The "Lookup" screen in Fields Maintenance is used to link a field to a database table, such as the Doctors file. This allows you to verify the value entered into the field against the table to insure that the value is valid, and also provides a link to other fields that the table has in it. For example, if you link to the Doctors file, then you will have access to any field that is found in the Doctors file, such as doctor name. Linking to another field in a lookup file is done using the "double" bracketed field syntax. For example, to bring in the doctor's name you would use "[r.doctor.d.docname ]".
Any field that has a lookup table associated with it will have "(F1)" appended to the end of the field's "Prompt" string to remind the user that the F1 key will activate the lookup screen.
Table name
Select from the drop-down box the name of the table you want the field to link to.
Generic dictionary name
If the table name is "GENERIC", then you must enter the value of the "NAME" field in the Generic Dictionary. For example, if you setup a Generic Dictionary to hold the values for "office location", then enter "LOCATION" in the "Generic dictionary name" field. For more information on the Generic Dictionary, please go to Generic Dictionary Maintenance Screens.
Override index order for search
Each table that you might want to link the field to can have one or more "indexes" associated with it. Each index maintains a view of the table in a certain sort order. For example, the Doctors table has an index for the doctor ID code and another index for the doctor's last name. Each index for a table is identified by a number, called the "index order". The following are the index order numbers of each table's indexes.
Doctors
| 1 = Doctor code |
| 2 = Doctor last name |
| 3 = Doctor full name |
| 4 = Author ID (i.e. dictation ID) |
Address
| 1 = Address code |
| 2 = Address sort field |
Generic
| 1 = Name+Code |
MPI
| 1 = MPI account number |
| 2 = MPI medical record number |
| 3 = MPI patient name |
Orders
| 1 = Order number |
| 2 = Primary order number |
| 3 = Patient ID |
Optional filter expression
An optional filter expression that can be used to limit the records that show up in the Lookup screen when the user presses the F1 key. For example, to limit the field so that the user can only select emergency room providers, you first would have to populate the "Department" field in the Doctors file with "ED" (or some other code), then enter the filter expression DEPARTMENT="ED" in this field.
Error message if filter fails
If a filter expression is used, you can specify an optional error message that will be displayed to the user if the code that they enter for this field is invalid. For example, if the filter expression limits the lookup to only ED doctors, then the error message could be "The provider code entered is not a valid ED doctor".
Show description
This option causes the system to display on the Report Data Screen the "name" or "description" that is associated with the code that has been entered into the field. For example, if the DOCTORS file is the lookup table, then the providers's name will be displayed next to the provider's code on the Report Data Screen.
Allow free text
This option allows a field to have free-text entered in the case where the code that needs to be entered may not exist in the lookup table, yet may be a valid code. In other words, it allows you to override the "validity" checking logic so that a value can be entered for a field that is not valid because it does not exist in the lookup table.
Auto pop-up if field blank
This option will cause the lookup screen to automatically be displayed (popped up) when the cursor is moved into this field, so that the user does not have to press the F1 key.