Add a New Synonym Value

SYNONYM domains are restricted. You cannot add new SYNONYM domains. You can add new synonym values.

An example of a SYNONYM domain is work order status. The system has several values to reflect status: APPR (Approved), CAN (Canceled), CLOSE (Closed), COMP (Completed), WAPPR (Waiting on Approval), and others. Each work order status has an internal value, used by the system in its business rules, and a value that users see and choose from. You cannot add a new internal value. You can add a synonym, the value presented to the user. For example, suppose your company procedure requires two people to approve a work order. You could add synonym values for the internal WAPPR value. You could then present two different values to the user, for example, WAPPRMAN and WAPPRVP, to represent approvals at the manager and vice president level.

To add a new synonym value:

  1. Open the Domains (SP) application.

  2. Find the SYNONYM domain for which you want to add a synonym value, for example WOSTATUS.

  3. Click Edit Detail to open the SYNONYM Domain dialog box. In the Synonym Domain table window, you see the set of current values: the "Internal Value" is used by the system and must be unique. The "Value" and its Description are what users see.

  4. Click New Row.

  5. In the Internal Value field, enter the internal value for which you want a synonym.

For example, in the WOSTATUS domain, if you want to create a synonym for WAPPR called WAIT, you would enter the internal value WAPPR.

  1. In the Value field, enter the synonym value you want a user to see. For example, WAIT.

  2. In the Description field, describe the synonym so as to differentiate it from the existing value.

  3. In the Default? field, select the check box if you want the system to use the new synonym value by default. Each internal value can have only one default synonym value.

For example, the system inserts WAPPR (Waiting for Approval) as the status when you create a new work order. You add a synonym value, WAIT. If you want the system to insert WAIT instead of WAPPR, then make WAIT the default.

  1. The system by default applies domains at the system level. If you want a domain value to apply to a specific organization or site, enter the relevant values in the Organization and Site fields.

Notes:

Either leave the Organization and/or Site fields empty for all values (users in all organizations and sites can access them) or specify organization and/or site for all values (only users in the specified organizations and/or sites can access them).          

If you create a synonym value and specify a site or organization, and then click OK, the system automatically inserts duplicate rows for the other values. The duplicate rows have the site or organization you specified for the new value you created. For example, the MRTYPE domain has three values: RECURRING, STANDARD, and TRANSFER (each with an internal value of the same name). If you create a new synonym value, REGULAR, with the internal value of STANDARD and specify Organization B, the system automatically creates (when you click OK) the additional synonym values RECURRING and TRANSFER with Organization B specified.

After you have implemented the system and inserted records, you generally should not add a synonym value with a site or organization specified. This can invalidate existing data. If you must add a synonym value with a site or organization specified, then make sure also to add synonym values for all the existing values that are in the database. To extend the example in the preceding note, if you added a synonym value for STANDARD with an organization or site specified, you must also add synonym values for RECURRING and TRANSFER (if they have been used on records) with the same organization or site specified.

  1. In the Customer field, select a customer value to associate the domain with a customer and restrict use of the domain to objects that are associated with the same customer.

    Notes:

If you create a synonym value and specify a customer and then click OK, the system automatically inserts duplicate rows for the other values. The duplicate rows have the customer that you specified for the new value you created.

After you have implemented the system and inserted records, you generally should not add a synonym value with a customer specified. This can invalidate existing data. If you must add a synonym value with a customer, then make sure also to add synonym values for all the existing values that are in the database.

  1. Click New Row to add more synonyms and repeat steps 4 through 10, or click Close Details .

  2. Click OK.

See Also

Domains (SP) application