Chapter 3 Getting Started with the PowerDesigner Eclipse Plugin

Creating a Model

A model is the basic work unit in PowerDesigner. Every model is contained within a project, and contains at least one diagram and any number of other objects. Though a model may be split into packages for organizational reasons or may contain several diagrams, it remains the fundamental basis for your modeling work.

Creating a model

To create a model:

Select File→New→Model.

The New model dialog box is displayed.

If there is no project open in the Navigator view, the Create a new project option is selected by default and the Add to an existing project option is disabled. An Eclipse project will then be created for the new model.

or

If there are projects already open in the Navigator view, you can select the Add to an existing project option.

Select a project. (The new model will appear in the Navigator view within the existing project)

If you selected an existing project, click Next.

Expand (+) the project, and if it contains folders, select the sub-folder where folder in which the new model will appear.

You can also create a folder or a sub-folder, to do so select the project or a folder, click the New Folder button, and type a name in the New Folder dialog box and click OK. (The new model will appear in the Navigator view within the new folder)

Click Finish in the Eclipse New model dialog box.

The New dialog box is displayed.

Select the appropriate model for your needs by clicking on it. Note that the tabs on the right of the dialog box change depending on the model currently selected.

Type a name in the Model name box. This is the name of the model. The code of the model, which may be used for script or code generation, is derived from this name according to the model naming conventions. You can modify the name and/or code at any time from the model property sheet by right-clicking the model entry in the Model Explorer and selecting Properties from the contextual menu.

Choose any appropriate options in the right hand tabs (for example, if you are creating a PDM, you will specify a particular DBMS to model or, for an OOM, you will specify an object language).

If you are creating a BPM, OOM, or PDM, you can also specify the type of diagram you want to start with (you can add additional diagrams to your model later by right-clicking on the model in the Model Explorer and selecting New→Diagram_Type).

Click OK. The new model will be created in your project in the Model Explorer, and its default diagram will be opened in the editor area.

The following table lists the PowerDesigner models that you see in the Model type pane:

Icon	Model definition	File extension
	Business Process Model. A BPM allows you to identify processes and atomic tasks and organize them in a hierarchy that you can then implement	.bpm
	Conceptual Data Model. A CDM represents the overall logical structure of a database, which is independent of any software or data storage structure	.cdm
	Free Model. A FEM allows you to create any kind of chart or diagram, in a context-free environment	.fem
	Information Liquidity Model. An ILM is a design tool to make replication engine design and configuration easier to use	.ilm
	Multi-Model Report. Not a model, but an automated report that covers more than one model	.mmr
	Object Oriented Model. An OOM uses UML diagrams to let you design a static conceptual model of a software system using an object-oriented approach for Java or other object languages	.oom
	Physical Data Model. A PDM specifies the physical implementation of the database	.pdm
	Requirements Model. An RQM is a textual model, which can be used to list and explain all the customer needs that must be satisfied during a development process	.rqm
	XML Model. An XSM is a graphic representation of an XML file that provides a global and schematic view of all its elements	.xsm

Opening an existing model

To open an existing model you have to import it into Eclipse.

To open an existing model:

Select File→Import to display the Import dialog box.

Select Model in the list and click Next.

Type a model filename in the corresponding box or click the Browse button to select a model from a selection dialog box.

Select the Create a linked resource check box if you want to associate the model to the current project without copying the file to the project location.

Select an existing project or create a new project where to open the existing model and click Finish.

The model default diagram is displayed in the Editor area.

Saving a model

Each model is saved in a separate file, with an extension specific to its model type. When you save a model, PowerDesigner also automatically creates a backup copy.

To save and close a model:

Select File→Save.

or

Click the Save tool in the PowerDesigner toolbar.

or

Right-click the model in the Model Explorer and select Save.

Right-click the model and select Close.