Dictionaries

In many large organizations, data is stored in a variety of places. It may be in different databases, on different servers, and so forth. IS departments often use naming schemes for tables and fields that are logical and predictable, but the names assigned may seem cryptic to non-technical staff. Enabling staff to create reports themselves in such an environment can create extensive training and support problems and possibly compromise data integrity. Dictionaries provide a solution to these problems. They allow you to provide your staff with ready access to the data in a form that they can understand, but they also allow you to maintain complete control and security over your data resources.

A dictionary is a structured, simplified, and secure view of organizational data that you can create for some or all of the users in your organization.

A dictionary is an optional metalayer that you can place between the user and the data. Using the capabilities of the metalayer you can:

• design a single, dynamic view of all the data that is necessary to create organizational reports and queries
• include multiple data sources, tables, and links
• organize the data and rename tables and fields to make it easier for users to understand the content and purpose of the data
• limit access to specific columns of data (for example, letting only executives see the salary column of the employee data files)
• place restriction formulas on specific rows of data (for example, allowing managers to view employee information only for those employees with a salary under $40,000)
• create complex data manipulation formulas that users can access without the need to understand formula concepts.

Dictionaries reduce support cost and time, increase user productivity, and enable you to add an additional layer of security between the user and the data.

Note:    

• When a dictionary is used to create a report the only data used in the report is data accessed through the dictionary. You cannot use a dictionary and some other data source in the same report. Because the dictionary is often used to impose data security, it would breach that security to allow unrestricted data access in a dictionary report.
• A subreport based on a different data source can be included in a primary report based on a dictionary.
• Dictionaries are an optional metalayer. Seagate Crystal Reports can be used without ever using dictionaries.

See Dictionaries.