Data Tables

A data table, also known as a database table or simply a table, is a collection of related data organized in rows and columns. Each row in the table represents a unique record, while each column represents a specific attribute or characteristic of that record.

Data tables are commonly used in databases to store large amounts of structured data. They can be accessed, searched, and sorted in various ways, depending on the requirements of the application or process that uses them. Data tables can also be joined with other tables in a data base using the Data base Relations, allowing for complex queries and analysis of the data.

Overall, data tables provide a flexible and efficient way to store and manage large amounts of information in a structured and organized manner.

In Quixy, you can manually enter data or collect it through an application and store it in a data table. To store application data in a table, you need to create a data table and link it to the application using data table functions. Creating a data table for an application is optional (but, highly recommended) because Quixy automatically stores data entered in the app as app data (My Profile -> My Activities -> Initiated/participated).

Why do you need a data table?

Storing relevant data in a central location is crucial to optimize daily business processes and make informed decisions. In Quixy, a data table serves as the central location to store all the relevant data.

For instance, let's say you have a company that supplies cement material to customers worldwide, and you've created an application in Quixy to receive orders. Using a data table, you can store information such as the order details, customer name, order value, etc. Each month, you can analyse the data in the table to determine how many orders you received and the value of orders from each customer, thus providing insights to help make informed business decisions.

In Quixy, you can create a data table using either of the below given two ways:

1. From Scratch
2. From Excel

How to establish a relation between a data table and application?

In data tables, we have a concept called data table functions that are used to connect an application to a data table and manage data in a data table. In computing language these data table functions are also called as CRUD functions.

The data table functions which are present in Quixy platform are:

Get: This function will help you fetch the data present in a data table onto an application.

Add: This function will help you store the data entered in an application in the data table.

Update: This function will help you replace the data of an exiting record with new data that is already present in the data table.

Delete: This function will help you delete an existing data record from the data table.

Add or Update: This function is a combination of Add and Update, this will help you replace data of an existing record with new data or if the data is entirely new, it will save a new record.

Immediately after you create a data table, the platform will ask your permission to automatically create CRUD functions, which you can then edit and change.

Creating the data table functions is just a initial step in connecting the app to a data table. The next step is to create the app data functions in the app to finish establishing a complete relation between an app and a data table.

Connect Records (Relational Database) 

A relational database is a collection of information that stores data in one or more tables (or "relations") with columns and rows. This makes it easy to see how different data structures relate to each other. Relationships are logical links between tables that are set up by how the tables interact with each other. Learn More...

Connected Records field in the data table allows you to link (Foreign-Key Relations) and organize your data in a more efficient way in your data tables. It will allow citizen developers to preserve the referential integrity of the entire database. Foreign keys also benefit end users by eliminating errors and enhancing the efficiency of any operation that retrieves data from indexed foreign key-linked tables. 

On a technical level, a foreign key is a constraint that binds a column in one table (table_1.column_a) to a column in another table (table_2.column_b) and assures that a value can only be added to column_a if the identical value already exists in column_b.

EXAMPLE

For example, a data table of Orders, for instance, may contain a User column with a foreign key attribute that links it to the User Id column in a User's data table. Thus, each entry in the Orders table can be associated with a specific user from the User’s table, and no orders can enter the system unless they are associated with a genuine user. 

The working process

Data Table Indexes

A data table index is a feature that helps make database queries faster and more efficient (i.e., retrieving/fetching data from a data table). It works by creating a special list of all the values in a specific column of a table, along with the locations of the rows where those values appear. Learn More...

Data Sync

This functionality makes it safer and easier for Org.admins to import data automatically into the Quixy database from 3rd party databases at regular intervals. With API calls and authentication, this functionality assures data confidentiality and credibility.

Typically this functionality can be used in transactional processes (such as Employee data sync). On the one hand, data is collected on an ongoing basis, and on the other, you can set up a daily, weekly, or monthly schedule for the collected data to be automatically synced into Quixy database. Learn More...

Manage a data table

You can view a data table.
You can edit a data table.
You can copy a data table.
You can delete a data table.

Here are some best practices that you need to follow while creating the data tables to get the best experience while using this feature.