Objects

You populate your models with objects. The types of objects that you can create depend on the type of model that you are working with.

• Creating Objects
  Model objects are the building blocks of your models. They are listed as items in the Browser and often also appear as symbols in your diagrams.
• Object Properties
  All model objects created in PowerDesigner have property sheets, which organize object properties on tabs.
• Object Lists
  PowerDesigner object lists provide a spreadsheet-like interface for manipulating large quantities of objects. They offer you an overview of the objects in your model and can save you time and effort in managing your metadata. While property sheets provide depth of detail for individual objects, lists allow you to select and manipulate multiple objects simultaneously to streamline creation and improve consistency.
• Moving, Copying, and Deleting Objects
  Objects in the PowerDesigner working environment are easy to manipulate and to reuse from one model or package to another.
• Finding Objects
  PowerDesigner lets you search for objects within all the models currently open in your workspace.
• Business Rules
  A business rule is a rule that your business follows. It is a written statement specifying what an information system must do or how it must be structured. It could be a government-imposed law, a customer requirement, or an internal guideline.
• File Objects
  A file object is a representation in a PowerDesigner model of an external application file (for example, a Java file, script SQL, or MS Word file). The file itself can be kept external to the model or embedded within and saved with it.
• Extending Objects
  PowerDesigner includes powerful tools to extend and customize your modeling objects. You can add new attributes and attribute lists to objects, create entirely new objects, and customize object generation.
• Importing Objects from Excel Files
  The Excel Import extension allows you to launch a wizard that guides you through mapping tables of objects to be modeled from Excel files (v2003 and higher) to PowerDesigner objects and properties, and to import the contents of the files to your model. For example, you could create a list of database tables in an Excel file, specifying any appropriate properties, and then import them into a PDM.
• Exporting Objects to Troux Semantics
  The Troux Upload extension files provide a framework for mapping PowerDesigner metadata to Troux Semantics domains. An extension file with the export mechanism is provided for each type of PowerDesigner model along with instructions for how you can define mappings to export your model objects in the Troux Upload XML format. Example mappings are provided to map certain EAM objects to the Troux Application and Software domains