Synonyms Node

About Synonyms

A synonym is an alternative name for a table, view, sequence, procedure, function, package, materialized view, Java class schema object, user-defined object type, or another synonym.

Synonyms provide both data independence and location transparency. They permit applications to function without modification regardless of which user owns the table or view and regardless of which database holds the table or view. However, synonyms are not a substitute for privileges on database objects. Appropriate privileges must be granted to a user before the user can use the synonym.

How the Synonyms Node Works

The Synonyms node contains one or more child Synonym nodes associated with this schema.

To perform actions on the Synonyms node: right-click the node and from the menu, choose the appropriate command. To view the node's properties, select the node and/or click Properties in the node's menu.

If this collection node is filtered, the icon changes to include a funnel symbol. For more information about filtering, see Filtering Collection Nodes.

Menu Options

Menu Option	Description
New Synonym	Creates a new synonym using the Synonym Designer.
Query Window	Opens the Query Window so that you can execute SQL and PL/SQL queries from Visual Studio.
Generate Create Script	Writes the synonym definitions to a `.sql` file. If the object associated with the synonyms node is deleted from the database backend, this menu option does the following: Displays a message indicating that this object no longer exists in Oracle Database, and the script will not be generated.
Generate Create Script to Project	Generates the synonym definitions to a .`sql` file and adds the `.sql` file to an open Oracle Database Project. If multiple objects in Server Explorer are selected, a master SQL script is created in the Oracle Database Project Scripts folder. This master script contains calls to individual child SQL scripts (one for each schema object) generated into the various schema object folders and this master script is ordered with dependencies taken into consideration. If there are multiple open Oracle Database projects, Visual Studio prompts you to select the project to add the script to. This operation can also be performed by dragging and dropping the Server Explorer node(s) directly onto a database project folder. See Managing Oracle Script Files for more information. Note: Oracle Database Project Version 2 projects are not supported. To add scripts to this project type, use Import Schema or Add Existing Item menu items on an Oracle Database Project Version 2 project folder, or use the Schema Compare tool.
Filters	Opens the Filters Tab to control which child nodes appear under the collection.
Privileges	Opens the Grant/Revoke Privileges dialog box.
Refresh	Updates the Synonyms node tree, including its associated synonym nodes.
Properties	Displays the Properties window.