Configuring Column Aliases


Overview

Tasks

Included with

Tivoli Problem Management

Overview

SQL searches

Help desk analysts perform SQL searches with many of the Work with dialog boxes in Tivoli Problem Management. Help desk analysts use database column names to compose SQL queries for needed records.

Column name aliases

Sometimes the names of the columns in the database are not descriptive enough to be used by a non-technical person. If you know the table and column name, however, you can create an alias for any column in the database. When you create an alias, any time the referenced column is used in a Search dialog box, the alias (not the actual column name) appears. For more information on table and column names, see the Tivoli Problem Management Entity Relationship Diagram.

Add Column Alias dialog box

Use the Add Column Alias dialog box to add an alias for any column in any table in the Tivoli Problem Management database. When you create an alias, any time the referenced column is used in a Search dialog box, the alias appears in place of the actual column name. For more information, see Adding a column alias.

To access the Add Column Alias dialog box:

  1. In the Application dialog box, choose the Aliases tab.
  2. Choose Add.
    Result: The Add Column Alias dialog box appears.

Edit Column Alias dialog box

Change a column alias at any time in the Edit Column Alias dialog box. Column aliases are terms that are already familiar to your help desk analysts that are substituted for the column names of often-used search fields. For more information, see Editing a column alias.

To access the Edit Column Alias dialog box:

  1. In the Application dialog box, choose the Aliases tab.
  2. From the Column List, select the alias you want to edit, then choose Edit.
    Result: The Edit Column Alias dialog box appears.

View Column Alias dialog box

Check the definition of an alias by viewing it in the View Column Alias dialog box. For more information, see Viewing a column alias.

To access the View Column Alias dialog box:

  1. In the Application dialog box, choose the Aliases tab.
  2. From the Column List, select the alias you want to view, then choose View.
    Result: The View Column Alias dialog box appears.

Tasks

Adding a column alias

You can add an alias for any column in any table in the Tivoli Problem Management database. When you create an alias, any time the referenced column is used in a Search dialog box, the alias appears in place of the actual column name. You can add an alias for any column in any table in the Tivoli Problem Management database.

You can define special terminology to replace some of the default terms that appear in Tivoli Problem Management. For example, you can change "Vendor" to "Dealer" on Tivoli Problem Management dialog boxes. To be consistent, and also to make it easier for your users to conduct searches, you can also create an alias of "Dealer_ID" for the VENDOR_ID column in the VENDOR and ITEM tables.

Note: New aliases are immediately available in Tivoli Problem Management. Users do not have to quit and restart Tivoli Problem Management before they can use a new alias in a Search dialog box.

To add an alias:

  1. In the Add Column Alias dialog box, from the Table list, select the table containing the column for which you want to create an alias.
    Example: If you want to create an alias for the VENDOR_ID column, select the VENDOR table.
  2. From the Column Name list, select the column for which you want to create an alias.
  3. In the Column Label box, type the alias you want to use for this column.
    Tip: Make column aliases match any unique terminology you define for Tivoli Problem Management. For more information on configuring terminology, see Configuring Terminology.
  4. Choose OK.
    Result: The new alias appears in the Column List in the Aliases tab of the Application dialog box.
    Example: "Dealer_ID" appears in place of "VENDOR_ID" in all Search dialog boxes for the VENDOR table.

Editing a column alias

Use the Edit Column Alias dialog box to change an alias at any time. Keep experimenting until you determine the appropriate aliases for often-used search fields.

Note: You cannot change the table or column name when you edit an alias. If the table or column name is incorrect on an existing alias, delete the alias and add a new one.

To edit an alias:

  1. In the Edit Column Alias dialog box, in the Column Label box, type the alias you want to use for this column.
    Tip: Make column aliases match any unique terminology you define for Tivoli Problem Management. For more information on configuring terminology, see Configuring Terminology.
  2. Choose OK.
    Result: The revised alias appears in the Column List in the Aliases tab of the Application dialog box.

Viewing a column alias

Check the definition of an alias by viewing it in the View Column Alias dialog box

To view an alias:

  1. In the View Column Alias dialog box, view the settings for this alias. For details on the displayed information, see Adding a column alias.
  2. Choose Close.

Searching for a column alias

If you create a number of aliases, you can locate an existing alias by performing an SQL search.

To search for an alias:

  1. In the Application dialog box, choose the Aliases tab.
  2. Choose SQL.
  3. In the Search dialog box, set the search parameters.
  4. Choose OK.
    Result: The aliases that match your search criteria appear in the Column List in the Aliases tab of the Application dialog box.

For more information on defining an SQL query, see Searching and Inquiring.

Deleting a column alias

You can remove aliases that are no longer needed by your help desk analysts. When you delete an alias, it is replaced by the original column name in the appropriate Search dialog box.

To delete an alias:

  1. In the Application dialog box, choose the Aliases tab.
  2. From the Column List, select an alias.
  3. Choose Delete.
  4. At the Warning message dialog box that asks if you are sure you want to delete this record, choose Yes.
    Result: The alias no longer appears in the Column List in the Aliases tab of the Application dialog box.