Chapter 16 Migrating from ERwin to PowerDesigner

Getting Started Using PowerDesigner

This section lists some common tasks that you will want to perform with PowerDesigner:

Objects

How do I find objects?
All the objects in the model are listed, organized by type, in the Browser. PowerDesigner provides various methods for locating your objects:

To find the symbol for an object in the Browser: Right-click the object in the Browser and select Find in Diagram from the contextual menu.
To find the browser entry for an object symbol: Right-click the symbol in the diagram and select Find in Browser from the contextual menu.
To search for an object: Type CTRL+F to open the Find Objects dialog box. Enter the text to search for (you can use the asterisk as a wild card) and click Find Now. Right-click any of the results choose whether to find it in the Browser or Diagram.

How do I edit objects?
You can edit the name of an object by selecting its symbol in the diagram and typing F2. To edit other object properties, double-click the symbol or the object entry in the Browser and enter the necessary information in its property sheet.

How do I share objects?
You can share objects between packages and models using shortcuts and replications. For more information see the "Managing Shortcuts" and "Managing Object Replications" chapters in the PowerDesigner General Features Guide .

Packages/Subject Areas

How do I create subject areas?
In PowerDesigner, you can create multiple views of your model by adding additional diagrams. You can also divide your model into smaller subdivisions using packages.

To add a diagram to your model: Right-click the diagram background and select Diagram→New Diagram→[Diagram Type] from the contextual menu.
To convert a diagram into a package: Right-click the diagram background and select Diagram→Convert to Package. The Convert Diagram to Package wizard will open, permitting you to name the package and select objects to move into it. The package will appear in the Browser with its own diagram and associated objects. For more information about packages, see the "Managing Models" chapter in the PowerDesigner General Features Guide .

Reports

How do I create a report?
PowerDesigner provides wizards to create two different types of report:

To create a report about a specific type of object: Select Report→List Report Wizard and follow the wizard instructions.
To create a report about multiple object types or the whole model: Select Report→Report Wizard and follow the wizard instructions.

For more information about PowerDesigner reports, see the Reports User's Guide .

Databases

How do I create a model from a database?
Select File→Reverse Engineer→Database and complete the dialog box. For more information, see the "Reverse Engineering a Database into a PDM" chapter.

How do I update my model from a database?
Select Database→Reverse Engineer→Database and complete the dialog box. A Merge window will open to allow you to verify the changes to be made before committing them. For more information, see the "Reverse Engineering a Database into a PDM" chapter.

How do I generate a database from my model?
Select Database→Generate Database and complete the dialog box. For more information, see the "Generating a Database from a PDM" chapter.

How do I update a database from my model?
Select Database→Update→Database and complete the dialog box. A Database Synchronization window will open to allow you to verify the changes to be made before committing them. For more information, see the "Generating a Database from a PDM" chapter.

Models

How do I compare two models?
Select Tools→Compare→Models and complete the dialog box. For more information, see the "Comparing and Merging Models" chapter in the PowerDesigner General Features Guide .

How do I merge two models?
Select Tools→Merge→Model and complete the dialog box. For more information, see the "Comparing and Merging Models" chapter in the PowerDesigner General Features Guide .