Working with PowerDesigner Resource Files

The PowerDesigner® modeling environment is powered by XML-format resource files, which define the objects available in each model along with the methods for generating and reverse-engineering them. You can view, copy, and edit the provided resource files and create your own in order to customize and extend the behavior of the environment.

The following types of resource files are provided:

Definition file: define the standard objects available in a model:
- DBMS definition files (.xdb) - define a specific DBMS in the PDM (see DBMS Definition Files).
- Process language definition files (.xpl) – define a specific business process language in the BPM (see Object, Process, and XML Language Definition Files).
- Object language definition files (.xol) - define a specific object-oriented language in the OOM (see Object, Process, and XML Language Definition Files).
- XML language definition files (.xsl) - define a specific XML language in the XSM (see Object, Process, and XML Language Definition Files).
Extension files (.xem) – extend the standard definitions of target languages to, for example, specify a persistence framework or server in an OOM. You can create or attach one or more XEMs to a model (see Extension Files).
Report templates (.rtp) - specify the structure of a report. Editable within the Report Template Editor (see Core Features Guide > The PowerDesigner Interface > Reports).
Report language files (.xrl) – translate the headings and other standard text in a report (see Translating Reports with Report Language Resource Files).
Impact and lineage analysis rule sets (.rul) - specify the rules defined for generating impact and lineage analyses (see Core Features Guide > Linking and Synchronizing Models > Impact and Lineage Analysis).
Object permission profiles (.ppf) - customize the PowerDesigner interface to hide models, objects, and properties (see Core Features Guide > Administering PowerDesigner > Customizing the PowerDesigner Interface).
User profiles (.upf) - store preferences for model options, general options, display preferences, etc (see Core Features Guide > The PowerDesigner Interface > Customizing Your Modeling Environment > User Profiles).
Model category sets (.mcc) - customize the New Model dialog to guide model creation (see Core Features Guide > Administering PowerDesigner > Customizing the PowerDesigner Interface > Customizing the New Model Dialog).
Conversion tables (.csv) - define conversions between the name and code of an object (see Core Features Guide > The PowerDesigner Interface > Objects > Object Properties > Naming Conventions).

These resource files are based upon the PowerDesigner public metamodel (see The PowerDesigner Public Metamodel).

You can review all the available resource files from the lists of resource files, available by selecting Tools > Resources > Type.

The following tools are available on each resource file list:

Tool	Description
	Properties - Opens the resource file in the Resource Editor.
	New - Creates a new resource file using an existing file as a model (see Creating and Copying Resource Files).
	Save - Saves the selected resource file.
	Save All - Saves all the resource files in the list.
	Path - Browses to the directory which contains the resource files.
	Compare - Selects two resource files for comparison (see Comparing Resource Files).
	Merge - Selects two resource files for merging (see Merging Resource Files).
	Check In - [if the repository is installed] Checks the selected resource file into the repository. For information about storing your resource files in the repository, see Core Features Guide > Administering PowerDesigner > Deploying Shared Resources.
	Update from Repository - [if the repository is installed] Checks out a version of the selected file from the repository to your local machine.
	Compare with Repository - [if the repository is installed] Compares the selected file with a resource file stored in the repository.

Opening Resource Files in the Editor
When working with a BPM, PDM, OOM, or XSM, you can open the definition file that controls the objects available in your model in the Resource Editor for viewing and editing. You can also open and edit any extension files currently attached to or embedded in your model or access the appropriate list of resource files and open any PowerDesigner resource file.
Navigating and Searching in Resource Files
The tools at the top of the Resource Editor help you to navigate through and search in the resource file.
Editing Resource Files
When you right-click a category or an entry in the resource file tree view, the following editing options appear:
Saving Changes
If you make changes to a resource file and then click OK to close the resource editor without having clicked the Save tool, the changes are saved in memory, the editor is closed and you return to the list of resource files. When you click Close in the list of resource files, a confirmation box is displayed asking you if you really want to save the modified resource file. If you click Yes, the changes are saved in the resource file itself. If you click No, the changes are kept in memory until you close the PowerDesigner session.
Sharing and Embedding Resource Files
Resource files can be shared and referenced by multiple models or copied to and embedded in a single model. Any modifications that you make to a shared resource are available to all models using the resource, while modifications to an embedded resource are available only to the model in which it is embedded. Embedded resource files are saved as part of their model and not as a separate file.
Creating and Copying Resource Files
You can create a new resource file in the appropriate resource file list. To create a copy of an existing resource file, select it in the Copy from field of the New... dialog.
Comparing Resource Files
You can select two resource files and compare them to highlight the differences between them.
Merging Resource Files
You can select two resource files of the same kind and merge them. Merge is performed from left to right, the resource file in the right pane is compared to the resource file in the left pane, differences are highlighted and merge actions are proposed in the right hand resource file.
The PowerDesigner Public Metamodel
A metamodel describes the elements of a model, and the syntax and semantics of their manipulation. Where a model is an abstraction of data, and can be described using metadata, the metamodel is an abstraction of that metadata.