SAP PowerDesigner is a great data modelling tool with features that differentiate it from the rest of the market, increasing the productivity of data modellers. The ability to customise and extend the tool’s capabilities is a key feature – what really makes this unique is the ability to make your customisations blend in with the standard interface.
You can add new properties to objects, add new links between objects, provide new functionality on contextual menus, and automate common tasks. The majority of these customisations are created using ‘model extensions’, which can be deployed via the PowerDesigner Repository and automatically attached to new Models – updates to an extension will automatically be made available to every model that it’s attached to.
The CDM LDM Productivity model extension from Metadata Matters improves the productivity of data modellers still further, helping them to visualise, manage and validate their models, concentrating on making modelling decisions, and spending less time on routine tasks.
The CDM LDM Productivity model extension extends model validation and adds extra options to contextual menus. For example, here are the new options in the contextual menu for an Entity:
Metadata Matters will work with you to customise the extension to meet your own unique requirements – the cost of the extension includes a day of customisation effort.
Here’s a summary of the capabilities provided:
| Completeness of Diagrams | How much time do you spend examining a diagram only to discover that something vital is missing? Eliminate the doubt – – for a given Entity, select from lists of linked objects to add to your diagram – add all child Entities for an Inheritance |
| Entity Parentage | Which Entity (or Entities – there may be more than one) is the ‘Ultimate Parent’ of a sub-type in a deep Inheritance hierarchy? The answer may surprise you, and we know that modellers do not like surprises. |
| Entity Hierarchy Diagrams | Create and refresh a diagram that guarantees to show you the full structure of all the Inheritance hierarchies that an Entity participates in. Here’s a simple example: Here’s a much bigger example, for an Entity that participates in two hierarchies:  |
| Entity Proximity Diagrams | Create and refresh a diagram that guarantees to show you everything linked to an Entity. |
| Modelling Standards | Save thinking and working time by automatically moving ‘Primary Identifier’ Attributes to the top of the list and moving the Primary Identifier of an Entity to the top of the list of Identifiers. Ensure that Entity Attributes or Data Items with the <undefined> data type are linked to the default domain. |
| Applying Naming Standards | Construct meaningful and useful names for Relationships, Identifiers and Inheritances. |
| Model Validation | Extend the built-in model validation with new custom model checks, helping you to: * apply your modelling and naming standards * check for double-spaces in object names * check Relationship role names * be aware of multiple parent Entities or alternate Identifiers |
| Hiding and Showing Migrated Attributes | If you chose to work with the Logical Data Model but you would like your diagrams to look more like diagrams in the Conceptual Data Model you can – by hiding selected classes of Attributes. Changed your mind? You can always show them again. |
| Diagram Auto-layout | Specify the required type of layout and orientation for every diagram and apply it when you want to. |
| Hiding and Showing Diagram Content | Show or Hide Link Symbols. Remove graphical synonyms or shortcut symbols from a diagram. |
| Using Diagrams | Straighten a link symbol by removing all the corners. A simplified way of changing page size and orientation. |
| Model Structure | If you’re using Packages in your models, you’ll be aware of the potential pitfalls and how much work there can be if you change your mind about the Package structure. The extension provides two useful features: * Safely remove a Package from the hierarchy without losing content * Check if a Relationship and the child Entity have the same owner |
| Managing Text Properties | Replace an object Comment with the Description or vice versa. |
| Scripting Support | Output the Display Preferences to the Output window. |
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