Physical Options

A physical option is a parameter (included at the end of a Create statement) that defines how an object is optimized or stored in a database. Physical options are not supported by all databases, and vary by DBMS. In ASA 6, for example, you can define physical options for tables, columns, indexes, tablespaces, and databases. Other DBMSs provide options for keys, storages, and sequences.

The syntax for a physical option depends on the DBMS. For example, in Oracle, the tablespace option syntax is Tablespace, while in Sybase Adaptive Server Anywhere, it is In.

You can specify default physical options for all the objects in the model and override these defaults for specific objects.

When you change DBMS, the physical options selected are preserved as far as possible. If a specific physical option was selected, the default value is preserved for the option in the new DBMS. Unselected physical options are reset with the new DBMS default values.

For detailed information about the syntax of physical options and how they are specified, see "Physical Options" in Customizing and Extending PowerDesigner > DBMS Definition Files.

• Defining Default Physical Options
  Default physical options define physical options for all the objects of a particular type in the model.
• Defining Physical Options for Individual Objects
  You can set physical options for selected objects to override the default physical options.