Creating a Data Source to Access Your Database

In order for PowerDesigner to connect to your database, you must create a data source from within PowerDesigner or using the ODBC Data Source Administrator.

The instructions given here are for creating an ODBC machine data source for SQL Anywhere. For information about creating other data sources for other DBMSs, see Core Features Guide > Modeling with PowerDesigner > Getting Started with PowerDesigner > Connecting to a Database.

Note: In order to create a data source on a Windows 7 machine, you may need to launch PowerDesigner or the ODBC Data Source Administrator by right-clicking its icon or menu item and selecting Run as administrator.
  1. Click the Select a Data Source tool on the Repository Definition dialog, then select ODBC machine data source and click Configure. On the ODBC Machine Data Sources tab of the Configure Data Connections dialog, click the Add Data Source tool, then select System Data Source and click Next.

    Alternately, to create a data source using the ODBC Data Source Administrator, select Start > Settings > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Data Sources (ODBC), select the System DSN tab, and then click Add.

    Note: In a 64-bit environment, you must use the 32-bit version of the ODBC Administrator tool, because PowerDesigner cannot connect to 64-bit ODBC DSNs (see Windows 64-Bit Support).
  2. Select SQL Anywhere 12 and click Next, and then click Finish to create the data source.
  3. On the ODBC tab of the ODBC Configuration for SQL Anywhere dialog, enter an appropriate name such as PD Repository in the Data source name field.
  4. Click the Login tab and enter the following values:
    Parameter Value
    Authentication Select Database.
    User ID Enter the administrator name you chose when creating the database (see Creating a Database to Contain the Repository).
    Password Enter the administrator password you chose when creating the database.
    Action Select the appropriate action:
    • Start and connect to a database on this computer
    • Start and connect to a database on another computer
    Database file Browse to and select your database file.
    Database name Enter an appropriate name such as PD Repository.
    Server name Enter an appropriate name such as PD Repository.
    Start line Enter "C:\Program Files\SQL Anywhere 12\Bin32\dbsrv12.exe" (including the quotation marks).
    Stop database after last disconnect Deselect this option if you want the repository to continue to be available after you disconnect from it.
  5. Click OK to complete the configuration of the data source.
Parent topic: Installing the Repository to the Server