HowTo_TableHeading

How to correctly caption tables with a table heading instead of a table caption below the table

As clearly explained in the explanation of the captions=tableheading and captions=tablesignature options in the KOMA-Script manual and in the German KOMA-Script book, these options only affect formatting. The placement, on the other hand, depends solely on the placement in the source code for the standard sliding environments. If you want to change this, you have to use packages like float or floatrow. However, both packages have the disadvantage that they are no longer maintained, are not optimally adapted to KOMA-Script and not only I have some problems with the implementation. It gets a little bit better if you use package scrhack in addition to these packages.

So in order to print all tables correctly with a table heading, you should use the following example as a template when using a KOMA-Script class:

\documentclass[captions=tableheading]{scrartcl}
\usepackage{mwe}
\begin{document}
\section{an example section}
\blindtext

\begin{table}
  \centering
  \caption{This is the table heading}
  \label{tab:threecolumnexample}
  \begin{tabular}{lcr}
  left & center & right \\
  a & table & with \\
  three & different & columns. \\
  \end{tabular}
\end{table}
\end{document}

In addition to the captions=tableheading option, the KOMA-Script classes also provide the \captionabove statement:

\documentclass{scrartcl}
\usepackage{mwe}
\begin{document}
\section{an example section}
\blindtext

\begin{table}
  \centering
  \captionabove{This is the table heading}
  \label{tab:threecolumnexample}
  \begin{tabular}{lcr}
  left & center & right \\
  a & table & with \\
  three & different & columns. \\
  \end{tabular}
\end{table}
\end{document}

But since you have to remember to write \captionabove instead of \caption for every single table, I recommend to use the option as shown in the first example.

Of course KOMA-Script also offers corresponding settings for figures and generally for all floating environments via option captions. For more details see the KOMA-Script manual.