How Siebel CRM Creates an Intersection Between Tables

An association is a pair of ROW_ID values, where each value references a row in the base table of a business component. An intersection table contains one row for each association that exists between the row in the base table of one business component and a row in the base table of another business component. The association row in the intersection table stores the ROW_ID values of the row that resides in the base table of each business component.

The following figure describes how Siebel CRM creates an intersection. The associations in the intersection table serve the Opportunity/Contact and the Contact/Opportunity links and their corresponding views. The figure describes how the set of object definitions and relationships pertain to one of two links. The other link uses the same set of object types but with different relationships. Siebel CRM can display one association in both views. For example, the association between Cynthia Smith and Smith Dry Goods.

As shown in this figure, Siebel CRM uses the following objects to create an intersection:

1. Business object. References the link that uses the intersection table. It contains the two business components that the link contains. The business object makes this reference indirectly through the child business object component of the business object.

2. Parent and child business object components. The Siebel schema uses the business object component to include business components in the business object. The business object component is a child of the business object. The detail business object component references the child business component through the Business Component property. It references the link through the Link property. The parent business object component only references the corresponding business component.

3. Link. Creates a one-to-many relationship between the two business components in a specific direction. The properties of the link define one business component as the parent and the other business component as the child in the parent-child relationship.

4. Parent and child business components. The Siebel schema specifies two business components in the link. They provide data to the objects that Siebel CRM displays in the parent-child relationship in the client. The base table of each business component contains the ROW_ID column that the Inter Child Column and Inter Parent Column properties of the link reference.

5. Intersection table. Contains the associations between rows in the base tables of the parent and child business components. Each row in the intersection table represents one association that exists between the two business components. Two columns in the intersection table serve as foreign keys to the base tables of the two business components. The Inter Parent Column and Inter Child Column properties of the link identify these columns.

6. Inter Parent column. Contains the reference to the associated row that resides in the base table of the parent business component. It is identified in the Inter Parent Column property of the link.

7. Inter Child column. Contains the reference to the associated row that resides in the base table of the child business component. It is identified in the Inter Child Column property of the link.

8. ROW_ID columns. A unique identifier column for each row that resides in the base table of each business component.

The Siebel schema uses the following properties of the link to create a many-to-many relationship. These properties are empty for a link that does not create a many-to-many relationship:

• Inter Table

• Inter Parent Column

• Inter Child Column