Inline Table (markdown / csv literal)

Syntax

-- Markdown form:
<Name> := [
| col1 | col2 |
|------|------|
| v1   | v2   |
];

-- CSV form:
<Name> := csv[
  col1, col2
  v1, v2
];

Description

An inline table embeds small reference data directly in the script — lookup tables, status-code mappings, region lists — without needing an external file or database. Two formats are available: a markdown table (easy to read) and a csv block (for values containing commas or pipes). Column names come from the header row.

Technical Description

An inline table binds an InlineRelationSymbol. In the markdown form, column names come from the header row and all values are strings unless a column contains only numbers (which infers NUMBER). In the csv form, the first non-blank line is the header and fields with commas are quoted. Use csv[ ] when values contain commas or pipe characters.

An inline table may declare foreign-key relationships with a trailing references { col -> Target.col } clause — the inline-table counterpart of the references: field on source declarations. Each entry becomes a named edge of the schema graph, validated at analysis time. See relate for the full relationship model.

Examples

A markdown reference table:

Regions := [
| region | country        |
|--------|----------------|
| EMEA   | United Kingdom |
| APAC   | Australia      |
];

Numeric column infers NUMBER:

Prices := [
| item | price |
|------|-------|
| Pen  | 1.99  |
| Book | 12.50 |
];

CSV form for values containing commas:

Cities := csv[
    name, country
    "London, UK", GB
    "Paris, France", FR
];

An inline table that declares how it joins to a live source (each office row references at most one country — the FK arrow points at the referenced side):

source Countries from database { url: "${DB}", table: "countries",
    schema: { code: STRING, name: STRING } };

Offices := [
| city   | country |
|--------|---------|
| London | GB      |
| Paris  | FR      |
] references { country -> Countries.code };

Limitations

Intended for small, static reference data — not large datasets (use a source for those). Type inference is limited (numbers vs strings); there is no explicit schema clause on inline tables.

Alternatives

source … from csv("path") for external files; source … from database for live tables.

See Also

source, relate, assignment, natural-join

Notes

Inline tables join cleanly against live sources — a handy way to attach a small mapping (e.g. status codes → labels) to query results.