Applying Pre- and Post- Generation Transformations

Click the Enable transformations button on the Model Generation Options Detail tab to display additional tabs for selecting transformations to apply to the source model objects before generation and to apply to generated objects after generation.

In order to apply transformations, you must have either defined transformation profiles in your model's language definition file (for PDM, OOM, BPM, or XSM) or in an extension file (see Customizing and Extending PowerDesigner > Extension Files > Transformations (Profile)).

  1. Select Tools > Generate Model to open the Model Generation Options dialog.
  2. Click the Enable transformations button on the Detail tab to display the Extensions tab, the Pre-generation tab (if your model has transformations defined) and the Post-generation tab (if you are updating an existing model that has transformations defined).
  3. Click the Extensions tab to select extensions containing transformations.
  4. Click the Pre-generation tab and select the profiles and transformations to be applied before generation. If you deselect a profile, none of its transformations will be executed. You can drag and drop profiles to modify the order of execution of transformations.


  5. Click the Post-generation tab and select the profiles and transformations to be applied after generation.
  6. Click OK to begin the generation. The following steps are performed:
    1. The object tree of the source model is traversed from the model object down and, for each type of object for which one or more pre-generation transformation profiles is defined, each profile is applied in the order in which they appear on the tab, with each transformation being applied in the order in which they are defined in the profile.
    2. The transformed source model is generated to the target model.
    3. The object tree of the generated target model is traversed and type of object and, for each type of object for which one or more post-generation transformation profiles is defined, each profile is applied in the order in which they appear on the tab, with each transformation being applied in the order in which they are defined in the profile.
    Note: You can apply post-generation transformation profiles to your model at any time by selecting Tools > Apply Transformations (see Applying Transformations to Objects).
Parent topic: Generating Models