Customize Column Headers in Database View Results

So maybe you had to create a database view or you had to generate some reporting from a database view that was created by someone else. Regardless of the situation, we all have been in a situation where perhaps the data being displayed could be better represented. Column headers are an important factor in understanding what you are looking at. If you have ever wanted to change and make a column header more descriptive, then this is the Blog for you.

In this blog, we are going to show you how you can create Labels(column header), build Relationships to present a Related List on a form, and update a database view with better column headers in the results.

We have all seen something like this below and then a conversation like below, follows:

"What is String value, why are there three of them? Could you change the column header to be more descriptive, easier to understand what we are looking at?"

There are plenty of examples that we can think of where we needed to change the column header to something that either looked better or made more sense.

The secret to relabeling the fields in a database view is to take advantage of the Field Label functionality. We can create a Field Label directly against the Documentation [sys_documentation] table and we can create a relationship between the Database View [sys_db_view] table and the Field Label [sys_documentation] table, utilizing the Relationship functionality.

• You will need the personalize_dictionary or admin role to create a Field Label on the [sys_documention] table.
• You will need the admin role to create a Relationship
• The admin role is needed to create or edit a Database view.

1. In the Filter Navigator, type in sys_documentation.list
2. Click New
3. Table: Service Desk Survey Normalization
   **This is the database view**
4. Label: Response Time Satisfaction
   **This is what you want the label to display as the column header**
5. Element: quest3_string_value
   **This will be the column in the database view that you are creating a label for**
6. Hint: How satisfied were you with the response time to your incident?
   **This is the actual value that is being called in the view, this will display on hover over**
7. Click Submit

1. Search for System Definitions > Relationships in the Filter Navigator
2. Click New
3. Name: Field Labels
4. In the dropdown for Applies to table, select Database view [sys_db_view]
5. In the Queries from table, select Documentation [sys_documentation]
6. In the Query with, apply this line of code:
   
   current.addQuery('name', parent.getValue('name'));
   
   
7. Click Submit

References:

Configuring the form layout
Creating a Relationship

Now that we have created a Documentation label and also created a Relationship that will give us a Related List on our database form, let's go to our database view and see what has happened.

1. Search for Database view in the Filter Navigator
2. Select your database view and open it
3. Notice that our Field Label related list is not on the form
4. We need to add it, right-click on the top gray banner and select Configure > Related List
5. Select Field Labels in the Available list and move it over to Selected
6. Click Save

Notice that we have a new tab called Field Labels. We should also see the Label that we created earlier directly on the Documentation table, already there.

Go into your Database view and click on the Field Labels tab:

1. Click New
2. Name: Technical Competency
   **We are giving our a label a condensed name base doff of the question be asked in the survey we are referencing in our database view. You can, of course, make it as long as you would like, but condensing if long is recommended.**
3. Plural: Technical Competency s
4. Element: quest2_string_value
   **This is what you want the label to display as the column header**
5. Hint: Question: Please rate the technical competency of the technician serving you
   **This is the actual value that is being called in the view, this will display on hover over**

 Follow the above steps again and add one more Field Lable to the Database view:

1. Click New
2. Name: First Call Resolution 
   **We are giving our a label a condensed name base doff of the question be asked in the survey we are referencing in our database view. You can, of course, make it as long as you would like, but condensing if long is recommended.**
3. Plural: First Call Resolutions
4. Element: quest1_string_value 
   **This is what you want the label to display as the column header**
5. Hint: Question: Was technician able to resolve your issue during the first call?
   **This is the actual value that is being called in the view, this will display on hover over**

Database Views:

• Database views
• Create a database view
• Add a table to the database view

Documentation/Relationship/Related Lists:

• Configure Form layout
• Create defined related lists
• Field label table