Chapter 3 Building Structural Diagrams

Introducing Structural Diagrams

The diagrams in this chapter allow you to model the static structure of your system. PowerDesigner provides three types of diagrams for modeling your system in this way, each of which offers a different view of your objects and their relationships:

A class diagram shows the static structure of the classes that make up the system. You use a class diagram to identify the kinds of objects that will compose your system, and to define the ways in which they will be associated. For more information, see "Class Diagram Basics".
A composite structure diagram allows you to define in greater detail the internal structure of your classes and the ways that they are associated with one another. You use a composite structure diagram in particular to model complex forms of composition that would be very cumbersome to model in a class diagram. For more information, see "Composite Structure Diagram Basics".
An object diagram is like a class diagram, except that it shows specific object instances of the classes. You use an object diagram to represent a snapshot of the relationships between actual instances of classes. For more information, see "Object Diagram Basics".