Tables Overview

The core of the SBM infrastructure is the SBM database. The database consists of two types of tables: primary tables and auxiliary tables.

Primary Tables

The primary table is the foundation of a SBM application. Each application has one primary table in the SBM database. The primary table is created automatically when you add an application to a process app.

A primary table stores a record for each item that follows the corresponding workflow. Primary tables contain a combination of required system fields, optional system fields, and custom fields. These fields are used to collect data as the primary item progresses through the workflow. Workflows depend on the primary table to hold the fields and actual records created by progress through the workflow.

When users with the proper privileges submit, transition, update, and perform other operations on primary items, they update the corresponding records in the primary table.

Auxiliary Tables

Auxiliary tables store items that support, but do not follow, a workflow process. Auxiliary items typically contain information that is collected once and used repeatedly. Auxiliary tables allow this information to be stored separately from primary items, making it easily shared and reusable across multiple applications.

Examples of auxiliary items include company and contact records. The SBM database includes system auxiliary tables (Companies, Contacts, Problems, Resolutions, and others).

Because auxiliary tables typically store static information, they are often used to create relationships between tables. Single Relational and Multi-Relational fields can be added to any auxiliary table or primary table to reference information contained in auxiliary tables. This is the basis for field dependencies, which let you populate selection lists in a selection or relational field type, based on selections in another field. See Configuring Field Dependencies for details.

Related Topics

Global Process App and Global Application

Field Reference

Field Types