Using decision table locking facilities

You can apply a variety of locks to protect your decision tables against unintentional changes.

About this task

Decision tables have locking facilities that allow you to protect your decision tables against unintentional changes. For both condition columns and action columns, you can lock the structure, data, or both.

Locks can be scoped to specific columns, or to a whole decision table.

Procedure

  1. Right-click any column header in your decision table, and then click Table Properties.
    The Table Properties editor opens.Screenshot of the decision table properties view
  2. Choose which locks you want to apply:
    Enforce locking rules on this table
    The default is off to allow you to edit your decision table and lock rules. This option must be set to on if you want the locks you have defined to apply.
    Note: If on, locks cannot be edited anymore.
    Show lock icons in columns
    If on, the lock icon is displayed on any locked condition and action columns.
    Prevent addition and removal of columns
    Prevents condition or action columns from being added or deleted.
  3. In the Condition columns section, select any of the following locks:
    Lock test
    The test expression associated with the condition column cannot be changed. Note that cell content, including cell-specific test operators, can still be changed.
    Lock partitions

    Partition items cannot be added to or removed from the selected condition column. The values of existing partition items can still be changed, but no rows can be added to or removed from this column.

    Locking partitions locks partitions in all preceding columns because adding a new partition item to a previous column can create a new row in the locked column.

    For more information about partitioning, see Rows and cells.

    Lock values
    The values of existing partition items or the cell operator cannot be changed.
  4. In the Action columns section, select any of the following locks:
    Lock action
    The expression associated with the column cannot be changed.
    Lock status

    The status of the action cell cannot be changed. The action status specifies whether an action is enabled or disabled.

    For more information about enabling and disabling action cells, see Cells.

    Lock values
    The values in the action cell of the selected column cannot be changed.
  5. Click OK to apply your selections.