Chapter 2 Getting Started with PowerDesigner

Creating a model in Eclipse

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.

To create a model:

1. Select File→New→Model to open the New Model dialog box.
   
   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)
2. 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)
3. Click Finish in the Eclipse New model dialog box.
   
   The New dialog box is displayed.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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).
7. 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).
8. 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.

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