What can you do now?
This section contains some optional things you can try on your new
physical model:
- Analyze the model for conformance to enterprise standards
- Generate appropriate DDL for the target database, such as Informix
Dynamic Server
- Publish the physical model
- Transform to a logical data model
- Compare with original physical schema
Analyze model for conformance to enterprise standards
By analyzing the model, you can ensure that your model conforms to
certain database design rules, naming standards, and more.
- Right-click on the model, as shown in Figure 14, and select
Analyze Model:
Figure
14. Analyzing your model
- Choose the rules that you want to enable for analysis, as
shown in Figure 15. The result is a
detailed analysis.
Figure
15. Analyzing your model
Generate DDL
Right-click on the model and choose Generate DDL. This opens up
a wizard, as shown in Figure 16. (Note that you
can issue a Generate DDL at either the individual schema level or for
the entire database physical model). Pick up the model elements you
want DDL generated for, and, in the third step of the wizard, you can
select the Run DDL on Server check box. This enables you to run
the DDL on the data server directly after the script gets generated.
The script, by default, gets stored in the project directory.
Enhancements with IDA 7.5.1: Extended syntax generation over the
earlier release for different elements, like tables (RAW table, extent
size support), triggers (matching Informix more closely), indexes, and
constraints.
Figure 16. Generate DDL
wizards
Publish the physical model
To publish the physical model, highlight any of the model files in the
Data Project Explorer (.ldm, .dbm, or .ddm files), then go to the main
toolbar, click on Data > Publish >
Web, and give the location of a destination folder, as
shown in Figure 17. You can then see the model by
opening the index.html file created in the destination folder.
Figure 17. Publishing
a model
Transform to a logical model
Creating a logical model lets you keep a record of your data model and
can be used by model architects as they usually use logical data
models instead of physical models.
Click on the physical model in the Data Project Explorer (Database
Model.dbm) and then click on the main toolbar button highlighted in
Figure 18:
Figure 18. Convert
from physical to logical model
Compare with the physical model
You can compare your physical model to the database at the entire
database level or a single table level. Suppose you added a
deliver_date column to the Orders table in the model. You can compare
with the source database by right-clicking on the Orders table and
then selecting Compare with > Original source.
You will see a comparison window pop up in the central editor, as in
Figure 19:
Figure 19. Comparing
physical model to database
This comparison dialog allows you to compare any changes between your
physical model and your database. Also, the comparison dialog lets you
analyze change impacts, copy changes over, and generates the
differential DDL for you.
- Copy over the changes from the left to the right by clicking
on the leftmost highlighted button, as shown in
Figure 20.
- Then, generate the ALTER DDL by clicking on the rightmost
highlighted button, as shown in Figure 20.
This capability is very powerful by letting you manage changes
selectively.
Figure 20. Comparing
physical model to database
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