Business model files

To model your entity and event types, you create a business model (.bmd) file and write the business definitions and statements.

In business model files, you define entity types, event types, concepts, and their attributes by using a business model syntax. You can create one or more business model files. For example, you can have a business model file for entity types, and another file for event types.

The business model files are created in the business object model (BOM) project. The BOM is automatically created and updated when you save the business model files. The business model files and the BOM are automatically synchronized so that updates in the definitions are reflected in the BOM.

Attention: You can navigate and view the generated event and entity types in the BOM editor. However, if you need to update or edit your entity and event types use the .bmd file.

Editors

You write the business definitions in the Business Model Definitions editor. The editor provides auto-completion and quick fixes. As you write the definitions for your entity types, event types, concepts, and enumerations, they become available in the content assist box of the editor.

The completion menu proposes the available constructs, and the objects that are defined in the BOM. If you define a new concept, you must save the file to make it visible in the completion menu.

Important: The syntax is flexible, and in some cases the completion menu might propose terms and phrases that can lead to invalid syntax.

You can also navigate quickly within your business model definitions from the Outline view.

After you write the definitions, you can write business statements in the Business Model Statements editor.

Definition structure

A definition contains one or more phrases. The first phrase of a definition defines the nature of the concept (entity, event, or simple concept). The phrases that follow complete the definition by specifying the attributes and the relationships to other concepts. Each phrase starts with the name of the concept and ends with a period.

The following example is the definition of an entity named "ticket". The identifier for the ticket entity is the ticket number. The ticket entity has a price attribute that is a number. The ticket entity has relationships to the trip and customer entities, and to the seating category and status enumerations. 

a ticket is a business entity identified by a ticket number. 
a ticket has a price (numeric).
a ticket is related to a trip.
a ticket is related to a customer.
a ticket has a seating category.
a ticket has a status.