Defining Interface Tables

See Also

In a Definer, you can define a table as being available for use by another module as an Interface Table, including one or more of its columns. Once flat files are created for this (provider) module, this table definition can then be used from another, consumer module.

This table definition can be seen as a shared table between modules. The table is owned by the provider and used by the consumer. The table should not be changed as there are other modules that use it and depend on it. If the table is changed, the other modules have to be changed and synchronized too. In the table, it is possible for each column to specify if it is part of the interface or not. Columns which are not part of the interface can be freely deleted or added to the table without effecting the interface. Other modules then will not have to be changed and synchronized.

When running the application, the definitions of all modules are read and merged into one application. Rules are also merged. So, all constraints will fire when necessary, no matter in which module they were defined.

In the Internal Interface Consumers window, you can specify modules and synchronize internal interfaces. After synchronizing, you can view the correct, incorrect, and excluded interfaces on the appropriate tab pages. The help texts on the tab pages provide all information you need: