InfoMaker uses a collection of five system tables (formerly known as the Powersoft repository) to store extended attribute information (such as display formats, validation rules, and font information) about tables and columns in your database. You can also define extended attributes when you create or modify a table in InfoMaker.
This section tells you how to:
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Make sure the InfoMaker extended attribute system tables are created with the proper access rights when you log in to your database for the first time
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Display and open an InfoMaker extended attribute system table
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Understand the kind of information stored in the InfoMaker extended attribute system tables
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Control extended attribute system table access
By default, InfoMaker creates the extended attribute system tables the first time you connect to a database.
To ensure that InfoMaker creates the extended attribute system tables with the proper access rights to make them available to all users, the first person to connect to the database with InfoMaker must log in with the proper authority.
To ensure proper creation of the InfoMaker extended attribute system tables:
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Make sure the first person to connect to the database with InfoMaker has sufficient authority to create tables and grant permissions to PUBLIC.
This means that the first person to connect to the database should log in as the database owner, database administrator, system user, system administrator, or system owner, as specified by your DBMS.
Creating the extended attribute system tables when using the DirectConnect interface
When you are using the DirectConnect interface, the InfoMaker extended attribute system tables are not created automatically the first time you connect to a database. You must run the DB2SYSPB.SQL script to create the system tables, as described in Using the DB2SYSPB.SQL script.
InfoMaker updates the extended attribute system tables automatically whenever you change the information for a table or column. The InfoMaker extended attribute system tables are different from the system tables provided by your DBMS.
You can display and open InfoMaker extended attribute system tables in the Database painter just like other tables.
To display the InfoMaker extended attribute system tables:
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In the Database painter, highlight Tables in the list of database objects for the active connection and select Show System Tables from the pop-up menu.
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The InfoMaker extended attribute system tables and DBMS system tables display in the tables list, as follows:
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InfoMaker system tables
The five system tables are: pbcatcol, pbcatedt, pbcatfmt, pbcattbl, and pbcatvld.
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DBMS system tables
The system tables supplied by the DBMS usually have a DBMS-specific prefix (such as sys or dbo).
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Display the contents of a InfoMaker system table in the Object Layout, Object Details, and/or Columns views.
For instructions, see the User's Guide.
Do not edit the extended attribute system tables
Do not change the values in the InfoMaker extended attribute system tables.
InfoMaker stores five types of extended attribute information in the system tables as described in the following table.
|
System table |
Information about |
Attributes |
|---|---|---|
|
pbcatcol |
Columns |
Names, comments, headers, labels, case, initial value, and justification |
|
pbcatedt |
Edit styles |
Edit style names and definitions |
|
pbcatfmt |
Display formats |
Display format names and definitions |
|
pbcattbl |
Tables |
Name, owner, default fonts (for data, headings and labels), and comments |
|
pbcatvld |
Validation rules |
Validation rule names and definitions |
For more about the InfoMaker system tables, see the Appendix in the User's Guide.
Prefixes in system table names
For some databases, InfoMaker precedes the name of the system table with a default DBMS-specific prefix. For example, the names of InfoMaker system tables have the prefix DBO in a SQL Server database (such as DBO.pbcatcol), or SYSTEM in an ORACLE database (such as SYSTEM.pbcatfmt).
The preceding table gives the base name of each system table without the DBMS-specific prefix.
To control access to the InfoMaker system tables at your site, you can specify that InfoMaker not create or update the system tables or that the system tables be accessible only to certain users or groups.
You can control system table access by doing any of the following:
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Setting Use Extended Attributes
Set the Use Extended Attributes database preference in the Database Preferences property sheet in the Database painter.
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Setting Read Only
Set the Read Only database preference in the Database Preferences property sheet in the Database painter.
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Granting permissions on the system tables
Grant explicit permissions on the system tables to users or groups at your site.
To control system table access by setting Use Extended Attributes or Read Only:
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Select Design>Options from the menu bar.
The Database Preferences dialog box displays. If necessary, click the General tab to display the General property page.
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Set values for Use Extended Attributes or Read Only as follows:
Preference
What you do
Effect
Use Extended Attributes
Clear the check box
Does not create the InfoMaker system tables if they do not exist. Instead, the painter uses the appropriate default values for extended attributes (such as headers, labels, and text color).
If the InfoMaker system tables already exist, InfoMaker does not use them when you create a new report or form.
Read Only
Select the check box
If the InfoMaker system tables already exist, InfoMaker uses them when you create a new report or form, but does not update them.
You cannot modify (update) information in the system tables or any other database tables in the DataWindow painter or Form painter when the Read Only check box is selected.
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Do one of the following:
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Click Apply to apply the preference settings to the current connection and all future connections without closing the Database Preferences property sheet.
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Click OK to apply the preference settings to the current connection and all future connections and close the Database Preferences property sheet.
InfoMaker saves your preference settings in the registry.
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If your DBMS supports SQL GRANT and REVOKE statements, you can control access to the InfoMaker system tables. The default authorization for each repository table is:
GRANT SELECT, UPDATE, INSERT, DELETE ON table TO PUBLIC
After the system tables are created, you can (for example) control access to them by granting SELECT authority to end users and SELECT, UPDATE, INSERT, and DELETE authority to developers.This technique offers security and flexibility that is enforced by the DBMS itself.
