Types. Although there are more types of keys indicated in metadata drop-down list, the only types currently supported by the key generator in the SPL Framework are system-generated and sequential.
Special Annotation. If a table's inherited key prefix length is non-zero, a special entry "clusteringParentProperty" must be in the business entity annotation for this table.