When dynamically populated drop-down lists are required, it is considered a best practice to use dual table keywords. As new Keyword Values enter OnBase, they automatically appear in the drop-down list. A side effect of this practice is that errant entries also appear dynamically. If a keyword requires a drop-down that will produce a large amount of existing values to help the user input search criteria, a dual table alphanumeric keyword is still recommended.
When dynamically populated drop-down lists are not required, it is considered a best practice to use single table keywords. Single table alphanumeric keywords reduce the number of tables involved in these queries and also provide the query optimizer with more accurate statistical information to ensure optimal performance. This results in reduced reads on the database, less complex SQL queries, and fewer calls to the database when storing Keyword Values. The only cost is an insignificant increase in required storage space.
Dynamically populated drop-down lists can still be attained with single table storage, by using a Data Set. Keyword Data Sets do not automatically populate, however, and need to be loaded from a script or program, or updated manually. This can be extremely effective with well known sets of data (e.g., part numbers, states, countries).