There is an action in the Database Configuration application called 'Create extension table'.

What does it do? What are extension tables?

The docs seem to assume that we already know.

#Maximo
#AssetandFacilitiesManagement

You shouldn't really see these actions, but there are some issues where conditions weren't properly applied so this shows up (similar for consultant user flag and such showing up in the User application). This for Maximo Multitenant ONLY and you should ignore/hide the options.

The purpose, just so you're aware, is that in Maximo Multitenant you have many different tenants inside of a single Maximo application. In standard Maximo, if you needed to add a field to WORKORDER for example, you would just add a field to WORKORDER. But because structural changes to the database take the entire environment down (including other tenants) so they had to come up with a different approach. The administrator (not of the tenant, but of the overall system) instead creates an extension table for each object they want users to be able to add attributes too. This extension table has a variety of fields of different data types (ALN, YORN, etc.). When a user adds an attribute, instead of making a structural change to add in a new attribute, Maximo maps that new attribute to an unused field by this tenant in the extension table. So Tenant A, Tenant B, & Tenant C can all be using ALN1 (I forget the column names on the extension table, but it's generic like this) and each one could have different sizes, required vs not, etc. that are managed purely at a metadata level. This allows tenants to "add" attributes without taking down any other tenant.

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Steven Shull
Director of Development
Projetech Inc
Cincinnati OH
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Interesting.  I knew of extension tables from way back where you could never extend the table, so these allowed capturing additional data related to the source table.  Of course, that is no longer required. Learning every day is a good thing.

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Craig Kokay,
Lead Senior Maximo/IoT Consultant
ISW
Sydney, NSW, Australia
Ph: 0411-682-040
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Original Message:
Sent: Wed November 18, 2020 08:21 AM
From: Steven Shull
Subject: Create extension table (database config)

You shouldn't really see these actions, but there are some issues where conditions weren't properly applied so this shows up (similar for consultant user flag and such showing up in the User application). This for Maximo Multitenant ONLY and you should ignore/hide the options.

The purpose, just so you're aware, is that in Maximo Multitenant you have many different tenants inside of a single Maximo application. In standard Maximo, if you needed to add a field to WORKORDER for example, you would just add a field to WORKORDER. But because structural changes to the database take the entire environment down (including other tenants) so they had to come up with a different approach. The administrator (not of the tenant, but of the overall system) instead creates an extension table for each object they want users to be able to add attributes too. This extension table has a variety of fields of different data types (ALN, YORN, etc.). When a user adds an attribute, instead of making a structural change to add in a new attribute, Maximo maps that new attribute to an unused field by this tenant in the extension table. So Tenant A, Tenant B, & Tenant C can all be using ALN1 (I forget the column names on the extension table, but it's generic like this) and each one could have different sizes, required vs not, etc. that are managed purely at a metadata level. This allows tenants to "add" attributes without taking down any other tenant.

------------------------------
Steven Shull
Director of Development
Projetech Inc
Cincinnati OH
------------------------------

Assuming you're not working in a Multi-Tenant environment, the fact that you're seeing the "Create Extension Table" option is a bug.  I have submitted a case to IBM to report it.

The ApplicationAuth records for that option in a MaxDemo environment have the ConditionNum = "MTONLY".  That condition references a class that is supposed to determine whether or not the environment is "Multi-Tenant" but it isn't working so the option is showing up in non-Multi-Tenant environments.  If you do click on that option after selecting an object (e.g. - ACTCI), you will get an error saying:

BMXAA8682I - The extension table was not created for the object ACTCI.
BMXAA8691E - An extension table cannot be created for the table ACTCI. To diagnose the problem, check the system log file.

If you look at the system log file, you will see a message saying "Can only create extension tables in Multi-Tenant Systems.".

You can work around the issue by doing the following:

1. Go to Security / Security Groups.
2. Click on Advanced Search.
3. On the "More Search Fields" dialog, enter "EXTTABLE" in the "Option" field and hit "Find" to bring up all Security Groups that have this option.
4. Click on the first Group and then click on the "Applications" tab.
5. Toggle the Filter Row in the top table, type "Database Configuration" in the "Description" column, and click ENTER.
6. Toggle the Filter Row in the bottom table, type " Create Extension Table" in the "Description" column, and click ENTER.
7. Uncheck the "Grant Access?" checkbox for the "Create Extension Table" option, and SAVE.
8. Click the toolbar icon for "Next Group".
9. Uncheck the "Grant Access?" checkbox for the "Create Extension Table" option, and SAVE.
10. Repeat Steps 8 & 9 for all Security Groups.
11. Go To System Configuration / Platform Configuration / Application Designer.
12. Type "Configur" in the "Application" column of the Filter Row and click ENTER.
13. Click on the "Configur".
14. On the "Workspace" tab, select "Add/Modify Signature Options" from the "Select Action" menu.
15. On the "Add/Modify Signature Options" dialog, toggle the Filter Row, enter "EXTTABLE" in the "Option" column, and click ENTER.
16. Toggle the Details, uncheck the "Visible?" checkbox, click "OK", and SAVE.
17. Sign out and back in.

While the "Create Extension Table" would stop displaying if you sign out and back in after Step 10, unchecking the "Visible?" checkbox will prevent that option from appearing in the bottom table of the "Applications" tab in the "Security Groups" application and prevent someone from accidentally granting access to that option by checking the "Grant Access?" checkbox for it or by clicking the "Grant Listed Options for This Application" push-button.


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Julio Hernandez
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Just a FYI only, may help with you case, I reported the issue a while ago because you could actually create an extension table in earlier 7.6 versions. They created that as APAR IV91154 IV91154: USERS CAN CREATE EXTENSION TABLES IN A NON MULTITENANT ENVIRONMENTS WITH NO SIG OPTION TO CONTROL THIS ACTION. (ibm.com)

Before that there weren't even sigoptions. Now that there is the possibility to control it, I'm not sure that they'd provide additional fixes to this but may document it as a technote of the SQL to execute to remove it.

------------------------------
Steven Shull
Director of Development
Projetech Inc
Cincinnati OH
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: Thu November 19, 2020 02:06 PM
From: Julio Hernandez
Subject: Create extension table (database config)

Assuming you're not working in a Multi-Tenant environment, the fact that you're seeing the "Create Extension Table" option is a bug.  I have submitted a case to IBM to report it.

The ApplicationAuth records for that option in a MaxDemo environment have the ConditionNum = "MTONLY".  That condition references a class that is supposed to determine whether or not the environment is "Multi-Tenant" but it isn't working so the option is showing up in non-Multi-Tenant environments.  If you do click on that option after selecting an object (e.g. - ACTCI), you will get an error saying:

BMXAA8682I - The extension table was not created for the object ACTCI.
BMXAA8691E - An extension table cannot be created for the table ACTCI. To diagnose the problem, check the system log file.

If you look at the system log file, you will see a message saying "Can only create extension tables in Multi-Tenant Systems.".

You can work around the issue by doing the following:

1. Go to Security / Security Groups.
2. Click on Advanced Search.
3. On the "More Search Fields" dialog, enter "EXTTABLE" in the "Option" field and hit "Find" to bring up all Security Groups that have this option.
4. Click on the first Group and then click on the "Applications" tab.
5. Toggle the Filter Row in the top table, type "Database Configuration" in the "Description" column, and click ENTER.
6. Toggle the Filter Row in the bottom table, type " Create Extension Table" in the "Description" column, and click ENTER.
7. Uncheck the "Grant Access?" checkbox for the "Create Extension Table" option, and SAVE.
8. Click the toolbar icon for "Next Group".
9. Uncheck the "Grant Access?" checkbox for the "Create Extension Table" option, and SAVE.
10. Repeat Steps 8 & 9 for all Security Groups.
11. Go To System Configuration / Platform Configuration / Application Designer.
12. Type "Configur" in the "Application" column of the Filter Row and click ENTER.
13. Click on the "Configur".
14. On the "Workspace" tab, select "Add/Modify Signature Options" from the "Select Action" menu.
15. On the "Add/Modify Signature Options" dialog, toggle the Filter Row, enter "EXTTABLE" in the "Option" column, and click ENTER.
16. Toggle the Details, uncheck the "Visible?" checkbox, click "OK", and SAVE.
17. Sign out and back in.

While the "Create Extension Table" would stop displaying if you sign out and back in after Step 10, unchecking the "Visible?" checkbox will prevent that option from appearing in the bottom table of the "Applications" tab in the "Security Groups" application and prevent someone from accidentally granting access to that option by checking the "Grant Access?" checkbox for it or by clicking the "Grant Listed Options for This Application" push-button.


------------------------------
Julio Hernandez
------------------------------

Thanks Julio. And you are correct, I am not working in a Multi-Tenant environment.
Original Message:
Sent: Thu November 19, 2020 02:06 PM
From: Julio Hernandez
Subject: Create extension table (database config)

Assuming you're not working in a Multi-Tenant environment, the fact that you're seeing the "Create Extension Table" option is a bug.  I have submitted a case to IBM to report it.

The ApplicationAuth records for that option in a MaxDemo environment have the ConditionNum = "MTONLY".  That condition references a class that is supposed to determine whether or not the environment is "Multi-Tenant" but it isn't working so the option is showing up in non-Multi-Tenant environments.  If you do click on that option after selecting an object (e.g. - ACTCI), you will get an error saying:

BMXAA8682I - The extension table was not created for the object ACTCI.
BMXAA8691E - An extension table cannot be created for the table ACTCI. To diagnose the problem, check the system log file.

If you look at the system log file, you will see a message saying "Can only create extension tables in Multi-Tenant Systems.".

You can work around the issue by doing the following:

1. Go to Security / Security Groups.
2. Click on Advanced Search.
3. On the "More Search Fields" dialog, enter "EXTTABLE" in the "Option" field and hit "Find" to bring up all Security Groups that have this option.
4. Click on the first Group and then click on the "Applications" tab.
5. Toggle the Filter Row in the top table, type "Database Configuration" in the "Description" column, and click ENTER.
6. Toggle the Filter Row in the bottom table, type " Create Extension Table" in the "Description" column, and click ENTER.
7. Uncheck the "Grant Access?" checkbox for the "Create Extension Table" option, and SAVE.
8. Click the toolbar icon for "Next Group".
9. Uncheck the "Grant Access?" checkbox for the "Create Extension Table" option, and SAVE.
10. Repeat Steps 8 & 9 for all Security Groups.
11. Go To System Configuration / Platform Configuration / Application Designer.
12. Type "Configur" in the "Application" column of the Filter Row and click ENTER.
13. Click on the "Configur".
14. On the "Workspace" tab, select "Add/Modify Signature Options" from the "Select Action" menu.
15. On the "Add/Modify Signature Options" dialog, toggle the Filter Row, enter "EXTTABLE" in the "Option" column, and click ENTER.
16. Toggle the Details, uncheck the "Visible?" checkbox, click "OK", and SAVE.
17. Sign out and back in.

While the "Create Extension Table" would stop displaying if you sign out and back in after Step 10, unchecking the "Visible?" checkbox will prevent that option from appearing in the bottom table of the "Applications" tab in the "Security Groups" application and prevent someone from accidentally granting access to that option by checking the "Grant Access?" checkbox for it or by clicking the "Grant Listed Options for This Application" push-button.


------------------------------
Julio Hernandez
------------------------------