New Core Features v15.2

PowerDesigner v15.2 includes new core features available for all models.

Generating Objects to Other Models

You can now define your own generations of any modeling object to any other modeling object. These new object generations work in the same way as the standard PowerDesigner model generations but are completely configurable and allow you to generate only the objects you need to any kind of model. Generation links between the source and target (generated) objects mean that you can keep the linked models synchronized.

Documented in:
  • Core Features Guide > Linking and Synchronizing Models > Generating Models and Model Objects

Excel Import

There is new support for importing lists of objects and object properties from Excel spreadsheets to any model type via the File > Import menu. A simple wizard walks you through mapping your Excel lists and columns to PowerDesigner objects and properties.

Documented in:
  • Core Features Guide > The PowerDesigner Interface > Objects > Importing Objects from Excel Files

Autosave

A new option instructs PowerDesigner to autosave your changes to a recovery backup file at a configurable interval to let you recover your work in the event that your modeling session exits abnormally.

Documented in:
  • Core Features Guide > The PowerDesigner Interface > Customizing Your Modeling Environment > General Options

Naming Conventions

Camel case and headless camel case are now supported for code naming conventions. Changes to name to code conversion scripts can now be applied immediately to currently synchronized (or all) objects.

Documented in:
  • Core Features Guide > The PowerDesigner Interface > Customizing Your Modeling Environment > Naming Conventions

Dependency Matrix Enhancements

The following enhancements are available for dependency matrices:
  • Export the matrix to an Excel file
  • Enhanced filtering of rows and columns with persistent filtering
  • Vertical column headers available
  • Row heights and column widths are persisted
  • Extensions now treated as standard objects
  • WYSIWYG print preview and improved printing
Documented in:
  • Core Features Guide > Diagrams, Matrices, and Symbols > Dependency Matrices

More Diagrams with Customizable Display Preferences

Extended objects, packages, and all the objects in the following kinds of diagrams now have completely customizable display preferences, which allow you to display any of their attributes and collections in any order that you want on their diagram symbols:
  • Enterprise Architecture Model - All diagrams
  • Business Process Model:
    • Business Process Diagram
    • Process Hierarchy Diagram
  • Conceptual Data Model - All diagrams
  • Logical Data Model - All diagrams
  • Physical Data Model - All diagrams
  • Data Movement Model:
    • Transformation Control Flow Diagram
  • Object-Oriented Model - All diagrams
Documented in:
  • Core Features Guide > Customizing Your Modeling Environment > Display Preferences

RTF Formatting Preserved in HTML Reports

RTF formatting including images, tables, hyperlinks and font formatting are preserved in the generation of HTML reports.

New Object Mappings

Object mappings are now supported in both directions between the following kinds of models:
  • LDM-OOM
  • LDM-PDM
  • LDM-CDM
Documented in:
  • Core Features Guide > Linking and Synchronizing Models > Object Mappings

Improvements to Metamodel Extensions

Many improvements have been made to PowerDesigner's support for metamodel extensions (see Customizing and Extending PowerDesigner > Extending Your Models with Profiles), including:
  • Exclude standard metaclasses from the interface to simplify your working environment (see Metaclasses (Profile) > Metaclass Properties )
  • Specify a display label and default columns when displaying a collections as a property sheet tab (see Extended Collections and Compositions (Profile) > Extended Collection/Composition Properties )
  • Specify display labels for custom forms and collections in the interface (see Extended Collections and Compositions (Profile) > Extended Collection/Composition Properties )
  • Specify a format for text extensions to obtain format-specific editors (see Extended Attributes (Profile) > Extended Attribute Properties)
  • Specify a display label for, and associate contextual help with, custom forms (see Forms (Profile) > Form Properties)
  • Specify icons on tool buttons calling methods on custom forms (see Forms (Profile) > Adding Extended Attributes and Other Controls to Your Form > Form Control Properties )
  • Finer-grained control over the format and content of custom symbols (see Core Features Guide > The PowerDesigner Interface > Diagrams and Symbols > Manipulating Symbols > Symbol Format Properties)

New Environments

The following new environments are supported:
  • Windows 7
  • Windows 2008 Server
  • Eclipse v3.5
Parent topic: New Features v15.2