A business object is identified by these elements:
Where:
Each element must appear in the order shown. If any element is missing or if the values are given in the wrong order, the business object specification is invalid. You can also optionally specify the vault in which the business object is held. When the vault is specified in this manner, only the named vault needs to be checked to locate the business object. This option can improve performance for very large databases.
For more information, see MQL Command Reference: Add Business Object. Business Object TypeEvery object must have a type associated with it. When you specify the object's type, it must already be defined. If the type name you give in the business object specification is not found, an error message will display. If this occurs, use the List Type command (for more information, see MQL Command Reference List Admintype Command) to check for the presence and spelling of the type name. Names are case-sensitive and must be spelled using the same mixture of uppercase and lowercase letters. All types have attributes associated with them. These attributes
appear as fields when the object is accessed in an app. These fields can then
be filled in with specific values or viewed for important information. For
example, you might assign a type of "Metallic Component" to an object. This
type might have four attributes: type of metal, size, weight, and strength. If
you use an Attribute clause in the
Business Object NameThe business object name consists of a character string that will be used to identify the business object and to reference it later. It should have meaning to you and guide you as to the purpose or contents of the business object. While the Description clause can remind you of an object's function, it is time-consuming to have to examine each object to find the one you want. Therefore, you should assign a name that clearly identifies and distinguishes the object. You can use your exact business terminology rather than cryptic words that have been modified to conform to the computer system limitations. Collaboration and Approvals has few restrictions on the characters used for naming business objects. For more information, see MQL Command Reference: About Administrative Object Names. When specifying an existing business object, if the name you give is not found, an error message will result. If an error occurs, use the Temporary Query command with wildcards to perform a quick search. For example, to find an object with a name beginning with the letters "HC" and unknown type and revision level, you could enter:
Use: the first
Business Object Revision DesignatorThe revision label or designator must be specified if the object requires the revision label to distinguish it from other objects with the same name and type. Depending on the object's policy, revisions might or might not be allowed. If they are not allowed or a revision designator does not exist, you must specify " " (a set of double quotes) for MQL. The ability (access privilege) to create revisions can be granted or denied depending on the object's state and the session context. When an object is revised, the revision label changes. This label is either manually assigned at the time the revision is created or automatically assigned if a revision sequence has been defined in the governing policy. Revision sequences provide an easy and reliable way to keep track of object revisions. If the revision sequencing rules call for alphabetic labels, a revised object might have a label such as B or DD. If the Sequence clause in the policy definition specifies custom revision labels, you might see a label such as Unrevised, "1st Rev," "2nd Rev," and so on. In any case, the revision label you provide must agree with the revision sequencing rules. If it does not, an error message will result. For example, the following are all valid business object specifications:
The first specification has no revision designator and must be specified as such. This might be because Component types cannot be revised under the governing policy. It might also be because this is the original object that uses a sequence where the first object has no designator. For more information, see MQL Command Reference: Sequence Clause for the Add Policy Command. Object IDWhen business objects are created, they are given an internal ID. As
an alternative to
Viewing Business Object DefinitionsYou can use the Print Businessobject command and the Select clause to view the definition of a business object. These commands let you view all the files and information used to define the business object. The system attempts to produce output for each select clause input, even if the object does not have a value for it. If this is the case, an empty field is output. For more information, see Print Business Object or Select Clause. |