The Properties tab displays each of the fields within the object and the specific attributes associated with those fields. Properties are defined initially from their SQL tables or views. Properties are attributes of the object (such as Contact.LastName). The Properties section lets you add, remove, and edit property values and their characteristics. The initial property entries that correspond to database columns are typically generated from the Database page.
By default, the BOD Properties tab is found in the following location:
■ Tools > Business object designer, then from the toolbar choose New > Design Business Definition (or select an existing object, then from the toolbar choose Edit), then select the Properties tab.
Properties
■ Property Name - The name of the property. Caution! Do not use SQL Server reserved keywords as property names.
■ Data Type - A drop down list of available data types for the property. The choice here yields the data type of the property on the object and in the database if the property is to be stored in the database.
■ Length - Only shown if Data Type is one that can have a variable length (e.g., String, Numeric). It is the maximum length of the data allowed in the property. Also is the length of the data in the column in the database if the property is to be stored in the database and is the maximum length of the data input field for properties that show in the UI and have maximum length as a parameter (e.g., Text Box).
■ Scale - Only shown if Data Type is numeric. It is the number of digits to the right of the decimal point.
■ Key - If checked, the property is part of the Primary Key of the object and of the database table if the property is stored in the database.
■ Required - If checked, the property must be set before the object can be save/used. Also marks the corresponding database column as NOT NULL if the property is stored in the database
■ X - Deletes the property from the object and, if the property is stored in the database, removes the column from the database table after a warning.