CATALOG schema

[This is preliminary documentation and subject to change.]

CATALOG schema uses the TABLES schema definitions. For CATALOG schema the TABLE_CATALOG refers to the folder name, and the TABLE_NAME refers to the full URL to the parent folder. When using the TABLE_CATALOG as CATALOG schema the term "table" can be replaced with the term "folder".

The following table lists TABLE_CATALOG changes when used as CATALOG schema.

The definition of a catalog depends on whether the database being accessed is a private database or a public database. For private databases, the database connection string must specify a mailbox (i.e., a user name in the URL). The catalog name for such a string is the full mailbox URL – i.e., http://public.servername.com/user1. For public databases, one must specify a URL to the top-level-hierarchy (TLH). The catalog name for a public database is the URL to the TLH – i.e., http://public.servername.com.

Each folder in a user's mailbox or a TLH is a table. (In this context folder and table are synonymous.) TABLE_NAME is the folder name and TABLE_CATALOG is the full URL to the parent folder. The columns returned for a folder table will depend on the type of the folder. In Outlook, when one creates a new folder, one must specify one of the following folder types: mail, appointment, contact, journal, task, or note. Each of these folder types requires a certain set of columns. Thus, the folder type determines the columns returned for a folder table. That is, a "SELECT *" on a folder table will return the default columns corresponding to the folder type.