Setting Record Field Use Properties

Keys

Field or Control	Description
Key	Select to identify the field as the search criteria that uniquely identifies each row. You cannot have duplicate values for primary keys. For example, EMPLID is the only key to the PERSONAL_DATA record definition. Therefore, EMPLID must be a unique value for each employee, and only one PERSONAL_DATA row can exist per employee.
Duplicate Order Key	Select to indicate that duplicate values can occur. The order in which you place duplicate order keys in a field list determines the order in which the system retrieves duplicate keys.
Alternate Search Key	Select to make this field part of the search structure when accessing your application data. Duplicate values are allowed in an alternate search key field. If you define a field as an alternate search key in a search record or prompt record, the system includes the field on the dynamically generated search page or prompt lookup dialog box that you use to enter search criteria.
Descending Key	Note: This option no longer produces an index with descending order. Select to identify the field as descending if you want rows of data to be retrieved in reverse alphanumeric order (for example, 3, 2, 1). If you deselect this check box, the key is ascending, meaning that rows are stored and retrieved in alphanumeric order (for example, 1, 2, 3). This option applies only to a field that is specified as a key, duplicate order key, or alternate search key. PeopleSoft applications use descending order primarily for effective date fields; most character keys are ascending.
Search Key	Select to make the field available for entering search criteria on the basic and advanced search pages, the lookup prompt pages, and as a column that is stored in the menu structure for persistent searches. A search key is valid only for keys and should be used only in search and prompt records. If you select this check box, the system automatically selects the List Box Item check box. Important: Persistent search, the drop-down menu, and other forms of classic navigation are no longer supported. The default navigational interface for PeopleSoft applications in the current release is based on the fluid banner, which can be used for both classic and fluid applications.
Search Edit	Enabled only if Search Key is selected. Select to enforce the required property and table edits on the search page. It also enforces these edits under circumstances in which the search page would be bypassed. When this option is enabled, the user no longer has the ability to perform partial searches on this field.
List Box Item	Select to include the field as a column in the search results grid on: Standard component search pages. The system includes all fields designated as list box items in the search results list. Prompt lookup pages. The system includes all fields designated as list box items in the search results list. Recent (persistent) search results pages. The system includes no more than five list box items in the search results list. Note: This behavior is the default. To explicitly define which fields appear in the recent (persistent) search results, you must set other configuration options. Important: Persistent search, the drop-down menu, and other forms of classic navigation are no longer supported. The default navigational interface for PeopleSoft applications in the current release is based on the fluid banner, which can be used for both classic and fluid applications. See Portal Technology: Configuring Caching. See Configuring Search Results Grid Columns in Persistent Searches. If the field has values in the translate table and you designate it as a list box item, the list box automatically shows the translated value instead of the code. If you select this check box, the system enables but does not select the Persist in Menu check box.
From Search Field and Through Search Field	Select for fields that are used as search records. If you select From Search Field, the displayed list contains rows in which the field value is greater than or equal to a value that the user enters. If you select Through Search Field, the displayed list contains rows in which the field value is less than or equal to a value that the user enters. If you do not want these fields to be in a search list box, clear the List Box Item check box, even if the field is an alternate search key.
Default Search Field	Select to control which field name appears in the Search By drop-down list box on the basic search page.
Disable Advanced Search Options	Select to prevent runtime search pages from displaying advanced search features for this field.
Allow Search Events for Prompt Dialogs	Select to enable the SearchSave and SearchInit PeopleCode events on a prompt dialog for this field. The default value is Cleared. Note: Limit your use of these events in this context. The amount and complexity of the PeopleCode affects the speed of data retrieval.

Note:

If you configure one of the OPRID, OPRCLASS, or ROWSECCLASS security fields as a Key, do not configure the field as a List Box item. See the section on Security Administration: Defining Row-Level Security and Query Security Records for more on security fields.

Audit

Field-level auditing captures updates to selected fields and records the information in PeopleTools audit tables.

Audit options apply only to data that is manipulated on a normal PeopleSoft application page through component processing. These options do not apply to data that is added using means other than component processing, including SQLExec, Record.Insert, or Record.Update PeopleCode.

PSAUDIT and PSAUDITEXT are the standard PeopleTools audit tables for field-level audits. Both audit tables log identical information such as the user ID, time of change, and so on as well as the values of audited fields both before (OLD) and after (NEW) any changes.

Note these differences in the field properties of the two audit tables:

In the PSAUDIT table, the field length of the OLDVALUE and NEWVALUE fields is 65 characters.
In the PSAUDITEXT table, the field length of the PTOLDVALUE and PTNEWVALUE fields is 254 characters.

If you are auditing a field with a field length greater than 65 characters, you should query PSAUDITEXT to retrieve the field value.

Note:

If a value is too long to fit in the audit table, the system writes an error to the appserv.log, and no row will be inserted into the audit table. This applies to the OLDVALUE and NEWVALUE fields in PSAUDIT and the KEY1-KEY15 fields in both PSAUDIT and PSAUDITEXT.

You can control when the fields are audited. For example, you can only record changes or deletions, depending on business requirements. To audit several fields in a record definition, consider specifying audits at the record definition level.

Field or Control	Description
Field Add	Audits this field whenever a new row of data is added.
Field Change	Audits this field whenever the content changes.
Field Delete	Audits this field whenever a row of data is deleted.

Miscellaneous

Field or Control	Description
System Maintained	Select to indicate that the field value is system-generated. This option is for documentation purposes only and does not affect processing.
Auto-Update	Select to have the field updated with the server’s current date and time whenever a user creates or updates a row. Any user entries—even if permitted on a page—are overwritten by the server time.
Do Not Trace Value	Select to indicate that the field contains personally identifiable data (PII) or sensitive data and to prevent the display of sensitive or PII data including PeopleTools passwords in the PeopleCode trace file. The values of such fields are masked with a single asterisk in the PeopleCode trace file. See System and Server Administration: Masking Sensitive Data in PeopleCode Trace File.
In Memory	Select to enable the Oracle In-Memory Column Store feature for this record field. This check box is enabled only if the Oracle In-Memory option Selective Fields is selected for the record definition to which the record field belongs, and the field is supported for Oracle IM column store processing. If the Oracle In Memory option All Fields is selected for the record definition to which the record field belongs, and all the fields for this record definition are supported for IM column store processing, the In Memory check box for the record fields will be selected automatically and greyed out (disabled). Note: If a field is not supported for IM column store processing, the In Memory check box will be greyed out (disabled) and cleared automatically. For more information on implementing the Oracle In-Memory Column Store feature, see Setting Use Properties.
Smart Drop-Down	Use the Smart Drop-Down option to either disable or enable the display of smart drop-down list. Smart drop-down is enabled by default at the record field level. Deselect this option to disable this feature. If disabled, the feature is disabled in all page fields that use the record and is applicable for all users. For more information, see Applications User’s Guide: Using Drop-Down List Boxes and System and Server Administration: PeopleTools Options.
Smart Prompt	Use the Smart Prompt option to either disable or enable the display of smart prompt values. Note: This option is only available for record fields with a prompt table and for fields that have translate values. Smart prompt is enabled by default at the record field level. Deselect this option to disable this feature. If disabled, the feature is disabled in all page fields that use the record and is applicable for all users. For more information, see Applications User’s Guide: Using Smart Prompts and System and Server Administration: PeopleTools Options.

Record Field Label ID

Specify which label, long name or short name, to use for the record. The default value is ***Use Default Label***. This setting enables you to change labels of record fields dynamically anytime that the default label on the field definition is changed.

For example, a field definition has three labels:

Label1 (Long Name1, Short Name1), marked as default.
Label2 (Long Name2, Short Name2).
Label3 (Long Name3, Short Name3).

When the label ID in a record field is set to Use Default Label, initially the long name and short name are Long Name1 and Short Name1. If the default label is changed to Label3 in the field definition, then the long name and short name automatically become Long Name3 and Short Name3.

Default Value

Select the most commonly used value as the default. You can always enter a different value if the default is inappropriate. The more defaults that you provide, the more data entry time you will save your users.

For a field, you can enter a default value as a system variable or as a combination of record and field names.

Field or Control	Description
Constant	Specify a default value. This value is case-sensitive. If the record has translate values for this field, the values appear in a drop-down list. You can specify a system variable only when you want to display the value of the current date or time. The accepted system variables to be used as constants are: %Date for Date, Time, Or Datetime fields. Returns a Date value. %Time for Time fields. %DateTime for Datetime fields. %ClientDate for Date, Time, Or Datetime fields. Returns a Date value.
Record Name and Field Name	Enter the record and field names of the default value.

Field or Control

Description

Constant

Specify a default value.

This value is case-sensitive. If the record has translate values for this field, the values appear in a drop-down list.

You can specify a system variable only when you want to display the value of the current date or time. The accepted system variables to be used as constants are:

%Date for Date, Time, Or Datetime fields. Returns a Date value.
%Time for Time fields.
%DateTime for Datetime fields.
%ClientDate for Date, Time, Or Datetime fields. Returns a Date value.

Record Name and Field Name

Enter the record and field names of the default value.

Field or Control	Description
Default Page Control	Specify the default appearance of a field as it appears on the page that corresponds with the record field that you are creating.

Currency Control Field

Enables the user to specify where to find the currency code that is used to display the currency symbol, decimal digits, and scale of a number field. To use this option, the multi-currency option must be set. You might also want to enable the current display when you define the field on the page.

Autocomplete Configuration

Note:

Autocomplete is sometimes referred to as “type ahead.”

Field or Control	Description
Disable Autocomplete for this field	Select to disable the autocomplete process for this field at runtime. Note: If selected, the end user cannot personalize autocomplete settings for this field. This setting enables you to control the autocomplete process for certain fields at design time. For example, in some cases, the autocomplete process for a field may be unnecessary or it may present undesired performance impacts.
Enable Autocomplete when used in Search Record	Select to make this field appear as a column in the autocomplete list when the containing record is used as a search record. This field is enabled for character, number, and signed number fields if the following conditions are met: The Default Page Control field value is Edit Box or System Default. The field is a search key or an alternate search key.

Field or Control

Description

Disable Autocomplete for this field

Select to disable the autocomplete process for this field at runtime.

Note: If selected, the end user cannot personalize autocomplete settings for this field.

This setting enables you to control the autocomplete process for certain fields at design time. For example, in some cases, the autocomplete process for a field may be unnecessary or it may present undesired performance impacts.

Enable Autocomplete when used in Search Record

Select to make this field appear as a column in the autocomplete list when the containing record is used as a search record.

This field is enabled for character, number, and signed number fields if the following conditions are met:

The Default Page Control field value is Edit Box or System Default.
The field is a search key or an alternate search key.

Persist in Menu Configuration

Important:

Persistent search, the drop-down menu, and other forms of classic navigation are no longer supported. The default navigational interface for PeopleSoft applications in the current release is based on the fluid banner, which can be used for both classic and fluid applications.

Field or Control	Description
Persist in Menu	Select to explicitly include the field as a column in the search results grid of a persistent search; select only if the field does not appear in the search results grid by default. The Search Key and List Box Item properties determine which columns appear in the search results grid by default. You must enable recent search results caching at the system level in the web profile for this property to take effect. See Setting Record Field Properties. See Portal Technology: Configuring Caching.

Field or Control

Description

Persist in Menu

Select to explicitly include the field as a column in the search results grid of a persistent search; select only if the field does not appear in the search results grid by default.

The Search Key and List Box Item properties determine which columns appear in the search results grid by default.

You must enable recent search results caching at the system level in the web profile for this property to take effect.

See Setting Record Field Properties.

See Portal Technology: Configuring Caching.

Important:

If you select this check box for any record field in a search record, then the search results grid uses this property—not the list box item property—to determine all fields that appear in the grid. Consequently, you must select the Persist in Menu check box for each record field that you want to include in the search results grid.

See Configuring Search Results Grid Columns in Persistent Searches.

Format

Use the options in the Format group box to format the display of values in numeric fields. The formatting of values is applicable to display-only values as well as values entered by a user.

When you select either Suppress Trailing Zeros or Extend Decimal Precisionoption, the Currency Control Field is automatically disabled.

You can suppress these options at the page field level by selecting the Field Format Override check box. See Setting Page Field Properties for Controls for more information.

Field or Control	Description
Suppress Trailing Zeros	Select to suppress trailing zeros in a non-currency-controlled field. Note: This option only formats the display of values, that is, the format of values stored in the database will not change.
Extend Decimal Precision	Select to enable extended decimal precision for numeric fields.
Currency Control Field for Extended Decimal Precision	Enables the user to specify where to find the currency code that is used to display the currency symbol, decimal digits, and scale of a number field. The decimal precision for this field is controlled by field length. This field is enabled when you select the Extend Decimal Precision check box.

Field or Control

Description

Suppress Trailing Zeros

Select to suppress trailing zeros in a non-currency-controlled field.

Note: This option only formats the display of values, that is, the format of values stored in the database will not change.

Extend Decimal Precision

Select to enable extended decimal precision for numeric fields.

Currency Control Field for Extended Decimal Precision

Enables the user to specify where to find the currency code that is used to display the currency symbol, decimal digits, and scale of a number field. The decimal precision for this field is controlled by field length.

This field is enabled when you select the Extend Decimal Precision check box.

Time Zone and Related Date Fields

These fields are enabled only if the current field is a time or date and time field. They determine whether the field is displayed or entered in a specified time zone.

Field or Control	Description
Specified Time Zone	Times are always stored in a database base time zone, but when you place a time field on a page, you can display the time in the base time zone or another time zone. If you deselect this check box, the time appears in the database base time zone. If you have users in multiple time zones, you can reduce confusion by showing the time zone along with the time. If you select this check box, the system converts the time according to the time zone specified in Time Zone Control field. This control field must be a field in the current record. Set an appropriate default value for the time zone control field.
Date Control Field	Select which related date field in the current record stores the calendar date to which this field should be adjusted.

Field or Control

Description

Specified Time Zone

Times are always stored in a database base time zone, but when you place a time field on a page, you can display the time in the base time zone or another time zone.

If you deselect this check box, the time appears in the database base time zone. If you have users in multiple time zones, you can reduce confusion by showing the time zone along with the time.

If you select this check box, the system converts the time according to the time zone specified in Time Zone Control field. This control field must be a field in the current record. Set an appropriate default value for the time zone control field.

Date Control Field

Select which related date field in the current record stores the calendar date to which this field should be adjusted.

Typically, you want to make a date field a descending key so that the row with the latest and most current time appears first. If you want the default value to be the current system date, enter the value %date (or %time) as the constant in the Default Values group box.

In general, each Time record field that is related to the Time Zone field should also be related to a Date field in that same record. Otherwise, the time data that appears or is saved may not properly reflect the appropriate state of daylight savings in that time zone. Furthermore, each Time record field should be associated with a different Date record field.

For applications where two Time record fields need to share a common Date record field (as in, records with a start time and an end time always occurring on the same date), you can relate each Time record field to the same Date record field. However, keep in mind that the Date record field will only consider itself associated with one Time record field—the related Time record field that has the earliest position in the record field ordering for that record.