Defining an entity type

Select New > Entity Type .

Alternatively, you can:

select the tables you want to include in the entity type on the Database Page, right-click the header of one of the selected tables and select New Entity Type.
click the New Entity Type toolbar button.
right-click on the background of the panel on the Types Page and select New Entity Type

Enter a name for the entity type and select the icon you wish to use.

Note: You can set up different sub types for use with different records according to specified conditions when you edit the entity type properties later. Instead of an icon, you can also use pictures from the database. The icon you choose here is the default icon used on the link chart if no sub types apply and no picture is available.

Define the structure of the entity type by specifying which tables to include and what relationships and field equivalencies between the tables you want to use to construct the type.

Define any filters that are required for the entity type. You may need to use a filter if only a subset of records in a table are relevant for the type you are defining.

You can now define a key for the type, but if you prefer, iBridge Designer will choose an existing key for you. You may want to define a key if the root table in the type structure has multiple candidate keys. If you allow iBridge Designer to choose a type key, the first confirmed key of the root table will be used. If more than one table can act as the root table, iBridge Designer will arbitrarily choose one of those tables and use the first confirmed key.

The type key is used to identify an item when it has been charted.

When you have finished defining the entity type structure, click Validate to check whether you have forgotten something or whether the type is invalid for any reason.

Click OK to close the Entity Type Structure dialog. The entity type is always validated as part of the close and if valid, it is placed onto the Types Page. If the type is not valid, a message appears to indicate this. You can still create the type but you will not be able to open the configuration file in Analyst's Notebook or issue your configuration unless you correct the invalid type first.

If there are any confirmed relationships between the tables used in the new entity type and tables used in any entity types already defined, iBridge Designer will ask you if you want to create an automatic link type. The analyst will only know about the relationship between the entities if you define a link type to show the association in Analyst's Notebook.

When you have finished defining the entity type you can then define the properties of the type in the Entity Type Properties dialog.