why selection boxes are grayed out?

[#1]

see attached picture. what are some common reasons for this?

I have four tables altogether. There are 3 synthetic keys. Out of the four tables, 3 of them have 4 identical key fields. 1 of them has 3 out of the 4 key fields.

Synthetic key 1 is keys from table 1, 2, and 3

Synthetic key 2 is keys from 4

Synthetic key 3 is synt 1 and 2

I'm able to make selections unlike where there is one completely blacked out...

[datanibbler]

Hi,

synthetic keys are something you should always strive to avoid, usually by using the AS option (renaming fields). It just means several fields have the same name among your tables. That being the case, you can never be quite sure what will happen when you make a selection on them - selecting on a keyfield is generally possible even if the value doesn't exist in the table you're looking at, which can be confusing.

(not to mention, they are bad for the performance of your app)

[jyothish8807]

Hi,

Try avoiding synthetic key, it may cause unwanted relation between tables and cause undesirable behaviour.

You can avoid it by simply renaming the field.

eg,

SynKey1 as NewName

Regards

KC