<p>A <strong>view</strong> is a stored query accessible as a virtual table composed of the result set of queries. Unlike ordinary tables (base tables) in a relational database, a view is not part of the physical schema: it is a dynamic, virtual table computed or collated from data in the database. Changing the data in a table alters the data shown in the view. The result of a view is stored in a permanent table whereas the result of a query is displayed in a temporary table.</p>
<p>Views can provide advantages over tables:</p>
<ul>
<li>Views can segment the data contained in a table<br /></li>
<li>They can join and simplify multiple tables into a single virtual table <br /></li>
<li>Views can act as aggregated tables, where aggregated data (sum, average etc.) are calculated and presented as part of the data <br /></li>
<li>Views take very little space to store; only the definition is stored, not a copy of all the data they present <br /></li>
<li>Views can limit the exposure to which a table or tables are exposed to the outer world </li>
</ul>
<br /><br />Follow these steps to create a <strong>View</strong><br /><ol>
<li>Select the <strong>Views</strong> tab from the primary toolbar. <br /></li>
<li>Select <strong>New</strong> from the secondary toolbar.<br /></li>
<li>Fill-in the <strong>Name</strong>.<br /></li>
<li>Fill-in the <strong>Description</strong> (optional)<br /></li>
<li>In the <strong>Unassociated Tables </strong>box,select the <strong>tables, </strong> click the <strong>right arrow</strong> to move to the <strong>Associated Tables</strong><br /></li>
<li>Click on <strong>Submit</strong>.<br /></li>
<li>Click on <strong>Columns</strong>.<br /></li>
<li>In the <strong>TableColumns</strong> box, select a field name<br /></li>
<li>Fill-in Alias name to display on the view (if left blank the TableColumn field name will be displayed.<br /></li>
<li>Click on <strong>Add</strong>.<br /></li>
<li>Click on <strong>Submit</strong>. <br /></li>
<li>Select <strong>Joins</strong>, to establish the relationship between the tables selected.<br /></li>
<li>In the <strong>LeftTableColumn </strong>box, select the field that points references the look-up table.<br /></li>
<li>In the <strong>RightTableColumn</strong> box, select a field that is the RID column of the referenced table.<br /></li>
<li>Click on <strong>Submit</strong>.<br /></li>
<li>Select <strong>Close</strong>.<br /></li>
<li>Let’s open the View, we just created.<br /></li>
<li>Highlight the name of the <strong>View</strong> you created.<br /></li>
<li>Click on <strong>Open</strong><br /></li>
<li>Now you will see a view of the information. </li>
</ol><br /><br />To view a Training Video on Creating a View, click the link below:<br /><a target="target" href="captivate/createview-800x600.swf"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="color: #810081;">Creating a View</span></span></a>