Creating, editing, and deleting tables

Create and manage general lookup tables from Settings > General lookup tables.

Before you begin: Important information

When working with general lookup tables, keep the following guidelines in mind.

Table names

For new tables, the Table name must begin with an alphanumeric character and can only contain alphanumeric characters and underscores.

Codes

  • General lookup tables are actually one big table, with the only differentiation being the Table name; therefore, codes should be unique for each value in the table and across all tables. There should never be a code in one table that matches the code in another table.
  • It is not recommended that codes be only 1-2 characters. It is best practice that codes are at least five characters.
  • Do not use special characters in the Code field, such as: ! @ # $ % ^ & * ( ) - _ = + \ | [ ] { } ; : / ? . >
  • The Code field can hold up to 60 characters; however, general lookup tables are used for various fields in iMIS that have varying field length requirements. Before adding Code values to a table, you should determine the maximum length of the field to which the code is connected. If you add a Code that is longer than the field length requirement for the field to which it connects, in most cases, the data will be truncated. In the case of certain tables, if the value in the Code field exceeds the defined length for the field to which it connects, the value will not be displayed for selection in the drop-down list:
    • CATEGORY - Five character maximum
    • MEMBER_STATUS - Five character maximum
    • SIC_CODE - Five character maximum
  • Most lookup fields limit input to values defined in their associated general lookup tables. Be sure to define all of the codes that your users will need when you set up the general lookup tables.

Description

The value entered in the Description field is displayed in general lookup validation table drop-down lists.

Expansion

For general lookup tables that were designed to support expansion functionality present in earlier versions of iMIS, there are specific general lookup tables that require the use of the Expansion field. The Expansion field specifies the value that will be substituted for its Code. The Expansion field should only be populated for existing tables designed to support expansion functionality.

Important! When creating a new general lookup table, leave the Expansion field blank. Entering a value in the Expansion field of a lookup table not designed to support expansion functionality can prevent iMIS fields tied to the table from working properly and may prevent iMIS from saving the correct data from fields populated by the general lookup table.

Adding a new table

Do the following to create a new table:

  1. Go to Settings > General lookup tables. By default, (None selected) is selected in the General tables drop-down. Before adding a new table, ensure either (None selected) or All is selected in the drop-down.
  2. Select Add new table:
    1. Enter the exact Table name.
    2. Enter a Code for the first value of the new table.

      3. Note: The Code value cannot be edited once it is saved.

    3. Enter a Description.
    4. Do not enter an Expansion value.
    5. Click Save & Continue.
    6. Continue adding values to the table, then click Close.
  3. Review the table, and add new rows if necessary.

Editing and deleting existing tables

To edit an existing table's properties, do the following:

  1. Go to Settings > General lookup tables. By default, (None selected) is selected in the General tables drop-down.
  2. From the General tables drop-down, select the table.
  3. Select the Edit icon for the desired row and edit the Description or Expansion values.

    4. Note: The Code value cannot be modified.

  4. Click Update.

A general lookup table is automatically deleted when no codes exist for the table. A table is completely deleted after all of the table rows are deleted.