Creating tables and triggers in the Open Dental database

[mandmdiet]

Where does Open Dental stand on 3rd parties adding tables and triggers in the Open Dental database? I have read in the documentation somewhere that it is no problem. Is that still the case?

https://opendental.com/manual/plugins.html

[SLeon]

Open Dental does not support third parties manipulating customers' databases. From the Plugins page you linked in your post:

Plug-ins and raw external queries should never be used to insert information into the database.

This includes triggers and the addition of new tables into the database. Developers should instead be using the Open Dental API, which ensures the correct insertion of data.

[mandmdiet]

Open Dental does not support third parties manipulating customers' databases. From the Plugins page you linked in your post:

Plug-ins and raw external queries should never be used to insert information into the database.

This includes triggers and the addition of new tables into the database. Developers should instead be using the Open Dental API, which ensures the correct insertion of data.

These are the statements from the page I linked that I'm referring to.

If the plug-in makes use of extra database tables, the plug-in dll needs to create and manage those tables.

and

Plug-ins should not make changes to existing database tables. Plug-ins will have to use their own tables instead.

For clarity, I'm not asking about inserting data into existing tables.

[allends]

Where does Open Dental stand on 3rd parties adding tables and triggers in the Open Dental database? I have read in the documentation somewhere that it is no problem. Is that still the case?

https://opendental.com/manual/plugins.html

As you quoted from that page:

If the plug-in makes use of extra database tables, the plug-in dll needs to create and manage those tables.
Plug-ins should not make changes to existing database tables. Plug-ins will have to use their own tables instead.

Open Dental does allow 3rd party developers to make tables and manipulate those tables in the Open Dental database.
We do not support any manipulation to our existing tables outside of the API.

Triggers are a very similar. You are able to make triggers that apply to your own tables, but triggers that fire when changes are made to the Open Dental tables are not supported.

As SLeon mentioned, we highly recommend using the Open Dental API when working with the Open Dental database. The API can easily be called from a plug-in and we have a section of the forum available specifically for developers to seek assistance with the API or to ask for new features.
https://www.opendentalsoft.com:8085/for ... um.php?f=9

Here is our site page on the API to help you get started:
https://www.opendental.com/site/apispecification.html

[mandmdiet]

Sounds good.

Thanks so much SLeon and adearmondsattler.