A lookup table, also called a lookup or lookup base object, is a table that stores a list of predefined values.
Data Director
(IDD) queries the lookup table to retrieve a value based on the input source value and the lookup condition.
Data Director
then populates a drop-down list of values in the application. For example, if you enter a value in a Country field, the application lists the countries stored in the LU_COUNTRY lookup base object table.
You can define lookup values in the following ways:
In a physical lookup base object table with a foreign key between the base object and the lookup base object.
Data Director
uses metadata about this foreign key to populate the lookup values.
In a physical lookup base object table with no foreign key between the base object and the lookup base object. The IDD configuration describes the foreign key relationship, which populates the lookup values.
In a static list of values in the IDD configuration.
For the lookups defined in a physical table, the LOOKUP_IND column in C_REPOS_TABLE indicates whether the table contains lookup values or regular data. You enable the lookup indicator through the Schema tool in the Hub Console. By default, the lookup indicator is disabled when you create a base object. When you enable the lookup indicator, the MDM Hub considers the base object as a lookup. For more information about the Schema tool, see the
Multidomain MDM Configuration Guide
.
When you create a lookup, use a unique display name.
Data Director
cannot distinguish different lookup tables that share the same display name.
When
Data Director
recognizes that a column has a foreign key to another table,
Data Director
determines whether the related table is a lookup table. If the related table is a lookup table,
Data Director
creates a drop-down list in the application for that column, populated with values from the lookup table. The column in the lookup table that is used depends on the
Lookup Display Name
field configured for the relationship in the Schema tool.