Joining tables using database views

Join tables into a single view and then create a report based on that view.

Use the Database Views module to create a database view that joins tables to create a pseudo-table that combines data from each table in the view. You can create a report on this data by adding the database view as a table in a report. Accessing the database view does not require database access.

1. Create a database view
   Create the database view.
2. Add a table to the database view
   Specify the table to join to the database view.
3. Example left join in creating a database view
   This example shows the proper settings when using left-joins to add tables to a database view.
4. Specify a field to return
   Restrict or specify a field that you want returned by the joined table.
5. Relabel a column
   Sometimes, two different tables may have fields of the same name that are both important (such as two tables with a sys_updated_on field). For clarity, relabel one of the fields.
6. Configuring the number of records to return
   Specify the number of records to return for a database view when the view is used in a script.
7. Test the database view
   Verify that the database view works correctly.

Related concepts

• Displaying function results in a database view
• Using disjunctions in complex queries

Related reference

• Database views in the base system