DBMS Definition Files

A DBMS definition file is a PowerDesigner resource file that provides PowerDesigner with the information necessary to model, reverse-engineer, and generate a particular DBMS.

PowerDesigner provides definition files for most popular DBMSs. The DBMS definition files are located in install_dir/Resource Files/DBMS, and have an .xdb extension.

• Opening your Target DBMS Definition File in the Target Editor
  You can consult or modify a DBMS definition file using the Resource Editor. When you select a category or an item in the left-hand pane, the name, value, and related comment appear in the right side of the dialog box.
• Managing Generation and Reverse Engineering
  PowerDesigner supports reverse engineering and generation through both scripts and live database connections.
• General Category
  The General category is located directly beneath root, and contains the following items:
• Script/Sql Category
  The SQL category is located in the RootScript category. Its sub-categories define the SQL syntax for the DBMS
• Script/Objects Category
  The Objects category is located in the RootScriptSQL category (and, possibly within RootODBCSQL), and contains the following items that define the database objects that will be available in your model.
• Script/Data Type Category
  The Data Type category provides mappings to allow PowerDesigner to handle DBMS-specific data types correctly.
• Profile Category (DBMS)
  The Profile category is used to extend standard PowerDesigner objects. You can refine the definition, behavior, and display of existing objects by creating extended attributes, stereotypes, criteria, forms, symbols, generated files, etc, and add new objects by creating and stereotyping extended objects and sub-objects.
• Physical Options
  In some DBMSs, physical options are used to specify how an object is optimized or stored in a database. You define physical options in object property sheets on the following tabs:
• PDM Variables and Macros
  The SQL queries recorded in the DBMS definition file items make use of various PDM variables. These variables are replaced with values from your model when the scripts are generated, and are evaluated to create PowerDesigner objects during reverse engineering.