Reverse Engineering from Scripts

PowerDesigner can reverse engineer a PDM for one or more SQL script files. The script will normally be the script used to generate the database but can also include other scripts.

1. To reverse engineer a script into an existing PDM, select Database > Update Model from Database.

   or

   To reverse engineer a script and create a new PDM, select File > Reverse Engineer > Database to open the New Physical Data Model dialog box. Specify a model name, choose a DBMS from the list, and then click OK.

2. When the Database Reverse Engineering Options dialog opens, click the Using script files radio button.
   
   
   

   The following tools are provided to help with script selection:

   Tool	Description
   	Add Files – Opens a dialog box to allow you to browse for scripts files. You can add as many files as necessary.
   	Move Up – Moves the selected file(s) up one row. This tool is grayed if the selected file(s) are at the top of the list.
   	Move Down - Moves the selected file(s) down one row. This tool is grayed if the selected file(s) are at the bottom of the list.
   	Clear All - Deletes all files from the list.

   Note:

   You can add as many script files as necessary to the list. The reverse engineering process handles files sequentially. Trigger scripts must always be executed after table scripts. This is the only constraint for ordering your files in the list, but it is essential for a successful reverse engineering of triggers.

3. Click the Options tab to specify any reverse engineering options (see Reverse Engineering Options Tab).
4. Click the Target Models tab to specify any external shortcuts (see Reverse Engineering Target Models tab).
5. Click OK to begin the process of reverse engineering. When the process is complete, a confirmation message is given in the Output window. If you are reverse engineering to an existing PDM, then the Merge Models dialog box opens to help you merge the new objects into your PDM.