Moving Objects from Package to Package

You can move an object from package to package using drag and drop feature.

Moving objects is different from cutting and pasting items, since you do not duplicate objects.

For entities containing data items, the following situations can occur when you move the entity:

Data items

Namespace

Move result

Only used by selected entity

Move within the same namespace

The data items are moved with the entity

Reused among different entities

Move within the same namespace

Shortcuts of data items are created for reused data items

Used only by one entity or reused among different entities

Change namespace

Data items are copied in the other namespace

For more information about shortcut and copy rules, see Creating Shortcuts.

Moving objects is restricted as follows:

  • Models must be compatible (same resource file)

  • Global objects (business rule, domain, storage etc.) cannot be moved into a sub-package

When you move an object from a package to another, linking objects that you move keep their links in the target package and a shortcut is usually created in the source package. The general rule being that conceptual modeling must be preserved.

Shortcuts creation rules in PowerDesigner also apply to moving objects between packages.

For more information about shortcuts creation, see Creating Shortcuts.

To move an object with a non-oriented link:

Source package

Moving result



In the source package, a shortcut of the moved entity is created:



In the target package, the moved entity is displayed:



To move an object with an oriented link:

Source package

Moving result



Example 1: Move TABLE_2

In the source package, a shortcut of the parent table (TABLE_2) is created:



In the target package, the parent table (TABLE_2) is displayed:



Example 2: Move TABLE_1

In the source package, only the parent table (TABLE_2) is displayed:



In the target package, the child table (TABLE_1) is displayed with the reference link and a shortcut is created for the parent table (TABLE_2):



  1. Select an object.
  2. Press Shift while dragging the object to the target package.

    The object is moved to the new destination and a shortcut is created either in the source package or in the destination package depending on the link type.