Edit Tab

Use the Edit tab to select audit preferences for editing data and specify other site options for using default values.

Product Options dialog - Edit tab

Auditing Status

Activate auditing to record rows that you edit and store images of unedited rows in an Optim™ Directory table. You can browse these rows, establish the period for which the system stores rows, and limit the number of rows retained. When rows of audit information expire, they are automatically deleted. When the maximum number of rows is exceeded, the oldest rows are deleted to make space for new rows.

Active
Select this option to enable the auditing feature at the site level. Click Audit Tables to open a dialog on which you can select tables to be audited on a site basis.
Active/User
Select this option to activate auditing at the site level and allow users to establish auditing for the workstation. Click Audit Tables to open a dialog on which you can select tables to be audited on a site basis.

This option enables the auditing feature in Personal Options (see Auditing Active). Users can select additional tables to audit, but cannot disable auditing for tables audited on a site basis.

Inactive
Select this option to disable the auditing feature. No users can audit.

User Supplies Defaults

Choose whether to require user-supplied values in columns that cannot accept default values. This option applies to new rows that a user inserts while editing a database table.

Note: Optim can provide a default value according to the data type. Possible values include blank, NULL, zero, current date, current time, or current timestamp.
Yes
Select this option to require a user-supplied value for every column that cannot accept a default value. If you select this option, the User Supplies Defaults check box in Personal Options (or Edit Preferences for the Table Editor) is unavailable. See User Supplies Defaults for more information.
No
Select this option if your site does not require user‑supplied values for columns that cannot accept a default value.
User
Select this option to allow users to supply a value for any column that cannot accept a default value. If you select this option, users can modify this selection in Personal Options (or Edit Preferences in the Table Editor).

Null as Default

Choose whether to use the NULL character as the default value for nullable columns. This option applies to new rows that a user inserts while editing a database table.

Note: Optim can provide a default value based on the column data type. Other than NULL, possible values include blank, zero, current date, current time, and current timestamp.
Yes
Select this option to display the NULL character as the default value for nullable columns when editing data. If you select this option, users cannot modify this selection in Personal Options (or Edit Preferences in the Table Editor). See Display NULL as Insert Default for more information.
No
Select this option if your site prefers not to display the NULL character as the default value for nullable columns while editing data.
User
Select this option to allow users to display the NULL character as the default value for nullable columns while editing data. If you select this option, users can modify this selection in Personal Options (or Edit Preferences in the Table Editor).

Force Browse Only

Select this check box to force all new and existing Edit Definitions to be in Browse Only mode. When you select this check box, edit options on the Edit tab in Personal Options and the Edit Preferences on the Table Editor are unavailable. (For example, the option for Undo Levels is unavailable, because Undo entries are not created in Browse Only mode.)

Audit Tables Dialog

If you select Active or Active/User on the Edit tab of the Product Options dialog, click Audit Tables to display the Audit Tables dialog. Specify default parameters that apply to all processed tables and a list of tables for which one or more defaults are overridden.

Product Options - Audit Tables dialog

Optim Directory

Specify the Optim Directory for which audit parameters are defined. If your site has more than one Optim Directory, click the down arrow to select from a list.

Audit results are stored in the PSTAUDIT2 or PSTAUDIT3 table, in the Optim Directory. If authorized, you can browse or edit the PSTAUDIT2 or PSTAUDIT3 table in the same way you browse or edit any other database table. However, Auditing Status in Product Options must be set to Active or Active/User and you must have database SELECT authority for the PSTAUDIT2 or PSTAUDIT3 table.

Auditing Defaults

Specify the defaults for the auditing option at your site:

Enabled
Select to audit processing for all tables, unless overridden in the Table Name/Pattern list. For example, if a table (or pattern) is listed and Disabled status is specified, the table is not audited.
Write All Columns
Select to record information for all columns in updated, deleted, or inserted rows, unless overridden in the Table Name/Pattern list. If you clear this check box, audit information is recorded for changed columns, inserted rows, and tables that do not have a primary key.
Days to Retain
Specify the maximum number of days (0 - 999) to retain Audit information, unless overridden in the Table Name/Pattern list. Audit information is purged automatically after the specified number of days elapse. Specify zero (0) or leave blank to retain Audit information indefinitely.
Maximum Rows
Specify the maximum number of audited rows (0 - 999999) to retain for each database table, unless overridden in the Table Name/Pattern list. The oldest rows are deleted to create space to accept new rows. Specify zero (0) or leave blank to retain an unlimited number.

Table Name/Pattern List

Tables for which table-specific audit parameters apply. If you select the Active/User option for auditing database tables, the Product Options list supersedes any list users can specify in Personal Options.

Table Name/Pattern
Specify the fully qualified name of the database table or a pattern that identifies the database tables, in the form dbalias.creatorid.tablename. You can also right-click a grid cell and select Add Tables to display a selection list.
Status
Select the auditing status for the table or tables. Click to display a down arrow and select Enabled or Disabled for each table or pattern in the list. Use this selection to override the default status established with the Enabled check box.
Note: If auditing is disabled for a table, other table-specific parameters cannot be edited.

If a table is listed in both Personal Options and Product Options, the status in Personal Options is Superseded by Product List. The user cannot change the auditing status for that table. Users can modify the table name, however, or remove it from the list.

Days to Retain
Specify the maximum number of days (1 - 999) to retain audit information for the table or tables. To retain Audit information indefinitely, specify zero (0) or leave blank.
Max Rows
Specify the maximum number of audit rows (1 - 999999) retained for each database table or tables. To retain an indefinite number of rows, specify zero (0) or leave blank.
Note: The Max Rows limit is checked after 15 commits to the database table.
Write Option
Select the level of audit information to record for the table or tables. Click to display a down arrow and select:
  • All Columns to record audit information for all columns in edited rows.
  • Changed Columns to record audit information as follows:
    • Record an image of all columns in an inserted row.
    • Record an image of the primary key column in a deleted row. If there is no primary key, record an image of all columns.
    • Record an image of the primary key columns and any changed columns in an updated row.

Example

Default specifications are propagated to new entries in the list of tables and can be useful when building the list. For example, your database includes 100 tables. You want to retain audit information for 50 tables for 90 days, information for 30 tables for one year, and information for five tables indefinitely. You do not want to audit processes on the remaining 15 tables. To retain audit information for the tables, build the list of audit instructions in the following way:

  1. Clear Enabled.
  2. Enter, in the grid, names of the 15 tables that are not audited (select from a list or type names or patterns). Status is Disabled for each entry.
  3. Select Enabled and set Days to Retain to 0.
  4. Enter, in the grid, names of the five tables for which audit information is retained indefinitely (select from a list or type names or patterns). Status is Enabled and Days to Retain is 0 for the five new entries.
  5. Set Days to Retain to 365.
  6. Enter names of the 30 tables in the grid (select from a list or type names or patterns). Status is Enabled and Days to Retain is 365 for the 30 new entries.
  7. Set Days to Retain to 90.
  8. The 50 remaining tables are not entered in the grid. The default status for these tables is Enabled and audit information for each table is retained for 90 days.

Select Table To Be Audited Dialog

When you select Add Tables or Replace Table from the shortcut menu, the Select Table to be audited dialog is displayed. This dialog is also displayed when you use the Join command from the Table Editor.

Select Table to be audited dialog

The Select Table to be audited dialog provides a list of tables for the selected database.

  • DB Aliases for available databases are provided in the DB Alias list. To list tables in a database, double-click the DB Alias or overtype the DB Alias in the Pattern box.
  • Objects referenced by the selected DB Alias are listed in the Database Table grid in alphabetical order by Creator ID and Table Name. The type of object (table, view, alias, synonym), DBMS, and fully qualified name are provided.

Pattern

Use a pattern to limit the list of objects in the Select Table to be audited dialog. After you specify a pattern, click Refresh to display again the list based on your criteria.

Audit Summary

During an Edit Process, Optim audits tables according to the following parameters:

If Active
Check for the table name on the Product Options list in the Audit Tables dialog:
  • If the table is on the list and Enabled, the table is audited.
  • If the table is on the list and Disabled, the table is not audited.

If the table is not on the list, and the Enabled check box under Auditing Defaults in Product Options is selected, the table is audited.

If Active/User
Check for the table name on the Product Options list in the Audit Tables dialog:
  • If the table is on the list and Enabled, the table is audited.
  • If the table is on the list and Disabled, the table is not audited.

Check the Edit tab in the Personal Options dialog to determine if the Auditing Active check box is selected. If it is, check for the table name on the Personal Options list in the Audit Tables dialog:

  • If the table is on the list and Enabled, the table is audited based on the default specifications in Product Options.
  • If the table is on the list and Disabled, the table is not audited.

If the table is not on either list, and the Enabled check box under Auditing Defaults in Product Options is selected, the table is audited.

If Inactive
The audit feature is disabled and the table is not audited.


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