Data Modeler User Interface

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.

Top of the window: menus and icons

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.

Left side of window: navigation

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).

Right side of the window: details about selected objects

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

Menus for Data Modeler

Context Menus

Data Modeler

Data Modeler Concepts and Usage

Data Modeler Tutorial: Modeling for a Small Database

Menus for Data Modeler

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:

About: Displays version-related and other information about Data Modeler, its properties, and installed extensions.

Context Menus

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:

In diagrams, if you right-click outside any displayed object, the context menu generally includes the following:

In diagrams, if you right-click a line connecting two objects object, the context menu generally includes the following:

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:

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: