Manage the Data Model

The Data Model tab in the Plan view is where you define the core structure of your application's data. Each table you define here maps to a database table and record type when you generate objects.

Composer can generate and manage your data model through natural language—creating tables, adding fields, defining relationships, and suggesting updates when your requirements change. You can also manually add or edit tables directly, and map existing record types to tables in your data model to reuse data structures across applications.

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Generate or manage data models with Composer

Use Composer to build your application's data structure using natural language. Instead of manually configuring every table and field, just describe your data structure. Composer acts as a data architect, translating your requirements into a technical schema directly within the Data Model tab.

You can use Composer to perform the following actions:

• Create tables: Describe your requirement to generate a new table and its underlying data source. Composer automatically adds relevant fields based on the table's name. Example: Create a new table for 'Invoice' with fields for amount and vendor.
• Add or modify fields: Specify field or data type changes to update existing tables. Composer identifies the target object and adds the new field or modifies the existing metadata. Example: Add a 'Status' text field to the Invoice table.
• Define relationships: State the business logic to connect different tables. Composer identifies the common fields and automatically configures the table relationship, displaying a connection line in the diagram. Example: Link Customers to Invoices where a customer can have many invoices.

Generate or modify tables

To generate or modify tables using Composer:

1. In the Composer chat pane, enter a business requirement or command. For example: Create an Invoice table or Link Customers to Orders.
2. Click the paper plane icon .
   Your request is translated into technical updates, such as tables or defined field constraints.
3. Review the updated data model diagram to verify that new tables and connectors accurately reflect your intent.
4. Check the tables list to confirm that Composer correctly enforced data integrity.

   Note:  Composer ensures data integrity by enforcing primary keys for unique identification and verifying foreign key relationships before applying structural changes. Result: Composer automatically saves your changes.

5. Continue the conversation to refine field types, constraints, or relationships as needed.
6. Once your structure is ready, click START BUILDING.

Limitations

While Composer can accelerate your data modeling, certain structural changes must be performed manually.

Composer cannot perform the following actions:

• Delete objects: Composer does not delete tables or record types.
• Map and unmap record types to tables: Mapping or unmapping record types to tables is currently a manual process. Click the edit icon next to the table you want to edit. Next, modify the mapped objects section.
• Create composite primary keys: Creating composite primary keys is not supported.
• Work with unsupported data types: Composer does not work with unsupported or complex custom data types.

Review Composer's suggested updates

When changes are made to your application requirements, Composer automatically suggests updates to your data model to align with the latest requirements. A banner at the top of the page alerts you to pending updates that need your review.

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To review and apply these changes:

1. In the Data Model tab, click REVIEW CHANGES to see a side-by-side comparison of the current data model and the proposed updates.
2. Review the suggested additions (green highlight) and deletions (red highlight) to ensure they meet your needs.
3. Click APPLY CHANGES to update your data model with the suggested changes. This ensures your data model reflects the latest application requirements. If the suggested changes are unnecessary or require further discussion, click CANCEL.

Manually add a new table

To manually add a new table:

1. In the Data Model tab, click + Add Table. The Add Table dialog appears.

   

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2. For Name, enter a name that reflects the purpose of the data. This should be the distinct business concept or major process in your workflow.
3. Select the Mapped Object(s) if this table will correspond to existing record types.
4. Click Add New Field to add fields to your table.
   1. (Optional) Select the Unique checkbox if each row in the field must contain unique values, like order numbers or usernames.
   2. For Field, enter a name for the field.
   3. For Type, choose the data type for the field.
   4. (Optional) If the field relates to another table, use the Linked Field to establish the relationship. This option is available only when another table has a unique field of the same data type.
      Result: The Relationship Type is automatically populated.
5. Click Add New Field to add more fields.
6. Click ADD to save your table.

The new table will display in the data model diagram.

Manually edit a table

To manually edit a table:

1. In the Data Model tab, click the pencil icon on the table you want to edit. The Edit Table dialog appears.
2. Edit the table's properties, including its name and fields.
3. Click X to remove a field from the table.
4. Click SAVE.

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Supported data types for table fields

When you add or edit fields in a table on the Data Model tab, the following data types are available. These data types apply whether you configure fields manually or through Composer.

Data Type	Description
TEXT	For text fields.
INTEGER	For whole numbers and primary/foreign keys.
DECIMAL	For monetary amounts and numbers with decimal places.
DATE	For date values.
DATETIME	For date and time values.
BOOLEAN	For true/false values.
USERNAME	For user identification fields.
GROUP	For group identification fields.

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