Deleting Objects

You can delete an object from a diagram, the Browser, or an object list.

Since PowerDesigner gives you the freedom to create multiple symbols in multiple diagrams to represent the same object, when deleting a symbol in a diagram, you can choose to delete just the symbol or the entire object.

When you delete an object, you also delete any sub-objects it contains (for example, when you delete a table from a PDM, you delete its columns, keys, triggers and indexes), along with all its diagram symbols. If you delete an object that is connected to another object via a link, the link is also deleted.

To delete an object, do one of the following:

Select its symbol in a diagram and press the Delete key or right click it and select Edit > Delete. A dialog will open asking you whether you want to delete the object itself (including any sub-objects it contains) or just the symbol:

You can review the impact that deleting the object would have on other objects in your environment by clicking the Impact button on the confirmation dialogs (see Impact and Lineage Analysis). You can undo a deletion by clicking the Undo tool.

Make your choice and click OK. If you delete only the symbol, you can restore it to the diagram, by selecting Symbol > Show Symbols and reselecting the object in the Show Symbols dialog.
Select its symbol in a diagram and press Shift+Delete. The object, any sub-objects it contains, and any associated diagram symbols will be deleted immediately without the need for confirmation.
Select it in the Browser and press the Delete key or right click it and select Edit > Delete. A dialog will open asking you to confirm the deletion:

Click OK to delete the object, any sub-objects it contains, and any associated diagram symbols.
Select it in an object list and click the Delete tool or press the Delete key. The object, any sub-objects it contains, and any associated diagram symbols will be deleted immediately without the need for confirmation.

Note: You can suppress the display of the Confirmation dialogs by deselecting the Confirm Object Deletion general option (see General Options).

Deleting Domains and Data Items

If you have specified that domains and data items can be reused by multiple objects in a CDM or PDM and you delete a parent object to which they belong, these sub-objects will not be deleted with their parent. For more information, see the Data Modeling guide.