You map the structure of your application in DataView with the aid of the entity relationship model (ERM). The ERM consists of logic model objects, that can be physically represented in the database in the form of tables. The tables will later store the user data. All model objects can be represented on the user interface in the form of default masks, so that you can work with test data in the tables already during model definition. After model definition you can use copies of the default masks as a starting point for the creation of complex masks.
The following model objects can be used for the development of an ERM:
Example: Entity Relationship Model for the application of a small medical supply firm meditronic.
The meditronic-ERM contains all possible model objects and the most important model structures. Meditronic buys different medical devices (entity Item) from several suppliers (entity Supplier). The devices are of different kinds (type instances Endoscope and Instruments). All devices are stored (entity Warehouse) and described by different documents (entity Document). In order to model the interrelations of storage, buying and describing, the entities are combined with each other by relations and links.
DataView maps each model object (with the exception of links) as two-dimensional table. These tables always contain all data elements (user data) in the form of records. The features of the data elements are described by attributes in the fields (columns) of the table. Which columns the table contains depends on the model object mapped:
You can additionally map entities as -> Views in the database. With the help of views you are able to set up different, task-specific user views on data already on modelling level.
Example: For the meditronic-ERM the following tables are created in the database.
You can create default masks for all model objects (with the exception links). The masks show table data (user data) on the user interface and allow the manipulation of these data with the aid of automatically installed standard functions (search, edit, delete, show dependent data...). With default masks you map the created data model in minimized form on the user interface. After this you can work with test data. Simultaneously the default masks are the starting point for creating complex masks and their integration into the interactive flow of the future application. Depending on model object, a default mask shows the object-specific attribute fields of one or several database tables:
Example: For the meditronic-ERM the following default masks could be immediately created and displayed on the desktop (selection).