Descriptions
Every object in the Dataedo repository has a description field. Descriptions help you to keep track of any additional information and context surrounding metadata gathered in your catalog,
Text descriptions
Dataedo offers two types of descriptions: rich text and plain text. Plain text description accept only text (although hyperlinks will be automatically detected and displayed as clickable links). With rich text, you can use text, hyperlinks, photos, and quote and code blocks. You can also perform basic text formatting.
Objects that have plain text descriptions are:
- Columns
- Parameters
- Triggers
- Keys
- Relationships
Some of the objects that support rich text descriptions are:
- Tables, views, structures
- Stored procedures, functions
- Glossaries
- Terms
- Products
- Databases
Adding descriptions
To add a description in Portal, simply open an object and navigate to its About section. If no description has been added yet, you will see an Add description button there. Click on it to open the description editor. If a description has been previously added, you can simply click on it, to open the editor.
Portal descriptions
In desktop, you can add descriptions after opening an object.
For objects with rich text descriptions, the description field will be located at the bottom of the object's view. You can click on it to start editing. and clicking the relevant cell in the description column.
Plain-text supporting objects' description can be edited by navigating to that object's view (eg columns tab in a table object), and clicking the relevant cell in its Description column.
Desktop descriptions
Description suggestions
This is a desktop-exclusive feature
Dataedo suggests texts for column descriptions, titles, or text custom fields based on texts from other columns.
When suggestions are available, the text field will have a blue marker in its right upper corner:
To show a list of suggestions:
- Right-click on the field or
- While in the field press Shift + F2
This will open a context menu where suggestions will be in the block on top of the menu.
To use a suggestion:
- Click it or
- Select it with arrow keys and confirm with the enter key
The suggestion list includes suggestions with their number of occurrences.
Suggestions are displayed for empty and non-empty fields. Dataedo doesn't suggest text that is already entered in the field.
Enable suggestions
Suggestions are enabled by default. If disabled, you can turn this feature on by clicking the following button which can be found in the toolbar:
Disable suggestions
Finding suggestions for each field in the form may use your repository server resources and for large repositories take significant time. You can always switch off suggestions with the same button:
