In the scenario depicted, you have a circular reference or loop caused by the tables `Customers`, `Orders`, and `ProductBudget`, where the `Country` field exists in both `Customers` and `ProductBudget`. To resolve this, you can create a link table that consolidates the common fields, thus breaking the loop and maintaining the associations between the tables.
Here's a step-by-step guide on how to create a link table in Qlik Sense to resolve the loop:
1. **Identify Common Fields**: Determine which fields are creating the loop. In your case, it seems `Country` is the common field.
2. **Create a Composite Key**: In both `Customers` and `ProductBudget`, create a composite key that combines the fields that link to the `Orders` table. If `Country` is the only common field between `Customers` and `ProductBudget`, you can use this field alone as a key.
3. **Load the Main Tables**: Load the `Customers` and `ProductBudget` tables, creating a new field that concatenates the keys.
Customers:
LOAD
CustomerID,
Country,
CustomerName,
Country as CustomerCountry // Create a unique name for the Country field in Customers
FROM [source];
ProductBudget:
LOAD
ProductID,
Country,
Budget,
Country as ProductCountry // Create a unique name for the Country field in ProductBudget
FROM [source];
4. **Create a Link Table**: Load a new table that contains the unique keys from `Customers` and `ProductBudget`.
LinkTable:
LOAD
CustomerID,
Country as LinkCountry // Use the original field name from Customers
RESIDENT Customers;
CONCATENATE (LinkTable)
LOAD
ProductID,
Country as LinkCountry // Use the same field name as the above Country field to ensure they link
RESIDENT ProductBudget;
5. **Load the Orders Table**: Load the `Orders` table as it is, ensuring it contains the fields that link to `CustomerID` and `ProductID`.
Orders:
LOAD
CustomerID,
ProductID,
OrderID,
Quantity
FROM [source];
6. **Reload the Data**: After setting up the script, reload your data. The link table should now manage the associations, and the circular reference should be resolved.
By creating a link table (`LinkTable`), you centralize the common fields (`Country`), allowing both `Customers` and `ProductBudget` to connect to `Orders` without causing a loop. The `LinkCountry` field in the link table will be associated with both `CustomerCountry` and `ProductCountry` fields, preserving the relationships without creating a synthetic key or circular reference.
Remember to replace `[source]` with the actual data source paths or connection strings for your tables. Also, ensure that your data model accommodates these changes, as creating a link table may require adjusting your existing visualizations to use the new fields properly.
