Chapter 9 Working with PDMs

Checking a PDM

The Physical Data Model is a very flexible tool, which allows you quickly to develop your model without constraints. You can, however, check the validity of your PDM at any time. A valid PDM conforms to the following kinds of rules:

Each object name must be unique
Model constraints must be compatible with database constraints
Each table must have at least one column
Each index must have a column
Each reference must have at least one column pair

Check your PDM before generating a database
We recommend that you check your PDM before generating a database from it. If the check encounters errors, generation will be stopped. The Check model option is enabled by default in the Generation dialog box.

To check a PDM:

Press F4, or

Select Tools→Check Model, or

Right-click the diagram background and select Check Model from the contextual menu

The Check Model Parameters window opens, which allows you to specify the kinds of checks to perform, and the objects to apply them to. For detailed information about this window and correcting problems reported, see "Checking a Model" in the "Managing Models" chapter of the General Features Guide .

The following sections document the checks available by default for a PDM.