Hi, PowerBuilder's IDE looks for 5 tables named PBCATxxx that define a sort of data dictionary that the DataWindow engine in PowerBuilder uses to provide default UI settings for tables and columns. EX:

• Standard validation rules
• Standard edit styles
• Standard labels & headers, fonts, text adjustment, data field sizes

Purpose: To enable consistent display of same data across all UI independent of which developer is building a DataWindow.

When these 5 tables don't exist, PB IDE will try to create them using your DB credentials - and you lacked permissions.

You can decide to opt out of using the PB data dictionary. Result: More manual developer work and risk of less consistency, like one developer using label = Last Name and another using label = Surname. Or one using font pt. Arial, another 10 pt. Arial, and a third 9 pt. Tahoma.

How to disable data dictionary:

1. Open PowerBuilder IDE's Database Painter (menu: Tools > Database Painter)
2. Open Database Preferences (menu: Design > Options...)
3. On tab page = [General], in group = Painter Options) => UNCHECK [Use Extended Attributes]

Extended Attributes is PowerBuilder's name for data dictionary.

Now, your IDE will no longer look for PBCATxxx tables and DataWindow objects are created without the benefit of standard UI settings.

HTH /Michael

Hi Gaurang;

   Yes, the 1st time that the PB IDE connects to any DBMS database, it will look for the following five tables ...

• pbcatcol
• pbcatedt
• pbcatfmt
• pbcattbl
• pbcatvld

   Note that for Oracle, you would need to login from the PB IDE with a user account that can create these tables under the owner "System" (ie" System.PBCatTbl). So from the PB IDE, have your DBA enter their UserID & Password and connect to the DB (or the Oracle DBA can create the above tables using their iSQL tool set). Just as long as these tables as "system" tables.

   Once the DBA has logged into the new Oracle DBMS from the PB IDE once, any PB developer after that with a regular Oracle user account will connect OK from that point onward (no prompts).

HTH

Regards ... Chris

Hi Chris (reply to comment on #2 reply),

I found below sequence avoids creating PBCATxxx tables in a given database. For my examples here let's call the database Vanilla.

WARNING: Do NOT create DB profile for Vanilla before (2) below!

Each developer should follow:

1. Open DB Preferences in the DB Painter;
2. Uncheck "Use Extended Attributes";
   Press OK to close the DB preferences
3. Now create DB profile for Vanilla
4. Connect to Vanilla

(2) must happen before (4) 
Just one developer doing (4) before (2) and you get PBCATxxx tables (user is granted CREATE TABLE) or error message (user has no CREATE TABLE access).

Safe/easy road == 1 - 2 - 3 - 4.
Wrong road == 3 - 4 - 1 - 2 ==> This will create the PBCATxxx tables or throw error messages depending on whether the DB login has been granted CREATE TABLE for SYSTEM schema.

I just tested the easy road once more on MSSQL 2017.

/Michael

Gaurang reported that he was using Oracle - so I am using the same for my testing in this post. Actually, O18C in my case.