Getting Started with Database Builder
Starting Database Builder
There are several ways you may choose to launch Database Builder:
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Starting Database Builder from the Studio: Usually, you will want to launch the Database Builder while you are developing applications inside the DataFlex Studio. You can do this simply by clicking the Database Builder button on the Studio’s toolbar, or you can choose Database Builder from the Database menu.
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Starting Database Builder from the Windows Start Menu: Click the Start button on the Windows Taskbar and select Programs. From the Programs menu, select DataFlex xx.x | Development Tools | Database Builder.
Database Builder will open using the current workspace. The current workspace is always the last-selected workspace. The current workspace may be changed using the Select Workspace dialog. The name of the current workspace is always displayed in Database Builder’s title bar.
The Menu Bar
Database Builder’s menu bar contains several menus: File, Edit, Report, Maintenance, Filelist, Database, Window, Tools, and Help. To find out more about the items contained in each menu, click the items of interest in the menus shown below.
File Menu
The File menu generally contains items that create, open, save, and close tables.
Edit Menu
The Edit menu generally contains items for editing text.
Report Menu
The Report menu contains items that document the structure of your database and its correctness.
Maintenance Menu
The Maintenance menu contains items that perform maintenance on the data and indexes when using the embedded database.
Filelist Menu
The Filelist menu contains items for maintaining the internal list of database tables for the current workspace. In DataFlex, this is known as the file list.
Database Menu
The Database menu contains items concerned with connecting to and using SQL databases such as Microsoft SQL Server, Pervasive.SQL, or IBM DB2.
Workspace Menu
The Workspace menu contains items for configuring the database settings of the current workspace.
Tools Menu
The Tools menu contains Database Builder configuration options and various options for launching external applications.
Window Menu
The Window menu contains items for navigating and arranging the display panels for each open table.
Help Menu
The Help menu contains items for getting help about Database Builder.
The Tool Bar
The Database Builder tool bar contains shortcuts to various common operations.
Table Selector
The table selector combo form displays all the tables in the file list of the current workspace. Selecting a table from this list will cause it to be opened.
Create New Table
The Create New Table button is used to start creating a new database table.
Open Table
The Open button pops up a dialog that allows you to open multiple tables simultaneously.
Open a Table that is not in the Filelist
The Open As button is used to open a table that is not listed in the file list of the current workspace.
Save Table
The Save button saves all changes to the table being edited.
Delete Table
The Delete Table button is used to delete a selected table (or tables) from the database.
Sort
If you are using the embedded database, the Sort button pops up a dialog for rebuilding the indexes of your tables.
Set Attributes
The Set Attributes button pops up a dialog for changing some common table attributes.
Refresh
Cut, Copy, Paste
Used for cutting, copying, and pasting text to and from the clipboard.
Database Explorer
The Database Explorer button launches the Database Explorer tool for the currently selected open table. The table must be open in non-exclusive mode before Database Explorer can be launched.
The Work Area
The area below the menu bar and the tool bar is called the work area. Each dialog that Database Builder displays will be bound by this area. For example, when you open a table to change its structure, a dialog is created and displayed in the work area.
Database Builder allows you to work on multiple tables simultaneously within the work area.
The Status Bar
The status bar is shown along the bottom of Database Builder and displays status information and user-input prompts about the current action.
Selecting a Workspace
To select a workspace, choose Select Workspace… from the File menu and use the "Open a workspace" dialog to find and select the appropriate Studio Workspace (.sws) or Workspace (.ws) file. The dialog disappears and the name of the selected workspace is shown in the title bar.
Recently Used Workspaces
Database Builder maintains a recently used list of workspaces. To select a recent workspace from this list, choose Recent Workspaces from the File menu. Now, select the workspace you wish to work in.
More Launch Options
See Launching Database Builder for more startup option information.