Using Data Tables

Data tables store information that you can use across all the different workflows in your AUTTO account. This key feature allows data management capabilities to be integrated in your workflows, allowing them to be updated by information created by other workflows or used as 'reference' tables.

This article discusses how to use data tables with your workflows.

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Understanding Data Tables
  • What Actions to Use with Data Tables
  • Traditional Database Concepts
  • Record IDs, Unique IDs, and Data Table Concepts in AUTTO
  • Applying Data Table Concepts
  • Table Column Types
• Table Data Types
• Managing Records in Data Tables
  
  • To Add a Record to a Data Table
  • To Edit a Record in a Data Table
  • To Delete a Record from a Data Table
  • To Clear All Data from a Table
• Related Articles

Introduction

This article covers data table concepts, including adding/editing data in tables, in AUTTO.

If you are looking for information on managing data tables, e.g. creating, editing, and deleting data tables, see Managing Data Tables.

For information on importing data into and exporting data out of data tables, see Importing and Exporting Data.

Although not required, a basic understanding of database concepts may prove useful when working with data tables.

Understanding Data Tables

There are two types of tables for storing information in AUTTO:

1. Data tables are permanently available across all your different workflows. The names of these tables begin with an exclamation mark  ( ! )  for easy identification.
2. Temporary tables that store data for use in a workflow while it is running. Once the workflow is complete, the data is not available any more for use anywhere in AUTTO.

NOTE: This article is concerned with data tables and will not discuss temporary tables, which are covered elsewhere in the KB.

After setting up and adding records to a data table, you can call records from the table and use it in your workflows through the table's and table columns' square brackets.

You can use data tables in Actions through their square brackets. You can define which column in a table to get data from, and you can display records from these tables in your workflows.

What Actions to Use with Data Tables

There are Actions in AUTTO designed specifically to work with data tables. These are:

• Table Builder: Uses the Condition Editor to filter rows from a data table and produce another table (this Action also works with temporary tables).
• Lookup: Allows looking up table rows and setting aside the information from the lookup into new square brackets for later use in a workflow (this Action also works with temporary tables).
• Update Data Table: Allows adding, updating, and deleting rows in existing data tables (this Action does not work with temporary tables).  This Action enables workflows to automatically add and update information in data tables, in contrast to manually adding information as described below.

You can also use information stored in data tables in API calls set in the Get Data and Send Data actions. These API calls are defined under AUTTO's API Manager, which is accessible via the Main Menu.

Traditional Database Concepts

Traditional database applications comprise two or more tables, with each table having its own primary key, effectively allowing records in one table to be referenced by another table in the database. This referencing is achieved by adding the primary key in one table as a foreign key column in the other table.

For example, consider a database with two tables: a CUSTOMER table that includes all customer data and an ISSUE table that includes all issues raised to customer support. Each unique record in these tables are identifiable through their primary keys, ID in the CUSTOMER table, and ID in the ISSUE table.

Record IDs, Unique IDs, and Data Table Concepts in AUTTO

The above scenario can be replicated in AUTTO by creating two different Data Tables, one for Customers and the other for Issues.

Each row or record in these data tables is uniquely identifiable by its Record ID, which is shown under the Record ID columns in a Table.  These are unique alphanumeric values which AUTTO creates to ensure every line in an AUTTO Data Table has a Unique Key.

Moreover, when setting up Columns in a Data Table, a column within a table can be set up as a Unique ID (UID) constraint. This ensures that the Customer table does not contain duplicate records of the same customer. For example, if an Email column is set up as a UID, the column cannot contain the same e-mail address twice.

Record ID and UID columns are designated by @ symbol prefixes in their square bracket names.

Applying Data Table Concepts

Going further, let's say that we require issues to be referred to a single customer.

In the traditional database scenario, a relationship is established between the CUSTOMER and ISSUE tables by adding the CUSTOMER table's primary key, ID, as a CUSTOMERID foreign key in the ISSUE table. In this scenario, the CUSTOMER table is said to be the parent table, and the ISSUE table is the child table.

We can create a workflow for customer support to handle the above scenario:

1. Add a LookUp Action that allows customer support to look up the customer name using the Customer table as the Lookup table.
2. Present the results of the LookUp action in a Page Action.
3. Insert a Condition Action for when a customer is found and not found. If the customer is not found in the Customer table, proceed to Step 4. Otherwise, skip to Step 5.
4. Add a Form Action where customer support enters the customer's details, after which we add the customer to the Customer table via an Update Data Table Action, then proceed to the next step.
5. Add a Form Action where customer support enters the customer's issue's details, after which we add the issue to the Issue table via an Update Data Table Action.

Table Column Types

Data table columns can be any of the following types:

Name	Type	Description
Text	String	Allows any text input
Yes/No	Boolean	Allows a Yes/No answer
Time	Time	Allows time input
Email	String	Allows input of email addresses
Rich Text	String	Allows input of rich text
Number	Numeric	Allows any numeric input
Date	Date	Allows date input
Value	String	Allows multiple values to be displayed in a list
File	Attachment	Allows file attachments

For more information about creating data tables, see Managing Data Tables.

Managing Records in Data Tables

Once you have completed setting up a data table (see Managing Data Tables), you can already add records to it. You can also import data into the data table using a .XLS/.XLSX file (see Importing and Exporting Data).

To Add a Record to a Data Table

You can manually add new records to a data table.

To add a record to a data table.

1. On your Dashboard, click the Main Menu, then Data Tables.
2. On the Data tables page, select the data table to be edited from the list on the left.
   
   
   
   
3. Navigate to the bottom of the Table Editor and click Add / Edit Data.
   
   
   
   NOTE: If the Add / Edit Data button is disabled, you may have forgotten to complete table setup. In this case, click the Table Setup Complete button to lock the data table, since data can only be inserted in locked data tables.
   
   
4. Enter the required information under the table columns, then click the Add button on the left (under the Action column).
   
   
   
   
5. To add more records, repeat Steps 1-4. Otherwise, click Back to go back to the Table Editor.

NOTE: Each record in a data table has a primary key in the form of a record ID (shown in the @Record ID column), effectively allowing records in the table to be referenced in another table. For more information, see Applying Data Table Concepts .

To Edit a Record in a Data Table

You can manually edit existing records in a data table.

To edit an existing record in a data table:

1. On your Dashboard, click the Main Menu, then Data Tables.
2. On the Data Tables page, select the data table from the list on the left.
3. On the Table Editor, click Add / Edit Data.
4. Filter the list for the record to be edited using the Search bar on the top right, then click the Edit button to the left of the record.
   
   
   
   
5. Make your changes to the record, then click the Check button to the left (under the Action column).
6. To edit more records, repeat Steps 1-5. Otherwise, click the Back button on the top-left to go back to the Table Editor.

To Delete a Record from a Data Table

You can manually delete individual records from a data table.

To delete a record from a data table:

1. On your Dashboard, click the Main Menu, then Data Tables.
2. On the Data tables page, look for the data table you want to delete data from, then click the downward-pointing arrow to its right.
3. On the Table Editor, click Add / Edit Data.
4. Filter the list for the record to be deleted, click the Delete button on the left, and click Yes to confirm the deletion.
   
   
   
   
5. To delete more records, repeat Steps 1-4. Otherwise, click the Back button on the top-left to go back to the Table Editor.

To Clear All Data from a Table

Aside from allowing individual records to be deleted one at a time (see To Delete a Record from a Table), you can clear data from a table all at once.

To delete all records from a data table:

1. On your Dashboard, click the Main Menu, then Data Tables.
2. On the Data tables page, look for the data table you want to add data to, then click the downward-pointing arrow to its right.
3. On the Table Editor, click Add / Edit Data.
4. Click the Clear All Data button on the top right.
5. On the Remove data window, enter your password to confirm removing all existing data from the table, then click Done.
   
   
   
   
6. Click Delete on the message to confirm the operation and delete all records from the table.

Related Articles

• Managing Data Tables
• Importing and Exporting Data
• LookUp
• Table Builder
• Update Data Table