Sybase PowerDesigner PDM bridge reference

About this bridge

The Sybase PowerDesigner PDM bridge imports physical data models in PDM XML files that are created by Sybase PowerDesigner versions 7.5 through 16. PDM files in binary format are not supported.

When you import a physical data model, you have the option on the Identity Parameters screen to create a database schema that implements the physical data model. Both the schema and the physical data model are stored in the metadata repository.

Prerequisites

To use the latest version of this bridge, you must install the prerequisite software: http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg27038230.

You must create a PDM file to import. Transfer the import file to the local computer or the metadata interchange server that you are using for the import.

To create a PDM file for import, open a physical data model in Sybase PowerDesigner and save it as Physical Data Model (xml) (*.pdm).

Frequently asked questions

I imported my model but the SQL View definitions are incomplete. How can I fix them?

PowerDesigner versions 7 and 8 have limited support for SQL Views. It is not possible to retrieve a valid definition of the source tables and columns. PowerDesigner versions 9 and later support the concept of view reference to associate a view with its source tables and columns. If you upgrade to a version that supports this concept, your models import correctly.

How do I handle PDM files that contain shortcuts to external tables

PDM XML model files can contain relationships that refer to tables that are defined as shortcuts, which are references to external tables. However, ahe PDM XML file does not contain sufficient information for the bridge to reconstruct the primary key and foreign key relationships. If a file that you import contains such references, the import log file contains a message such as: This model might have shortcut dependencies on an external model: '[model_name]'.. The bridge does not reconstruct the relationships to shortcuts.

You can merge the models in PowerDesigner to resolve the shortcuts:

1. Check the import log file to determine all models that have shortcuts.
2. In PowerDesigner, click Tools > Merge Models to create a merged model.
3. Save the new model as PDM XML and reimport the file.

Import parameters

The Sybase PowerDesigner PDM bridge uses the following import configuration parameters.

File location

Select whether the file that you specify for the File parameter is on the metadata interchange server or on the local computer.

File

Required. Specify the PDM file to import.

Remove invalid binary characters

Specify if invalid binary characters are filtered from the file before the PDM XML file is parsed.

This option is a workaround for a bug in PowerDesigner, which sometimes generates a file with binary characters that does not conform to the XML specification.

The filter might remove some Unicode national characters. If the filter removes Unicode national characters, remove the check mark from the selection.

The default behavior is to remove invalid binary characters.

Import UDPs

A UDP (user-defined property) is usually defined with a property definition object that has a default value. The objects that the property applies to might also specify an explicit value or no value at all for this property, in which case the default value of the property definition applies.

InfoSphere® Information Server supports importing UDPs only by appending the property name and value to the description property of the object. To append the property name and value, even if implicit, to the description property of an object, select In description, migrate default values. If you select any other value for this parameter, the UDP information is not imported.

Append volumetric information

Select whether to import volumetric information (the number of occurrences) and append it to the description property. By default, the volumetric information is not imported.

Remove text formatting

Select this option if the model that you are importing was generated by PowerDesigner 8 or later.

PowerDesigner versions 7.0 to 7.5 store annotations as plain text, while versions 8 and later use rich text formatting (RTF). InfoSphere Information Server does not support the display of RTF text in descriptions.

Reverse role names

Select this option if you want the bridge to swap (reverse) the role names for each relationship in the model. By default, the role names are not reversed.

Qualify table names

For imports of physical data models, select this option to add the owner name to the table name, in the form owner_name.table_name. The owner name is added only for those tables where an owner name is specified in the source file.

Select this option if the design tool allows you to create tables with the same name in the same model. Otherwise, the tables with the same name are created as duplicate design tables when they are imported into the metadata repository.

Metadata consistency check

Perform a consistency check on the selected metadata before it is imported into the metadata repository. It is possible to save metadata in source tools in ways that cause problems when the assets are imported into the metadata repository or used in other tools. For example, a foreign key might have no connection to a primary key or to an alternate key. In some cases, the metadata might be so semantically inconsistent that the bridge cannot import it.

The metadata consistency check returns warnings and errors in the log file.

Basic check

The default. Performs the minimum consistency checks necessary to validate the metadata, including checking for missing relationships and foreign keys that are not connected to primary or alternate keys.

In some cases, the basic check might be more rigorous than necessary and you can ignore certain errors or warnings.

Detailed check

Performs the basic check plus more advanced semantic checks specific to the type of metadata that is imported. This level can be used when the source tool does not have the ability to validate the metadata.

No check

Use with extreme caution. Selecting this option could result in the import of duplicates or invalid identities and might cause serious problems with your use of suite tools and the metadata repository.