IBM Database Tables

You can use the IBM^® Database Add-Ins for Visual Studio to create database tables. Tables are logical structures that consist of columns and rows. The rows might not be ordered in a table (order is determined by the application program). At the intersection of every column and row is a specific data item called a value.

A column is a set of values of the same type or one of its subtypes. A row is a sequence of values such that the nth value is a value of the nth column of the table.

You create a base table with the CREATE TABLE statement. A base table holds persistent data. Views, procedures, and functions (DB2, IDS) can perform queries or operations on base tables that exist in a database.

In the Server Explorer, you can view a list of tables that are in the database by using the filter that you specified in the data connection.

The IBM^® Database Add-Ins for Visual Studio provide three approaches for creating an IBM database table in Visual Studio:

The IBM Table Designer, where you can define all of the information for the table, including keys, indexes (DB2, IDS), triggers (DB2, IDS), check constraints, and access privileges (DB2, IDS), and then create the table in the database.
The Visual Studio Code Editor, where you can manually write the script for the table.

To develop an IBM database table in Visual Studio:

Create a table by using one of the following tools:
- IBM Table Designer
- Visual Studio Code Editor
If you used the editor to create the table from the Solution Explorer, build the table on a database server.
Retrieve data from the table to view a sample of the contents.
Change the table definition or edit the source code of the table, as appropriate.
If you edited the source code of the table, rebuild the table on the database server.
Retrieve data from the table again.

See Also