Using the column menu
You can change the columns that define the conditions and actions for business rules in
decision tables.
A decision table contains a group of similar rules that use different conditions and actions. Each row in a table forms a rule, and each column in a decision table represents a condition or an action. With the decision table editor, you can add or remove columns through the column menu, and change the constraints that are applied by each column. When you add or remove a column, you change the rule statement that is used by all the rules in the table.
To open the column menu, right-click the header cell of the column that you want to change.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| Define Column | Opens a rule editor to change the condition of the column. The rule editor includes a completion menu for building rule statements, and error checking that highlights errors in red and lists them at the end of the editing area. |
| Format column | Opens an editor to set the formatting options for displaying values in a column (dates, numbers, and so on). You can select the format from the drop-down list options, and optionally edit the # symbols to personalize the format. |
| Check Gap | Looks for gaps between values in the cells of condition columns. |
| Check Overlap | Looks for overlapping values in the cells of condition columns. |
| Cut | Cuts a selected column. You can paste the column to another location. |
| Copy | Copies a selected column. You can paste the copy of the column to another location. |
| Paste | Pastes a copied or cut column to a selected location. |
| Insert Column | Inserts a condition or action column, depending on the current selection. |
| Delete | Removes the selected column and its part of the rule statement in the decision table. Deleting a column can disable a decision table. |
| Clear | Deletes the contents of the cells in the column. |