Upgrading PowerDesigner

This topic provides guidance on issues relating to Office add-ins, the license server, and resource files, which may arise when upgrading PowerDesigner.

Repository branches - Prior to v16.1, the repository browser only supported displaying a single branch at a time. When you upgrade an existing repository to v16.1 or higher, all branches will become, by default, visible for all users. You may wish to simplify viewing the repository by deleting documents and branches that are no longer used, by using permissions to hide certain branches from users or groups who have no need of them, or by migrating active models to a new repository (see Post-Upgrade Cleanup for a Repository Containing Branches).
Office add-ins - Though PowerDesigner v15.x and v16.x can be installed together on the same workstation, after the installation of v16.x, the add-ins supporting importing from MS Word and Visio will only function for v16.x.
License Server - In general, you can serve licenses for clients using PowerDesigner v15.x and v16.x from the same SySAM license server. However, if you want to support heterogeneous versions of the Data Architect package (which is only available as an upgrade to v16.x and not as a new purchase), you will need to install a second license server on another machine and plan to serve the licenses associated with each version from a separate server.
Resource Files - DBMS and language definition files and other resource files provided with PowerDesigner are constantly evolving. If you have not edited the resource files delivered with a previous version of PowerDesigner, then the upgrade to the latest version will happen silently.

If you have edited a definition file or other resource file from a previous version, then it will continue to work with the new version. However, we advise you to use the Compare tool to review the differences between your file and the file delivered with the new version and, if appropriate, merge them to obtain bug fixes or new features. For information about comparing and merging resource files, see Customizing and Extending PowerDesigner > PowerDesigner Resource Files.

If you have stored resource files from a previous version in the repository then you must check them in again under the new version before you can continue to use them. Resource files can now be stored in the library and pushed to users (see Core Features Guide > Administering PowerDesigner > Deploying an Enterprise Glossary and Library > Deploying an Enterprise Library > Sharing Resource Files via the Library).

Note: To comply with recent Microsoft recommendations, PowerDesigner no longer allows you to save resource files inside the Program Files folder, and will propose an alternative location if you try to do so, adding the selected directory to the list of paths for that type of resource file. Resource files previously saved inside Program Files may no longer be available, as Windows Vista or Windows 7 actually store them in a virtual mirror at, for example, C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files\Sybase\PowerDesigner 16\Resource Files\DBMS. To restore these files to your lists, optionally move them to a more convenient path, and add their location to your list using the Path tool.