Data Dictionary Concepts
JD Edwards EnterpriseOne Data Dictionary is a central repository that contains the data items used in the JD Edwards EnterpriseOne system. Data items are either regular data items, which are database items that used in applications and reports, or glossary data items, which are used primarily as message text.
Each regular data item in the dictionary is defined by a number of attributes that describe parameters, such as the data type, data length, and so forth. Most of the fields in JD Edwards EnterpriseOne applications are regular data items. Data item attributes define how the item should appear when placed on a form or report, including the title and whether to display default values. The system performs automatic error checking against these attributes when users enter values into JD Edwards EnterpriseOne applications (such as those in Accounts Payable or Sales Order Management) at runtime.
All regular data items have an associated glossary in which you can enter text. If the data item is included on a form, this text displays when the user presses F1, which is usually referred to as F1 Help, Item Help, or field-level help.
Regular data items are the foundation of JD Edwards EnterpriseOne objects. You create data items for use as fields on a form, columns in a table, fields in a business view (BV), members of a data structure, and fields on a report. When you access applications from a Microsoft Windows client, the applications access the data dictionary at runtime and immediately reflect modifications to data item attributes such as field descriptions, column headings, decimals, and edit rules. Once accessed, the data items are stored on the workstation in a permanent cache. This is done for performance, to decrease the traffic to the server for the data dictionary information. On the HTML client, the data dictionary is stored as serialized objects with the rest of the application specification information. If data items are changed, they must be regenerated for the applications to recognize the modifications.
This is a list of the parameters that define regular data items:
Display Decimals
File Decimals
Alpha Description
Data Type
Size
Glossary
Allow Blank Entry *
Upper Case Only *
All Triggers *
Row and Column Headings *
The application retrieves field information from the data dictionary. The parameters shown above with an asterisk (*) can be overridden in Form Design Aid (FDA) and Report Design Aid (RDA). In these instances, the application retrieves the overrides, if any exist.
You create new data items and view existing ones with Object Management Workbench (OMW) or the Data Dictionary Application (P92001). After you create a data item, you can use the data dictionary to define jargon and language translations for it.
Use the data dictionary to create, view, and update attributes for data items. You can copy a data item with similar attributes and modify it for your specific needs. This method can be quicker and easier than creating a new data item, but if you use this method you must distinguish between the original data item and the copied data item. You distinguish between them by modifying the alias.
Changing the type and attributes of a data item might affect how the data is stored and cause discrepancies among records.
Glossary data items are items that cannot be attributes in tables. Glossary data items are typically used as messages in the JD Edwards EnterpriseOne system and do not use all of the fields that are required for regular data items. For this reason, glossary data items use the Data Dictionary - Glossary Items Application (P92002) to add or modify glossary item text, whereas regular data items use the Data Dictionary Application (P92001).