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creation, but can have any number of rows. Database tables also typically have meta-data associated with them;
the meta-data might include constraints on the table or on the values within particular columns.
SAP HANA Extended Application Services (SAP HANA XS) enables you to create a database table as a designtime
file in the repository. All repository files including your table definition can be transported to other SAP HANA
systems, for example, in a delivery unit.
Note: A delivery unit is the medium SAP HANA provides to enable you to assemble all your applicationrelated
repository artifacts together into an archive that can be easily exported to other systems.
If your application is configured to use the design-time version of a database table in the repository rather than
the runtime version in the catalog, any changes to the repository version of the table are visible as soon as they
are committed to the repository. There is no need to wait for the repository to activate a runtime version of the
table.
The following code illustrates a simple example of a design-time table definition:
table.schemaName = "MYSCHEMA";
table.tableType = COLUMNSTORE;
table.columns = [
{name = "Col1"; sqlType = VARCHAR; nullable = false; length = 20;
comment = "dummy comment";},
{name = "Col2"; sqlType = INTEGER; nullable = false;},
{name = "Col3"; sqlType = NVARCHAR; nullable = true; length = 20;
defaultValue = "Defaultvalue";},
{name = "Col4"; sqlType = DECIMAL; nullable = false; precision = 2;
scale = 3;}];
table.indexes = [
{name = "MYINDEX1"; unique = true; indexColumns = ["Col2"];},
{name = "MYINDEX2"; unique = true; indexColumns = ["Col1", "Col4"];}];
table.primaryKey.pkcolumns = ["Col1", "Col2"];
If you want to create a database table as a repository file, you must create the table as a flat file and save the file
containing the table dimensions with the suffix .hdbtable, for example, MYTABLE.hdbtable. The new file is
located in the package hierarchy you establish in the SAP HANA repository. You can activate the repository files at
any point in time.
Note: On activation of a repository file, the file suffix, for example, .hdbtable, is used to determine which
runtime plugin to call during the activation process. The plugin reads the repository file selected for
activation, in this case a table, parses the object descriptions in the file, and creates the appropriate
runtime objects.
5.4 Creating Tables
SAP HANA Extended Application Services (SAP HANA XS) enables you to create a database table as a designtime
file in the repository.
To create a table file in the repository, perform the following steps:
1. Start the SAP HANA studio.
2. Open the SAP HANA Development perspective.
3. Open the Project Explorer view.
SAP HANA Developer Guide
Setting Up the Persistence Model
P U B L I C
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