Attribute Properties

To view or edit an attribute's properties, double-click its Browser or list entry. The property sheet tabs and fields listed here are those available by default, before any customization of the interface by you or an administrator.

The General tab contains the following properties:

Note: Unlike the majority of PowerDesigner objects, entity attributes do not support new properties or other extensions.

Property	Description
Name/Code/Comment	Identify the object. The name should clearly convey the object's purpose to non-technical users, while the code, which is used for generating code or scripts, may be abbreviated, and should not normally include spaces. You can optionally add a comment to provide more detailed information about the object. By default the code is generated from the name by applying the naming conventions specified in the model options. To decouple name-code synchronization, click to release the = button to the right of the Code field.
Stereotype	Extends the semantics of the object. You can enter a stereotype directly in this field, or add stereotypes to the list by specifying them in an extension file.
Entity/ Association/ Inheritance	[read-only] Specifies the parent object. Click the tool to the right of the field to open its property sheet.
Data Item	[CDM only, read-only] Specifies the related data item (see Data Items (CDM)). Click the tool to the right of the field to open its property sheet.
Inherited from	[LDM only, read-only] Specifies the parent entity from which the attribute is migrated through an inheritance.
Data type/ Length/ Precision	Specifies the form of data to be stored, such as numeric, alphanumeric, or Boolean, and, where appropriate, the maximum number of characters or numerals that can be stored, and the maximum number of places after the decimal point. Click the ellipsis button to choose from the list of standard data types (see PowerDesigner Standard Data Types).
Domain	Specifies the domain associated with the object (see Domains (CDM/LDM/PDM)). Use the tools to the right of this field to create or browse to a domain, or to open the property sheet of the selected domain.
Primary Identifier	[entity attributes only] Specifies that the attribute is the primary identifier of the entity.
Displayed	[entity and association attributes] Displays the attribute in the object symbol.
Mandatory	Specifies that every object occurrence must assign a value to the attribute. Identifiers (see Identifiers (CDM/LDM)) are always mandatory.
Foreign identifier	[LDM only, read-only] Specifies that the attribute is the foreign identifier of the entity.

The following tabs are also available:

Standard Checks - Specifies constraints to control the range and format of permitted data (see Setting Data Profiling Constraints)
Additional Checks - Displays an editable SQL statement, initialized with the standard checks, which can be used to generate more complex constraints (see Specifying Advanced Constraints).
Rules - Lists the business rules associated with the object (see Business Rules (CDM/LDM/PDM)).