CaseView database

The CaseView database enables you to write data that is specific to your organization and retrieve it in any CaseView document that is associated with a Working Papers file. It is located in Working Papers with other database information in the client directory.

The CaseView database stores two data types:

  • Global cell data: Unique ID records, including existing CaseView database records that were converted from previous Working Papers versions.
  • Form cell data: Unique GROUP+FORM+ID records (all required), stored as a hierarchy in the given order.

The database stores cell data in the following order:

Identifier Description
GROUP (Form cell data only)

The top level identifier for cell data.
FORM (Form cell data only) The second level identifier for cell data.
ID The identifier that stores and retrieves cell data from the CaseView database. In a form data cell this is the third level identifier.
TYPE

The data type, which can have the following values:

  • Numeric (N)
  • Date (D)
  • Character data less than 61-characters (C)
  • Character data more than 60-characters (M)
  • Popup data less than 61-characters (P)
  • Popup data more than 60-characters (Q)
DATA The field for simple types and short (60-characters or less) character data.
MEM

The field for long (61-characters or more) character data.

When a cell in the database is updated, all references to that cell are automatically updated in applicable CaseView documents.

To write data to the CaseView database:

  1. Create a new cell, or double-click on an existing cell to open the Edit Cell dialog.
  2. On the General tab in the Calculation Properties group, select External Data Access.
  3. Click the External Data tab.
  4. Select the data type from the drop-down menu. If you select a form cell data type, ensure that you first define groups, forms and IDs for all information. If you select a data type for a system database, ensure that you first create the database.
  5. Complete the applicable fields based on your cell data type. Click OK.

Cell data is written to the CaseView database.

To retrieve data from the CaseView database:

  1. Create a new cell, or double-click on an existing cell to open the Edit Cell dialog.

  2. On the General tab in the Calculation Properties group, complete the calculation field by entering the CVDATA function and calling the identifier of the data that you want to retrieve.

    For example, to retrieve data with the identifier ALPHACELL, enter CVDATA("ALPHACELL"). Note that form cell data requires GROUP, FORM and ID identifiers in that order (e.g. CVDATA("GROUP","FORM","ID")).

    Click OK.

Cell data is retrieved from the CaseView database. Note that data retrieved using the CVDATA function is display-only. If you designate the cell as an input cell, overwriting the cell value will not change the value in the CaseView database.