7.6

1. Choose Tools | Open Active Data.
2. In the Data Selector, locate the Emulation box and select Database.
3. Click the Database Emulation Configuration button.
4. Associate a database with the document.
Microsoft Access Database or dBase file
Database: Enter the path of the Microsoft Access database or dBase file, or click the Browse button to the right of the
box to navigate to, the database file. Recall that a Microsoft Access database file bears the extension .mdb, and a
dBase file bears the extension .dbf. If the file is a dBase file, you must specify the folder that contains the .dbf file. The
folder in this case is considered to be the database, and the individual .dbf file a table in the database. Once you enter
the path, the Table/query name box updates to reflect the tables and queries available in the selected database.
ODBC Data Source
ODBC Data Source: Click to connect to an ODBC Data Source. Use the Select Data Source dialog box that appears to
select an existing Data Source or set up a new one. When you exit the Select Data Source dialog box, the Database box
updates to display the connection string it uses to connect to the database, and the Table/query name box updates to
reflect the tables and queries available in the selected database.
5. Click Edit SQL to create the SQL query by hand to define the SQL query that retrieves the data your document
requires.
6. Set the properties that define a record set.
Condition: Select the condition that signals the end of a record set. Three possibilities exist: create a new record set
for each record, create a new record set after every x records, or create a new record set when the value of a specific
field changes.
Sort on condition field: Select this if the condition you set is to create a new record set when the value of a specific
field changes, and you want to sort the records before applying that condition.
Maximum records per record set: Set either the number of records in each record set, or the maximum number
of records in a record set. An individual record set can contain a maximum of 4000 records.
7. Set the number of records you want to include in the sample data file. The number of records you set should provide a
reliable sample to ensure your document executes properly with any of the data it may encounter at runtime.
All: Select to include all records in the database in the sample data file.
Records: Select to define the range of records you want to include in the sample data file. Use the box that
To enter an SQL query:
1. In the Database Connection dialog box, click Edit SQL.
2. If necessary, click Show Tables to display, in the Tables area, a list of the tables available in the database.
3. In the SQL Query Entry area, enter the SQL query. The following two sample queries both retrieve all the fields in
the Orders table. The second sorts the resulting records on the Date field.
4. Click Test SQL to verify the query you entered is a valid SQL query.
5. Define whether you want PlanetPress Design to automatically enclose table names and field names in square brackets.
Alternate syntax(not recommended): Select to prevent PlanetPress Design from automatically enclosing the
names of any database tables and fields that appear in the SQL query in square brackets when it exits the advanced
SQL Statement dialog box.
6. Client side cursor: Select to download result sets to client computer running the SQL query.
7. Click OK to return to the Database Connection dialog box.
Export or Import a Database Emulation Configuration
You use the export and import procedures when you intend to use the same configuration in several documents. You also
export a database emulation configuration when you intend to execute the document in PlanetPress Workflow Tools, and want
to simplify the process of configuring the database plug-in.
The exported configuration file is in XML format and bears the file name extension .cfg.
To export a database emulation configuration:
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