Complex Table

The complex table definition defines a table of records containing multiple fields stored on the Agentry Client in a structured and searchable format. A complex table can contain large amounts of data with records numbering in the thousands. Included in the complex table are the fields for its records and indexes on fields to provide search functionality and structure to the overall data in the table. The complex table definition also defines how its data is synchronized.

The fields and indexes of a complex table define the structure of the records. A complex table must have a minimum of one index definition, which is the primary index. This index is defined for the field containing the unique identifier for each record. This field and index are then used during synchronization to identify records for addition, replacement, or removal.

The synchronization components of a complex table depend on the system connection the table definition uses for its data source. The synchronization components will match the system connection type. Independent of the system connection type, the synchronization logic for a complex table should account for retrieving all records when the table is in a rebuild state, retrieving just new or modified records during normal synchronization, as well as determining which records should be removed from the complex table.

The rebuild state of a complex table is set under various conditions. These include a published modification to the complex table definition, a user change occurring on the Agentry Client, and optionally based on the rebuild state being forced via administrator actions. During synchronization between the Agentry Client and Agentry Server, the Agentry Server will indicate if the complex table is in a rebuild state to the Agentry Client. The Agentry Client will remove all records for the complex table from the client device. The synchronization processing will retrieve all current records for the complex table and send them to the Agentry Client, rebuilding the table. This synchronization processing requires the developer to account for this situation.

When not in a rebuild state, the complex table can be updated selectively. Using an exchange data model for processing, only those records to be added, those records that need to be replaced, or those that need to be removed from the Agentry Client are retrieved by the Agentry Server from the back end system for the complex table. Any unchanged records will be left unmodified.

Complex Table Child Definitions

Field: A complex table field definition defines a single piece of data for a complex table record, including its data type and size.
Index: A complex table index definition orders the table’s records by a field, making the table searchable by that field.

Complex Table Attributes

Name: This is the unique name of the complex table. This value must be unique among all complex tables defined within the application.
Display Name: This is the default text displayed to the user on the Agentry Client identifying the complex table.
Connection: This is the system connection used by the complex table’s synchronization components to synchronize the records of the complex table on the Agentry Client.
Reload: This attribute specifies whether or not the records of the complex table should be fully reloaded when a user change occurs on the Agentry Client. When true, all records in the complex table are deleted and completely reloaded during the first transmit of a new user. When false, the records downloaded by the previous user are kept. This attribute should be set when the records of the complex table are user-specific.