ER/Studio - Embarcadero Technologies Product Documentation

USING ER/STUDIO > DEVELOPING THE LOGICAL MODEL
• While subtypes can be specified as complete or incomplete, you’ll get a visual indication of it only in IDEF1X. To
see the distinction in IE (Crow’s feet) you can view it in the Subtype Cluster Editor, or use a naming convention or
color as a mnemonic.
• IE is more flexible in supporting subtypes, permitting roll up (generalization) and roll down (specialization)
transformations.
Resolving Name Duplication in Parent and Child Entities (Unification)
The Duplicate Attribute Editor displays when you create or rename primary key attributes, relationships, or foreign
keys and it duplicates existing attributes, columns, or foreign keys in child tables or entities. For example, if you have
two entities called Parent and Child where Parent has a primary key called Key and Child also has an attribute called
Key, when you create a relationship from Parent to Child, then the Duplicate Native Attribute Editor launches where
you must decide how to handle the propagated attributes.
NOTE: If the child entity has a foreign key with the same name as the parent entity, the Duplicate Attribute
Editor launches if you have selected Prompt to Resolve FK Columns on the Application tab of the
Options editor. Select Tools > Options.
TIP: The option, Allow Unification when Editing Names on the Options Editor - Name Handling tab
allows you to change the role names of foreign attribute or columns to the same names as other
attributes or columns in the same Entity or Table.
Attribute Name Editing Options
The following describes the options and functionality on the Duplicate Attribute Editor:
• Propagating Attributes to Resolve: Displays a list of the Attributes/Columns that are duplicates. Select the
propagating attribute that you want to resolve then select the way you want to propagate.
• Replace Native Attribute with propagating Attribute: If selected, ER/Studio replaces the attribute in the child
with the propagated foreign key attribute. If the relationship is deleted from the main model, ER/Studio removes
the propagated attribute and original native attribute from the child entity.
• Rolename propagating Attribute: If selected, you can rename the foreign key so that the native attribute in the
child entity can still exist with its original name. After propagation, both attributes will exist in the child entity.
• Change Native Attribute Name to allow propagating Attribute Name: If selected, you can rename the original
native attribute in the child entity so that the attribute name from the parent entity can be used for the foreign key.
After propagation, both attributes will exist in the child entity.
• Unify Native Attribute with propagating Attribute: If selected, ER/Studio unifies the propagating foreign with
the native attribute in the child table. If the relationship is later deleted, ER/Studio leaves the native child attribute.
Examples of Duplicate Name Resolutions
The following examples illustrate how duplicate names are resolved depending on the options chosen in the Duplicate
Attribute Editor dialog.
EMBARCADERO TECHNOLOGIES > ER/STUDIO® 8.0.3 USER GUIDE 140