In Aware IM you do not define links between database tables. Aware IM encourages you to think in terms of business objects and relationships between them rather than in terms of linking database tables through a particular column or creating special relationships tables.

To establish a relationship between two business objects, all you have to do is create an attribute in one business object with the type that refers to another business object. Aware IM will automatically link the required tables and/or create relationship tables if necessary.

For example, if we want to establish a relationship between the PurchaseOrder and OrderLineItem business objects, such that the PurchaseOrder may refer to multiple OrderLineItems, we can create an attribute in the PurchaseOrder object called MyLineItems of the type OrderLineItem and check “Multiple allowed” property of this attribute (see the “Setting Properties of Reference Attributes” section).

In addition if we want the OrderLineItem object to refer to its PurchaseOrder we can create a matching attribute called MyOrder in the OrderLineItem object of the type PurchaseOrder.

See also the “Reference Attributes” section.