Tables
Tables in Vince Platform let you store and manage structured data directly inside the platform — no external database required. You can use them as lookup references in workflows, as staging areas before sending data to Infor M3, or as lightweight data entry forms for your team.
This page explains how to find your tables, what you can do with them, and how to configure them correctly.
Navigating to Tables
In Vince Platform, go to Tables in the main navigation. The overview page lists all tables available in your environment.
Use the search box to find a table by name or description. Each row in the list shows:
| Column | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Table Name | The table's name, with its description underneath. If a workflow is linked to the table, the workflow's name is shown next to it as a link |
| Rows | How many records the table currently holds |
| Columns | How many columns are defined in the table |
| Actions | A menu (⋮) with options for managing the table |
Click the Table Name, Rows or Columns heading to sort the list. Sorting applies to the whole list, not just the page you are on, so the order stays consistent as you move between pages. Sorting by Table Name uses the table's name. Use the rows-per-page selector below the list to choose how many tables each page shows.
A table shows a status label while it is busy: Updating while new data is being loaded into a table that uses the Replace update type, and Deleting in progress... while it is being deleted.
To make a new table, click Create Table. See Create a table.
What you can do with a table
Click the ⋮ actions menu on any table row to access the following options:
| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| Columns info | View the table's columns — names, display names, data types, and which columns are primary keys (shown with a key icon) |
| Edit table | Add columns, rename display names, change column types and the table's settings |
| Upload excel | Import data from an Excel file into the table |
| Show data | Browse, search, and filter the current records in the table |
| Copy table | Start a new table from the structure of an existing one. You can adjust the columns before saving |
| Delete content | Remove all records from the table (requires confirmation) |
| Delete table | Permanently delete the table and all its data — this cannot be undone. Deletion can take up to 6 hours, during which the table shows Deleting in progress... |
You only see the actions your role allows: viewing needs read access to the table, everything else needs write access.
Delete table is irreversible. Make sure you have a copy of any data you need before proceeding.
Editing a table's structure
Select Edit table to change how the table is structured. Each column in the table has the following properties:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | The column's identifier. It cannot be blank or duplicated, and can only be set when the column is added |
| Display Name | The label shown to users in the data viewer and other interfaces. It cannot be blank |
| Type | The kind of data the column holds, see Column types |
| Primary key | Tick to use this column as part of the unique row identifier |
You can drag columns to change their order. Columns can be removed on a new table; on an existing table only while it holds no rows, and never a primary key column.
Column types
| Group | Types |
|---|---|
| Basic types | Text, Number, Integer, Boolean |
| Date types | ISO Date Time, M3 Date |
| Special types | Computed — a value calculated from other columns |
| Other types | Object, Array, Email, UUID, IP v4 |
Array columns hold a list of values, for example several tags or item numbers in one cell. Object columns hold a nested group of values. In the data viewer, lists and objects are shown as formatted text in the row details panel.
Primary key and required columns
A table must have at least one Primary key column, and you can only choose the key columns when the table is created or copied; they cannot be changed afterwards. Primary key columns are shown with a key icon in Columns info and in the upload window. When you save, the primary key columns are also registered as the table's required columns. Other columns cannot be marked as required in the table editor.
These settings apply to the whole table, both when you create it and in Edit Table:
- Enforce data types — When on, values written to the table must match the column types; records with the wrong type are rejected. When off, the table accepts any shape, including extra fields that aren't defined as columns, lists and nested objects — but values of incompatible types in the same column are likely to break the table's indexing. See Decide how strict the table should be.
- Update type — Controls how new data is written: Upsert (the default) updates rows that match on the primary key and adds the rest, Append adds new rows, and Replace replaces all existing data. It is chosen when the table is created and cannot be changed afterwards: in Edit table the field is shown but locked, and Columns info shows the table's current update type.
- Advanced configuration — Adds an Advanced column where you can enter a calculation for Computed columns (for example
firstname & ' ' & lastname) and a list of allowed values for Text columns. It switches on automatically when a column already uses these.
Set a Primary key on any table you plan to use for data integration. This prevents duplicate rows from being created when data is imported repeatedly.
Importing data from Excel
Select Upload Excel to bring data into a table from a spreadsheet.
In the upload modal you can:
- Pick the Excel file from your file storage
- Review the table's columns, data types and primary keys below the file picker before you upload
After uploading, the table's Update type (Upsert, Append or Replace) determines how the rows in the file are combined with the existing records.
If the table has Enforce data types turned on, the upload fails with an error when values in the file don't match the column types. Check the data types in the preview before you import.
Browsing and searching table data
Select Show data (or click the table's name) to open the table's data viewer. Records are shown in a grid with the Display Names you have configured as column headers. You can search, sort and page through the records. The data viewer shows at most 10,000 records; use search to find a record that isn't shown. To read every record in a larger table, see Loading All Data from a Custom Table. Click a row to see all of its values in a details panel. If you have write access, you can also tick rows and delete them.
Common use cases
| Use case | How Tables help |
|---|---|
| Master data staging | Prepare and clean data before sending it to Infor M3 |
| Lookup tables | Store reference data (price lists, item codes, mappings) for use in workflows |
| Manual data entry | Give teams a structured place to enter or correct records |
| Data integration | Expose table data to external systems through the Vince API |
Tips and best practices
- Always define a Primary Key on tables used for integration or repeated imports — it cannot be changed after the table is created, and it prevents duplicates and keeps your data clean.
- Turn on Enforce data types when several workflows or people write to the table, so bad data is rejected when it's written instead of breaking a workflow later.
- Use Copy Table when you want to set up a similar table quickly — it saves you from rebuilding the schema from scratch.
- Use Advanced configuration for Computed columns or to limit a Text column to a fixed list of values.
- Give columns meaningful Display Names — these appear in the data viewer and anywhere the table is referenced in the platform, so clear names save confusion later.