Managing Tables and Views

PlaidCloud offers the ability to organize and manage tables, including labels. Tables are available to all workflows within a project and have many tools and options.

In addition to tables, PlaidCloud also offers Views based on table data. Using Views allows for instant updates when underlying table changes occur, as well as saving data storage space.

Options include:

• The same table can exist on multiple paths in the hierarchy (alternate hierarchies)
• Tables are taggable for easier search and inclusion in PlaidCloud processes
• Tables can be versioned
• Tables can be published so they are available for Dashboard Visualizations

PlaidCloud uses a path-based system to organize tables, like you would use to navigate a series of folders, allowing for a more flexible and logical organization of tables. Using this system, tables can be moved within a hierarchy, or multiple references to one table from different locations in the hierarchy (alternate hierarchies), can be created. The ability to manage tables using this method allows the structure to reflect operational needs, reporting, and control.

Searching

Searching for tables is accomplished by using the filter box in the lower left of hierarchy. The search filter will search table names and labels for matches and show the results in the hierarchy above.

Move

To move a table:

1. Drag it into the folder where you wish it to be located

Rename

To rename a table:

1. Right click on the table
2. Select the rename option
3. Type in the new name and save it
4. The table is now renamed, but it retains its original unique identifier.

Clear

To clear a table:

1. Select the tables in the hierarchy ‘
2. Click the clear button on the top toolbar.

Note: You can clear a single table or multiple tables

Delete

To delete a table:

1. Select the tables in the hierarchy
2. Click the delete button on the top toolbar
3. The deleted operation will check to see if the table is in use by workflow steps or Views. If so, you will be asked to remove those associations before deletion can occur.

Note: You can also force delete the table(s). Force deletion of the table(s) will leave references broken, so this should be used sparingly.

See Where a Table Is Used

Selecting a table opens its details panel, which lists the workflow steps that touch it:

• Table Created By — steps that write to the table
• Table Contributes To — steps that read from it
• May Reference This Table — steps that reach a table through a variable that cannot be resolved. This section only appears when there are such steps.

A step can name a table outright, or reach it through a path containing a variable, such as /Periods/{period}/Sales. Where that variable has a current value, the step appears in the first two lists with an information icon beside it. Hover the row to see the path as the step stores it.

Treat those rows as the weaker answer they are. They describe what a run starting now would touch — not everything that has ever touched the table. Change the variable and a different table is read.

Some variables cannot be resolved. Either nothing has set the variable at all, or the value a run uses does not come from what is stored — a Workflow Loop takes its variables from data as it iterates, a Set Variable step assigns during the run, a macro is handed its variables by whichever step calls it, and a run started by a sensor carries that sensor’s own details. In each case whatever is stored between runs is left over from the last one rather than a value to trust. Rather than resolve those to a table that may be the wrong one, PlaidCloud lists the steps by name under May Reference This Table, with the variable it could not resolve, so you can open them and check.

Note: Deleting unused tables counts only the steps that name a table directly. A step that reaches it through a path — resolved or not — does not block a delete.

Create New Directory Structure

To add a new folder:

1. Click the New Folder button on the toolbar

To add a folder to an existing folder:

1. Right-click on the folder
2. Select New Folder

View Data (table Explorer)

Table data is viewed using the Data Explorer. The Data Explorer provides a grid view of the data as well as a column by column summary of values and statistics. Point-and-click filtering and exporting to familiar file formats are both available. The filter selections can also be saved as an Extract step usable in a workflow.

Publish Table for Reporting

Dashboard Visualizations are purposely limited to tables that have been published. When publishing a table, you can provide a unique name that may distinguish the data. This may be useful when the table has a more obscure name on part of the workflow that generated it, but it needs a clearer name for those building dashboards.

Published tables do not have paths associated with them. They will appear as a list of tables for use in the dashboards area.

Mark Table for Viewing Roles

The viewing of tables by various roles can be controlled by clicking the Explorer or Manager checkboxes. If multiple tables need to be updated, select the tables in the hierarchy and select the desired viewing role from the Actions menu on the top toolbar.

Memos to Describe Table Contents

Add a memo to a table to help understand the data.

View Table Shape, Size, and Last Updated Time

The number of rows, columns, and the data size for each table is shown in the table hierarchy. For very large tables (multi-million rows) the row count may be estimated and an indicator for approximate row count will be shown.

View Additional Table Attributes

To view and edit other table attributes:

1. Select a table
2. Click the view the table context form on the right.

Duplicate a Table

To duplicate a table:

1. Selecting the table
2. Click on the duplicate button on the top toolbar.

Create a Data Editor from a Table

You can turn a table into a configured data editor in one step — select the table and choose Create Data Editor from Table from the New menu or the right-click menu. PlaidCloud examines the table’s columns and pre-builds the editor’s input controls. See Create a Data Editor from a Table for details.