Chapter 3 Building Conceptual Data Models

Creating an attribute

You can create an entity attribute using any of the following tools, available on the Attributes tab in the property sheet of an entity, association, or inheritance:

Tool	Description
	Add a Row – Creates a new attribute and associated data item (with the same name and code). If you have enabled the Allow Reuse model option, the new data item can be used as an attribute for other objects. If you have enabled the Allow Reuse and Unique Code model options and you type the name of an existing data item, it will be automatically reused.
	Add Data Item - Opens a Selection window listing all the data items available in the model. Select one or more data items in the list and then click OK to make them attributes to the object. If the data item has not yet been used, it will be linked to the object. If the data item has already been used, it will be copied (with a modified name if you have enabled the Unique code model option) and the copy attached to the object.
	Reuse Data Item – [only available if the Allow Reuse model option is enabled] Opens a Selection window listing all the data items available in the model and not currently associated with the object. Select one or more data items in the list and then click OK to make them attributes to the object. You can view all the objects to which the data item is associated on the Dependencies tab of its property sheet.

For general information about creating objects, see the chapter "Getting Started with PowerDesigner" in the General Features Guide .

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