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The Data Modeler window generally uses the left side for navigation to find and select objects, and the right side to display information about selected objects.
The menus at the top contain some standard entries, plus entries for features specific to Data Modeler (see Menus for Data Modeler), as shown in the following figure.
You can use shortcut keys to access menus and menu items: for example Alt+F for the File menu and Alt+E for the Edit menu; or Alt+H, then Alt+C for Help, then Contents. You can also display the File menu by pressing the F10 key.
Icons under the menus perform actions relevant to what is currently selected for display on the right side of the window, such as the logical model, a relational model, or a data flow diagram. For example, for a relational model the icons include New Table, New View, Split Table, Merge Tables, New FK Relation, and Generate DDL. To see the name of any icon, hover the pointer over the icon. The actions for the icons are also available from the Object menu.
The left side of the Data Modeler window has an object browser with a hierarchical tree display for data modeling objects, as shown in the following figure.
To select an object in the object browser, expand the appropriate tree node or nodes, then click the object.
The right side of the Data Modeler window has tabs and panes for objects that you select or open, as shown in the following figure, which displays information about a deliberately oversimplified relational model for library-related data (the model developed in Data Modeler Tutorial: Modeling for a Small Database).
To switch among objects, click the desired tabs; to close a tab, click the X in the tab. If you make changes to an object and click the X, you are asked if you want to save the changes.
Related Topics
Data Modeler Concepts and Usage
Data Modeler Tutorial: Modeling for a Small Database
This topic explains menu items that are of special interest for Data Modeler .
File menu
Open: Opens a Data Modeler design that had been saved or exported. For more information, see Saving, Opening, Exporting, and Importing Designs.
Close: Closes the current design without exiting Data Modeler.
Import: Lets you import models from a variety of sources. For more information, see Saving, Opening, Exporting, and Importing Designs.
Export: Lets you export models to files that can be imported into a variety of data modeling tools. For more information, see Saving, Opening, Exporting, and Importing Designs.
Print: Prints the currently selected diagram.
Print Diagram: Saves the currently selected diagram to an image file of the type associated with the file extension that you specify (.png or.jpg), to a PDF file, or to a scalable vector graphics (.svg) file.
Recent Designs: Lets you open a Data Modeler design that you recently worked on.
Edit menu
Contains options related to the discovery of hidden foreign key relationships.
Create Discovered Foreign Keys: Displays any discovered hidden foreign key relationships in a relational model. (See Create Discovered Foreign Keys.)
Remove Discovered Foreign Keys: Removes any discovered foreign keys from the relational model diagram.
View menu
Contains options that affect what is displayed in the Data Modeler interface.
Browser: Displays the object browser, which shows data modeling objects in a hierarchical tree format.
Navigator: Displays a graphical thumbnail representation of the view that is currently selected in the right side of the window.
Log: Displays the Log pane with a record of Data Modeler actions.
View Details: Controls the level of detail in displays.
Logical Diagram Notation: Controls whether Barker or Bachman notation is used to display the logical model.
DDL File Editor: Lets you generate DDL statements for a selected physical model. Displays the DDL File Editor dialog box. (This command is equivalent to clicking the Generate DDL icon when a relational model is selected, or clicking Object, then Relational, then Generate DDL.)
Zoom In (and corresponding icon): Displays more detail, and potentially fewer objects, in the currently selected diagram.
Zoom Out (and corresponding icon): Displays less detail, and potentially more objects, in the currently selected diagram.
Fit Screen (and corresponding icon): Makes all relevant objects fit in the window for the currently selected diagram, adjusting the sizes of shapes and text labels as needed.
Find: Displays a dialog box for finding objects in the currently selected diagram. Useful for finding objects in large, complex diagrams.
Design menu
Contains options for generating models.
Engineer to Relational Model: Performs forward engineering: generates or updates a relational model from the logical model. You can also specify if the operation creates a subview.
Engineer to Logical Model: Performs reverse engineering: updates the logical model from the selected relational model.
Versioning menu
Contains options related to support for the Subversion version management and source control system. See Using Versioning for more information.
The commands on the Versioning menu depend on which version management and source control systems are available for use with Data Modeler.
Tools menu
Invokes Data Modeler tools and lets you set certain options (user preferences).
Domains Administration: Lets you view, modify, add, and delete domains. Displays the Domains Administration dialog box.
Types Administration: Lets you view, modify, add, and delete logical types. Displays the Types Administration dialog box.
RDBMS Site Administration: Lets you view RDBMS sites (names associated with supported types of databases), and to add your own names (aliases) for convenience in creating physical models. Displays the RDBMS Site Editor dialog box.
Table to View Wizard: Lets you create views based on tables in a selected relational model. Displays the Table to View wizard.
View to Table Wizard: Lets you create tables based on views in a selected relational model. Displays the View to Table wizard.
Name Abbreviations: Specifies a .csv file with strings to be changed in names of relational model objects (for example, to ensure the use of standard abbreviations or spellings). Displays the Name Abbreviations dialog box.
Glossary Editor: Lets you create a new glossary file (if you specify a file name that does not exist) or edit an existing glossary file. Displays a file selection dialog box, and then the Glossary Editor dialog box.
Design Rules: Lets you check your current design for violations of Data Modeler design rules. Displays the Design Rules dialog box.
Engineering Status: Displays the Engineering dialog box.
Compare/Merge Models: Lets you open a design file, compare a relational model from the file with a relational model in the current design, and merge objects from one model into the other. After you select the design file, the Relational Models dialog box is displayed.
General Options: Lets you customize the behavior of Data Modeler. Displays the Data Modeler dialog box.
Help menu
Displays help about Data Modeler.
Contents: Displays the Help Center window. In this window you can click these icons:
Keep on Top: Toggles whether to keep the Help Center window on top of the Data Modeler window.
Navigators: Lets you select the Contents or Favorites navigator.
Print: Prints the topic.
Change Font Size: Lets you increase or decrease the font size for the display of the current help topic.
Add to Favorites: Adds the topic to the list in the Favorites navigator.
Find: Lets you search for a string in the current help topic.
About: Displays version-related and other information about Data Modeler, its properties, and installed extensions.
The context menus (right-click menus) in the object browser and diagrams contain commands relevant for the object or objects selected.
In the object browser, if you right-click the logical model or a relational model, the context menu generally includes the following:
Set Classification Types: For entities or tables in a multidimensional model, lets you set the classification type for each: Fact, Dimension, Logging, Summary, or Temporary. (You can also specify colors to be used in diagrams for each classification type in the Diagram: Classification Types user preference.)
Apply Naming Standards to Keys and Constraints (relational models): Applies naming standardization rules specified for Naming Standard: Templates in the Naming Standard preferences to keys and constraints in the selected relational model.
Change Object Names Prefix: Specifies the new prefix to replace a specified current prefix for selected types of objects. Displays the Change Object Names Prefix dialog box.
Apply Custom Transformation Scripts: Displays the Custom Transformation Scripts dialog box, where you can select scripts to be applied. (For more information about custom transformation scripts, see Transformations.)
Discover Foreign Keys: Lets you discover foreign key relationships among tables in the relational model, and to create foreign keys. (See Create Discovered Foreign Keys.)
In diagrams, if you right-click outside any displayed object, the context menu generally includes the following:
Create Discovered Foreign Keys (relational model) Displays discovered hidden foreign key relationships in a relational model. (See Create Discovered Foreign Keys.)
Remove Discovered Foreign Keys (relational model): Removes any discovered foreign keys from the relational model diagram.
Create Subview: Creates a subview. (See also Logical Diagram and Subviews and Relational Diagram and Subviews.)
Create Display: Creates a separate display pane of the view or subview.
Auto Route: Toggles the setting of the Line Auto Route option (see Diagram under Data Modeler). You must disable Auto Route before you can adjust lines in diagrams, such as clicking and dragging edges and elbows (vertices) to move them, or Ctrl+clicking and dragging on an edge to create a new elbow. Note: If you then enable Auto Route, any manual adjustments are lost.
Straighten Lines (available only if Auto Route is disabled): Removes any elbows so that the line contains only the start and end points.
AutoLayout (relational and data flow diagrams): Rearranges the objects in the diagram to a layout that may be more meaningful and attractive. If you do not like the rearrangement, you can restore the previous layout by clicking Edit, then Undo AutoLayout.
View Details: Lets you view all available details for objects or only selected details.
Show: Grid displays a grid in the background, which can help you to align objects vertically and horizontally on the diagram; Labels displays the foreign key names on relationship arrows and the flow names on flow lines in data flow diagrams; Legend displays a legend box (which you can drag to move) containing the diagram name, author, creation date, and other information.
Resize Objects to Visible: Resized objects in the diagram so that all are visible in the display area.
Diagram Color: Displays a dialog box for selecting the color scheme for the background on diagrams.
Properties: Displays the dialog box for viewing and editing properties of the model.
In diagrams, if you right-click a line connecting two objects object, the context menu generally includes the following:
Delete: Removes the line and deletes the relationship represented by the line.
Straighten Lines (available only if Auto Route is disabled): Removes any elbows so that the line contains only the start and end points.
Format: Lets you change the width and color of the line.
Add Elbow (available only if Auto Route is disabled): Adds an elbow (vertex) at the selected point.
Remove Elbow (available only if Auto Route is disabled): Removes the selected elbow (vertex).
Properties: Displays the dialog box for viewing and editing properties of the relationship represented by the line.
In the logical and relational diagrams, if you select one or more entities or tables and right-click one of them, the context menu includes at least the following:
Create Subview from Selected: Creates a subview containing the selected objects. (See also Logical Diagram and Subviews and Relational Diagram and Subviews.)
Select Neighbors: Selects objects that are related to the selected object or objects. You can specify the selection direction: All (higher- and lower-level zones), Parent, or Child. You may want to select neighbors before creating a subview from the selection.
DDL Preview (relational diagrams): Shows the DDL statement that would be generated to create the object.
Format: Lets you specify colors and fonts for the selected objects.
Send to Back: Sends the selected objects to the back of the diagram display, which may cause them to be partially or completely covered by other objects.
Properties: Displays the dialog box for viewing and editing properties of the object.
In data flow diagrams, if you select one or more objects and right-click one of them, the context menu includes at least the following:
Delete: Deletes the selected object.
Format: Lets you specify colors and fonts for the selected objects.
Send to Back (for objects not represented by lines): Sends the selected objects to the back of the diagram display, which may cause them to be partly or completely covered by other objects.
Properties: Displays the dialog box for viewing and editing properties of the object.