Defining Table Descriptors

To enable different instances of a single Program definition to run against different source or target Tables—even Tables with different names or structure—Oracle Life Sciences Data Hub requires Table Descriptors as part of the Program definition.

You must include one Table Descriptor for each Table instance the Program will read from or write to. Like a Table instance, a Table Descriptor contains a pointer to a Table definition. The difference is that a Table Descriptor exists only inside a Program or other executable object definition, while a Table instance is installed independently in the database. See Defining and Mapping Table Descriptors for further information.

You must map each Table Descriptor to the corresponding Table instance that the Program instance will read from or write to. The system can do the mapping automatically if you choose to create Table Descriptors from existing Table instances or if the Table Descriptor has the same name as the Table instance. However, if the Table instance is different enough from the Table Descriptor, you must map them manually. See Mapping Table Descriptors to Table Instances).

The Program definition's source code refers to the Table Descriptor by name and Column name as if it were an actual table or SAS data set containing data. The system uses the mappings to translate the names used in the source code to those of the Table instance to which the Table Descriptor is mapped.

Note:

Only one Program can write to any particular Table instance. The system prevents you from mapping a Table instance to more than one target Table Descriptor.

Target Table instances must have a processing type. Be sure that the processing type of each target Table instance is compatible with your source code; see Data Processing Types for further information.

There are several ways to create a Table Descriptor:

• Creating Table Descriptors from Table Instances and Simultaneously Mapping Them
• Adding a New Target Table Descriptor
• Adding Target Table Descriptors from a SAS File
• Adding a Target Table Descriptor from an Existing Table Definition

See also Mapping Table Descriptors to Table Instances.

For information on how you can make data available to Program instances in an Integrated Development Environment (IDE), see IDE Launch Settings.