Overview
The view summary allows you to browse the contents of a view without editing it. From the summary you will be able to access information about the purpose of the view and target audience, the columns and tables that are included in the view, view a sub set of the data produced, access the generated SQL and export the view metadata and XML file.
General Information
The general tab provides a View summary, including the purpose and the intended audience, and the option to edit this information using the Edit Metadata link.
In addition you will be able to export a view summary PDF or DOC.
The Test Report button allows you to create a report based on a draft view in order to ensure it is returning the desired results before activation.
When the view is in draft mode you are also presented with the option to change the data source, this is useful when you need to switch from a development connection to production. Click on the Change link next to the data source and you will be able to select one of the same type to redirect to.
Columns
The columns tab provides summary information of all the columns that are included in the view.
Data
The data tab shows the first 20 rows of data returned from the data source. This allows you to verify that the view does return the anticipated result set.
SQL
The SQL tab displays the SQL that has been generated as a result of the business rules implied through the entity relationship diagram and the columns that have been created. You can use this tab to verify that the view you have built is generating the expected output SQL.
Elements
The elements tab provides a list of all source tables or views used in the view. The source database name, its description and alias are provided. In addition any joins and conditions are specified in detail.
Reports
This tab provides a list of all reports that use this particular view. This is useful when you want to know what reports may be effected by changes made to a view.
Cache
This tab provides view caching information. You can use this tab to populate the data manually and view the caching settings. Click here to learn more about this process.