Object Model Properties

Object Table Prefixes

Object tables are named with a one-letter prefix according to their function in the object model. The table below indicates the various types of tables and their prefixes.

Prefix	Description	Examples
T	T-tables are the 11 main tables for TeamConnect objects. In Object Navigator, they are almost always the starting point of navigation. A T-table contains the basic information for each record of its type that is created. In other words, it contains instances of an object definition. T-tables own specific instances of custom fields (E-tables), categories (E-tables), and sub-objects (J-tables), all of which store items added to the record in batch screens. T-tables are not owned by any other kind of table. However, a T-table might have a relationship to another T-table. For example, T- History is related to all of the other T-tables, because History records can be created for each kind of record.	TAccount TAppointment TContact TDocument TExpense THistory TInvoice TInvolved TProject TTask
J	J-tables are owned by T-tables (or, occasionally, R-tables). J-tables are also known as sub-objects. The values stored in J-tables are usually obtained from lookup tables (L-tables). In the UI, items in a J-table are added to a record through a batch screen. For example, assignees added to a project in a batch screen are sub-objects of the project.	JApptAttendee JContAddress JContEmail JProjAssignee JTranDetail JAppvStop JAppvStopMember JAppvStopMemberReview JAppvNotification JAppvLog
L	L-tables store the main lookup table information for system lookup tables.	LContFaxType LCountryItem LProjAssigneeType LContSkillType
E	E-tables are used with every T-table throughout the object model to store the following: specific categories that have been added to records specific custom field values added to records specific user or group security settings for records	EHistDetail (contains categories that have been added to History records) EHistDetailNumbValue (contains values that have been added in custom fields of the type Number, in History records) EHistUserAccess (contains user security settings for History records)
R	There are only four R-tables in the object model. Each of the R-tables has a unique purpose (shown at right). Like T-tables, R-tables are not owned by any other table. However, they do not contain all of the attributes found in a T-table. For example, they do not have custom fields or categories associated with them, and they do not belong to an object definition.	RTransaction (stores instances of financial transactions) RDistribution (stores contact groups, that is, Address Books) RApproval (stores instances of approvals) RForum (stores any forums created for records) RApproval (stores approval details with short description and all transaction messages)
Y*	Y-tables are system tables. They typically contain values that correspond to administration objects, such as groups and users. They are owned by Z-tables. Custom lookup table information is also stored in Y-tables.	YGroup YUser YDetailLookupTable YDetailLookupItem
W*	W-tables store object definition information. The components related to object definition are stored in these tables. They are owned by Z- tables. Categories and custom field definitions for all objects are also stored in W-tables.	WObjdCategory WObjdDetailField
Z*	Z-tables own W-tables and Y-tables. They contain specific information pertaining to system design, such as object, template, wizard, and search view definition information.	ZObjectDefinition
U*	U-tables are administrative tables that are owned by W-tables.	UGrupMember

* Most tables that are named with this prefix are not typically used when creating rules, templates, wizards, or object naming patterns, although there are certain exceptions. For example, UGrupMember is used in rules that check whether the current user is a member of a certain group.

Unique Codes of System Objects and Lookup Tables

Each system object and each system lookup table has a four-character unique code. You will need to use these unique codes for certain tasks such as writing document template for Document Generator or writing automated qualifiers or actions for rules.

The following table lists the unique codes and database table names for system objects.

System Object	Object Table Name	Database Table Name	Unique Code
Account	TAccount	T_ACCOUNT	ACCT
Appointment	TAppointment	T_APPOINTMENT	APPT
Contact	TContact	T_CONTACT	CONT
Document	TDocument	T_DOCUMENT	DOCU
Expense	TExpense	T_EXPENSE	EXPE
History	THistory	T_HISTORY	HIST
Invoice	TInvoice	T_INVOICE	INVC
Invoice Line Item	JInvcLineItem	J_INVC_LINE_ITEM	LNI$
Task	TTask	T_TASK	TASK

The following table lists the unique codes and database table names for all system lookup tables.

System Lookup Table	Object Table Name	Database Table Name	Unique Code
Activity Item	LTaskActivityItem	L_TASK_ACTIVITY_ITEM	ACTI
Address Type	LContAddressType	L_CONT_ADDRESS_TYPE	ADDR
Area Item	LApptAreaItem	L_APPT_AREA_ITEM	AREA
Contact Relation Type	LContRelationType	L_CONT_RELATION_TYPE	CONR
Country Item	LCountryItem	L_COUNTRY_ITEM	COUN
Currency Item	LCurrencyItem	L_CURRENCY_ITEM	CURR
Email Type	LContEmailType	L_CONT_EMAIL_TYPE	MAIL
Fax Type	LContFaxType	L_CONT_FAX_TYPE	FAXX
Internet Address Type	LContInetAddressT ype	L_CONT_INET_ADDRESS_ TYPE	INET
Phone Type	LContPhoneType	L_CONT_PHONE_TYPE	PHON
Project Assignee Type	LProjAssigneeType	L_PROJ_ASSIGNEE_TYPE	Unique code of the corresponding custom object definition.
Project Relation Type	LProjRelationType	L_PROJ_RELATION_TYPE	PRJR
Resource Type	LApptResourceTyp e	L_APPT_RESOURCE_TYP E	RESO
Skill Type	LContSkillType	L_CONT_SKILL_TYPE	SKIL
Territory Type	LContTerritoryType	L_CONT_TERRITORY_TYP E	TERR

Viewing XCT Files

To verify information about the attributes in any table, such as the data type or equivalent database column or table name, you can view the XCT file corresponding to the table. The XCT files provide mapping between the database and the object model. These files are used by Object Navigator to obtain the correct attributes. In the XCT files, the external name of an attribute or table is its name in the TeamConnect database.

The XCT files are located on the TeamConnect installation media in the utilities/objectmodel directory. This directory contains two folders: simpletypes and complextypes.

utilities/objectmodel/complextypes contains the XCT files for all objects in the object model.
utilities/objectmodel/simpletypes contains the XCT files for typeIID attributes. These object attributes are enumerations that are permitted to have only certain static values that have been predefined. Each file in the simpletypes directory provides a list of possible values for the corresponding typeIID attribute. The values are also listed in this document in the Comments column for each typeIID attribute.

Object Names vs. Database Table Names

The names of most tables in the object model are similar to their corresponding table names in the database. Also, the names of most attributes in the object model are similar to their corresponding column names in the database. The name of a table or column in the database is usually the name of the table (or attribute) in the object model, except that it is in caps, with underscores between words. For example:

LContRelationType = L_CONT_RELATION_TYPE
shortDescription = SHORT_DESCRIPTION
TAccount = T_ACCOUNT

This convention is used for most, but not all, tables and attributes. To verify the name of a table or column in the database, refer to the corresponding XCT file, and check the External Name of the attribute or table, as described in Viewing XCT Files.

List Attributes for Sub-Objects and Related Objects

Many bridge attributes have the suffix List. In Object Navigator, bridge attributes appear with an arrow after the suffix, like this: List--> This suffix is added to attributes that link to sub-objects that are added to records (for example, JContAddress, JContPhone, and JProjAssignee) and related objects that are added to records (for example, THistory, TInvolved, and TTask).

The following are important points about attributes with the suffix List:

When you want to access sub-objects that have been added to a record, you should use the corresponding J-table. This includes contact addresses, contact phone numbers, appointment attendees, project assignees, and other items that are added in batch screens.
The one exception to this rule is categories, which are accessed through detailList--> attributes. Although they are added in a batch screen in a record and are handled as sub- objects, they are stored in an E-table rather than a J-table.
When you want to access related objects that have been added to a record, such as the involved records added to a project, you should use the List attribute that corresponds to it (in this case, involvedList-->) to access the corresponding T-table (TInvolved).
In Object Navigator, most attributes with the suffix List link first to an intermediary table that allows you to filter the related or sub-objects.