Association Checks (CDM)

PowerDesigner provides default model checks to verify the validity of associations.

Check

Description and Correction

Association name and code uniqueness

Association names and codes must be unique in the namespace.

Manual correction: Modify the duplicate name/code

Automatic correction: Appends a number to the duplicate name/code.

Number of links >= 2

An association is isolated and therefore does not define a relationship between entities.

Manual correction: Define at least two links between the isolated association and one or several entities.

Automatic correction: None.

Number of links = 2 with an identifier link

An identifier link introduces a dependency between two entities. An association with this type of link must be binary.

Manual correction: Delete the unnecessary links or clear the Identifier check box for a link.

Automatic correction: None.

Number of identifier links <= 1

An identifier link introduces a dependency between two entities. There can only be one identifier link between two entities otherwise a circular dependency is created.

Manual correction: Clear the Identifier check box for one of the links.

Automatic correction: None.

Absence of properties with identifier links

An association with an identifier link cannot have any properties.

Manual correction: Move the association properties into the dependent entity (the one linked to the association with an identifier link).

Automatic correction: None.

Bijective association between two entities

There are bijective associations between two entities when a two-way one to one association between the entities exist. This is equivalent to a merge of two entities.

Manual correction: Merge the entities or modify the cardinality links.

Automatic correction: None.

Maximal cardinality links

An association with more than two links can only have links with a maximum cardinality greater than one.

Manual correction: Change the maximum cardinality of such links to be greater than 1.

Automatic correction: None.

Reflexive identifier links

An identifier link introduces a dependency between two entities. An association with this type of link cannot therefore be reflexive.

Manual correction: Change the relationship between the entities or clear the Identifier check box for a link.

Automatic correction: None.

Name uniqueness constraint between many-to-many associations and entities

A many-to-many association and an entity cannot have the same name or code.

Manual correction: Change the name or code of the many-to-many association or the name or code of the entity. If you do not, PDM generation will rename the generated table.

Automatic correction: None.