Re: Inserting entities to Designer 2000

Diane,

The API (and the rather silly example in the online help) is the only Oracle supported
way to insert data into or manipulate data in the repository. Silly enough, the CDI_TEXT table (one of the few tables, all the CI_ stuff is views) does not have a documented API call.
Oracle consultants and other vendors have been writing tools and utilities against the repository for quite some time now, just think of UCC, Echo/2000, Headstart to name just a few.

Nevertheless, you're quite right in being cautious - manipulating the underlying tables directly is (generally) a bad idea.

Frank
Diane wrote:

> In article <76530u$r1b$1_at_news.netvision.net.il>, Michael G. <gmichael@at
> las.clalcomp.co.il> writes
> >Hi,All!
> >
> >I've used sample PL/SQL program supplied with Designer to insert entities.
> >The problem is that cioentity package does not provide the way to set entity
> >description. Is there any other way to set entity description using PL/SQL?
> >There's table named CDI_TEXT but adding rows to this table doesn't cause to
> >description to appear in Repository Navigator.
> >
> >Any help is highly appreciated!
> >
> >
> I do hope the sample program was using the API interface 'cos otherwise
> your designer database is now unsupported.
> You need to find out the el_id of each element you have added to
> sdd_elements which is the base underlying table. This is the txt_ref
> column in CDI-TEXT then for descriptions the txt_type is CDIDSC (I
> think, but I'm working from memory at home rather than at the office
> where I can check), the txt_line is the line number for multi-row
> descriptions and txt_text is the text itself.
> Beware of putting long descriptions in even though the column is
> varchar2(***) Designer gets ratty if you put in more that 70 charcters
> when you come to generate stuff.
>
> I suggest you add an entity with descriptions, comments and notes via
> the proper interface (i.e Designer) and query the table to see what gets
> put in, then you'd be in a better position to get stuff in through the
> back door.
>
> By the way, and you can call me cautious, I've been using Designer and
> its predecessor for around 10 years now and I still would only update or
> insert the underlying tables with Oracle support involved.
> --
> Diane
Received on Wed Dec 30 1998 - 09:14:01 CET