Domain vs. Check Table

[Former Member]

I am a functional person but came across the topic of domains vs. check tables when discussing the addition of additional customer fields into ECC. What is the difference between these two and when should either be used?

[ThomasZloch]

Domain values: key and description only, not too many values, values change very rarely if at all.

For anything else use check tables.

Thomas

[Former Member]

Hi,

Domain describes the Technical Properties of a field, such as Data type you can maintain values.

Check table is nothing but foreign key relationship.

Regards,

Sathish

Edited by: sathish on Feb 23, 2009 7:47 PM

[Former Member]

Hi,

Domain and Check table are completly different.

Domain is used to tell the technical attributes of a field for example VBELN holds only character of length 10. You can also specify the output length. Also conversions can be done like changing the external material number into internal format and so on. you can also define the value table for it.

Check table are used for Foriegn Key Relationships and to check if a valid entry is inserted into the table. For Example when you create a Sales Order or a Purchase Order you enter Material Number. The Material you have entered has to checked if it is available or not in MARA and then allow you to create the respective Orders. Here check table are used.

Hope this migh thave cleared your question.

Thanks,

Prashanth

[Former Member]

Hi,

When we create a domain we will assign value table for purticular validations.

when we define foriegn key we give reference table for a value called as check table.

Regards,

jaya

[Former Member]

Domain Values, refer to all the possible values that the particular domain can take. These values will be taken up from a table, that will be specified in the 'value table' field during the domain definition.

Check Table, refers to the foriegn key table that is associated with the corresponding table field.

Foriegn Key table, is the table with which any value being entered for the corresponding field, is checked. If this value is found in this table only then is it added/changed in the database table.

They are primarily used to restrict values on a field.

Example. If there is a Domain zemp_numb, which is used to store the employee numbers.

The Value table for this table - znumbers, has values defined from 1 to 9999.

If this domain is used in a table field, then the first filter is set the domain value, by restricting on the values present in znumbers ie 1 - 9999.

Additonally, if a foriegn key relationship is specified, then the values are futher restricted, to those present in the this table.

if the check table is say zemp_num having number only from 1 to 100. Then the field for which this is a check table can take values only from 1 to 100 and not from 1 too 9999.