About the extended attribute system tables

PowerBuilder stores application-based information you provide for a database table (such as the text to use for labels and headings for the columns, validation rules, display formats, and edit styles) in system tables in your database. These system tables are called the extended attribute system tables. The tables contain all the information related to the extended attributes for the tables and columns in the database. The extended attributes are used in DataWindow objects.

The system tables

There are five extended attribute system tables.

**Table A-1: List of extended attribute system tables**
Table	Contains information about
PBCatTbl	Tables in the database
PBCatCol	Columns in the database
PBCatFmt	Display formats
PBCatVld	Validation rules
PBCatEdt	Edit styles

What to do with the tables

You can open and look at these tables in the Database painter just like other tables. You might want to create a report of the extended attribute information used in your database by building a DataWindow object whose data source is the extended attribute system tables.

Caution You should not change the values in the extended attribute system tables. PowerBuilder maintains this information automatically whenever you change information for a table or column in the Database painter.