Chapter 11 Managing Transformations
A transformation is a change performed on a model object either during a generation or upon request.
Transformations are used in PowerDesigner to implement Model Driven Architecture (MDA). MDA is a process defined by the OMG which separates the business logic of an application and the technological means which are used to implement it. The goal is to improve the integration and interoperability of applications and as a result, reduce the time and effort spent in application development and maintenance.
MDA development uses UML modeling to describe an application at different levels of detail, starting with the construction of a PIM (platform-independent model) which models the basic business logic and functionality, and ending in a PSM (platform-specific model) which includes implementation technologies (like CORBA, .NET, or Java). Between this initial PIM and the final PSM, there may be other intermediate PIM or PSM which provide different levels of refinement.
In PowerDesigner, you can create the initial PIM and refine it progressively in different models containing increasing levels of implementation and technology-dependent information. PowerDesigner allows you to define transformations that will generate a more refined version of a model, based on the desired target platform. When changes are made to the PIM later, they can be propagated to its generated models.
Transformations can also be used to create design patterns. You can design a pattern using the transformation feature and apply it to objects in a model.
You can call transformations from the model or during model generation to modify the source and/or target model.
In this chapter, you will learn to create transformations in an extended model definition and apply these transformations.
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