Relationship Checks (CDM/LDM)

PowerDesigner provides default model checks to verify the validity of relationships.

Check

Description and Correction

Name/Code contains terms not in glossary

[if glossary enabled] Names and codes must contain only approved terms drawn from the glossary.
  • Manual correction - Modify the name or code to contain only glossary terms.
  • Automatic correction - None.

Name/Code contains synonyms of glossary terms

[if glossary enabled] Names and codes must not contain synonyms of glossary terms.
  • Manual correction - Modify the name or code to contain only glossary terms.
  • Automatic correction - Replaces synonyms with their associated glossary terms.

Name/Code uniqueness

Object names must be unique in the namespace.
  • Manual correction - Modify the duplicate name or code.
  • Automatic correction - Appends a number to the duplicate name or code.

Reflexive dependency

A dependency means that one entity is defined through a relationship with another. A dependent relationship cannot therefore be reflexive.

  • Manual correction: Change or delete the reflexive dependency.

  • Automatic correction: None.

Reflexive mandatory

A reflexive mandatory relationship exists.

  • Manual correction: Deselect the Mandatory check boxes for the relationship to be non-mandatory.

  • Automatic correction: None.

Bijective relationship between two entities

There is a bijective relationship between two entities when there is a two-way one to one relationship between the entities. This is equivalent to a merge of two entities.

  • Manual correction: Merge the entities or modify the relationship.

  • Automatic correction: None.

Name uniqueness constraint between many-to-many relationships and entities

A many-to-many relationship and an entity cannot have the same name or code.

  • Manual correction: Change the name or code of the many-to-many relationship or the name or code of the entity. If you do not, PDM generation will rename the generated table.

  • Automatic correction: None.

Consistency between dominant and dependent relationships

A dependent relationship between entities cannot also be a dominant relationship.

  • Manual correction: Select the Dominant check box on the other (correct) side of the relationship.

  • Automatic correction: None.

Identifier link from child entity

[Barker notation CDM only] A child entity may not be dependant on any entity other than its parents.

  • Manual correction: Remove the dependant relationship with the non-parent.

  • Automatic correction: None

'Many-many' relationships

[LDM only] 'Many-to-many' relationships are not permitted.

  • Manual correction: Create an intermediary entity, which contains the primary identifiers of the previous 'many-to-many' entities.

  • Automatic correction: None.