Configure a table
After you import a table into the Lake, its settings live in a popup editor. This page covers the popup and its General step: the table's notes, who can read it, how and when it loads, and how its query runs. Columns, conditions, preview, dependants and deployment each have their own page.
Open the table popup
- In the Lake tree, double-click a table, or right-click it and choose Edit.
- The popup opens, titled with the table's name. It has four tabs: Table, Preview, Dependant and Settings.
- The Table tab holds four steps: General, Columns, Conditions and RLS.
For a custom table, the tree's Add New menu opens the same popup for a new table you build from your own SQL query; see Import tables.
The step labels above the form show where you are: finished steps are marked, the open step is highlighted, and later steps stay pending. Use Next and Previous, or click a step, to move between them. The footer holds Revert, Apply and, on the last step, Finish; Revert and Apply appear only while the open step has unsaved changes.
| Part of the popup | What it covers | Documented on |
|---|
| Table > General | Notes, permission groups, synchronization, query settings | This page |
| Table > Columns | Column types, primary keys, SY and MI flags, statements, AI helpers | Set up a table's columns |
| Table > Conditions and RLS | The load filter and row-level security rules | Conditions and row-level security |
| Preview | The table's data in Lake and Source mode | Preview table data |
| Dependant | The objects that use the table | Check a table's dependants |
| Settings | Load, truncate and delete actions, and the Sync Log | Run, stop and troubleshoot loads |
Until the table is deployed, the Settings tab and the Lake mode of Preview stay locked; see Deploy a table. If the popup cannot load the table, it shows Error loading data: with the reason; close it and open it again.
Set the description and permission groups
On Table > General:
- In Description, add notes about the table. They are optional; the placeholder reads Optional notes about this staging table….
- In Permission Groups, add the groups that may read the table. Type to search in Search groups…, then pick groups from Add permission groups….
- The admin group always has access and cannot be removed: The admin group has full access to all tables by default and cannot be removed. You can add up to 20 groups.
Set the synchronization
The Synchronization tile decides how and when the table loads.
- Synchronize decides whether the table's load is included in its workflow.
- Choose a Sync Type. A new table starts on Full Reload (Truncate Insert). A type the datasource cannot use is greyed out with the reason. For what each type does, see Choose a sync type; to compare the patterns in the product, click Sync patterns guide (Sync patterns guide).
- Choose a Workflow Name. The list follows the sync type: snapshot types take snapshot workflows, everything else standard ones. See Workflows in the Lake.
- For an incremental sync type, set the window fields:
| Field | What it does | Default |
|---|
| Date Column | The column that decides which rows a run reads. | None, you choose one |
| Synchronize Days | How many days each run reads, including the current day. Accepts 0 to 9999. | 10 |
| Loop Increment | Days per step, for the loop type only. Accepts 1 to 9999. | 1 |
| Full Reload When Empty | On (Full reload on empty table), the first load into an empty table reads all history, or the period from the start date. Off means Incremental sync only. | Off |
| Full Reload Start Date | Where that first full load starts. Shown when Full Reload When Empty is on. Accepts 1970-01-01 to 2106-02-07; empty shows the all history badge. | Empty |
The loop type needs Full Reload Start Date when Full Reload When Empty is on; until you set it, the field shows Required for Loop.
What a sync type change updates
When you pick another Sync Type, the form adjusts the fields that depend on it:
- Workflow Name follows the type's group. If you move to a type in another group, it is re-picked for you.
- Leaving an incremental type clears Date Column and turns Full Reload When Empty off.
- Choosing the loop type sets Loop Increment to 1.
- Full Reload Start Date is cleared when the new type does not use it.
On a deployed table, a sync type change asks you to confirm first, and a change to another DDL type adds a data-loss warning; Deploy a table covers both.
Set the query execution settings
The Query execution settings tile shows the table's current mode and opens the shared query settings dialog. Click Configure to tune the preset and the switches, then click Save Settings to apply them. The settings are described on Query settings.
Edit a custom table's query
Edit SQL appears on General for custom tables only. It opens Edit Custom Table Query:
- Click Run Query to check the query. While the check runs, the editor is read-only and the button reads Running....
- When the check passes, the status reads Query validated. Before a check it reads Query not validated, and any edit returns it to that state.
- Click Save. Save stays disabled until the query is validated. Cancel closes without saving.
Save your changes
- Click Apply to save the open step; only what you changed is sent, and the popup shows the saved values in place. A success notification reads General settings updated successfully.
- If a required field is missing, nothing is saved and a Validation Error reads Please fill in all required fields. If the server cannot save, the message reads Failed to save general settings. The server also refuses a save that breaks a sync rule, for example an incremental sync type without a Date Column: Incremental column is required for Incremental sync types.
- If nothing changed, Apply only clears the unsaved marker; no request is sent. Revert discards the step's edits.
- Leaving a step or the Table tab with unsaved changes asks you to save or discard first. The dialog reads Unsaved Changes and You have unsaved changes. How would you like to proceed?, with Save & Continue as the save option; between steps it offers to save the current step before proceeding. If a required field is missing, the move is blocked with Please complete all required fields before navigating (or before finishing on Finish), and a failed save keeps you on the step.
Permissions
- View Lake Objects lets you open tables and read their settings.
- Add/Modify Lake Objects lets you save the General settings and the other steps, and deploy a table.
See Who can do what in the Lake.
Limits
- A table needs a label, and an incremental sync type needs a Date Column.
- A table's Permission Groups take up to 20 groups.
Questions, answered
Why can't I see Apply or Revert?
They appear only while the open step has unsaved changes. Make an edit and both buttons appear next to Next.
What happens to my unsaved changes when I switch steps or tabs?
A dialog lets you save them first with Save & Continue, or discard them. If a required field is missing, the move is blocked until you fix it.
Do my unsaved edits in the popup survive a page refresh?
Yes. The popup keeps your unsaved changes and the open step when the page reloads.
Why did the Workflow Name change by itself?
You picked a sync type in another workflow group, so the name was re-picked to match. Choose another workflow if you need a different one.
Why did the Date Column field clear?
You left an incremental sync type. The incremental fields come back when you choose an incremental type again.
Can I remove the admin group from Permission Groups?
No. It always has full access and cannot be removed.
How many permission groups can a table have?
Up to 20.
What does the all history badge mean?
Full Reload Start Date is empty, which means all history. Set a date to start the first full load from a specific day.
Can I edit the SQL of a custom table?
Yes, with Edit SQL on General. Run the query once so it validates, then click Save.
The popup shows Error loading data. What should I do?
The table could not be loaded. Close the popup and open it again; if it keeps failing, see Lake troubleshooting.