The model objects defined in the PowerDesigner metamodel can be extended and given additional properties, called extended attributes. Some extended attributes are defined in the resource files that are provided with PowerDesigner to support a particular language or DBMS, and others will be defined by you or your colleagues to model features specific to your environment.
You may not know that you are working with extended attributes, as they are frequently assigned to standard or custom property sheet tabs. However, if one or more extended attributes is not so assigned, an Extended Attribute tab will be displayed in the property sheet of all objects of this kind, listing all the extended attributes in alphabetical order and with the following columns.
|
Property |
Description |
|---|---|
|
Name |
Specifies the name of extended attribute. |
|
Data type |
Specifies the datatype of the extended attribute (such as boolean, color, date, file, float, font, etc or customized data types). |
|
Value |
Specifies the current value assigned to the extended attribute. |
|
R |
Redefined value. This checkbox is selected if you modify the default value in the Value column. |
For information about adding extended attributes to model objects and displaying them in property sheet tabs, see the Extending your Models with Profiles chapter of the Customizing and Extending PowerDesigner manual.