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You can customize many aspects of the Data Modeler environment and interface by modifying user preferences according to your personal wishes and needs. To modify the user preferences, select Tools, then Preferences.
Search box: You can enter a string to limit the tree display to matching relevant preference groups.
Most preferences are self-explanatory, and this topic explains only those whose meaning and implications are not obvious. Some preferences involve performance or system resource trade-offs (for example, enabling a feature that adds execution time), and other preferences involve only personal aesthetic taste. The preferences are grouped in the following categories:
The Environment pane contains options that affect the startup and overall behavior and appearance of Data Modeler. You can specify that certain operations be performed automatically at specified times, with the trade-off usually being the extra time for the operation as opposed to the possibility of problems if the operation is not performed automatically (for example, if you forget to perform it when you should).
For example, changes to the undo level (number of previous operations that can be undone) and navigation level (number of open files) values may cause slight increases or decreases in system resource usage.
Automatically Reload Externally Modified Files: If this option is checked, any files open in Data Modeler that have been modified by an external application are updated when you switch back to Data Modeler, overwriting any changes that you might have made. If this option is not checked, changes that you make in Data Modeler overwrite any changes that might have been made by external applications.
Silently Reload When File Is Unmodified: If this option is checked, you are not asked if you want to reload files that have been modified externally but not in Data Modeler. If this option is not checked, you are asked if you want to reload each file that has been modified externally, regardless of whether it has been modified in Data Modeler.
Environment: Dockable Windows
The Dockable Windows pane configures the behavior of dockable windows and the shapes of the four docking areas of Data Modeler: top, bottom, left, and right.
Dockable Windows Always on Top: If this option is checked, dockable windows always remain visible in front of other windows.
Windows Layout: Click the corner arrows to lengthen or shorten the shape of each docking area.
Environment: Log
The Log pane configures the colors of certain types of log messages and the saving of log messages to log files.
Save Logs to File: If this option is checked, all output to the Messages - Log window is saved to log files, where the file name reflects the operation and a timestamp. You are also asked to specify a Log Directory; and if the specified directory does not already exist, it is created. Note that if you save log information to files, the number of these files can become large.
Maximum Log Lines: The maximum number of lines to store in each log file.
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The Data Modeler pane contains options that affect the startup and overall behavior and appearance of Data Modeler.
Default Designs Directory: The default directory or folder from which to open a design or in which to create a design.
Default Import Directory: The default directory or folder from which to import designs.
Show Log After Import: Controls whether a Log window is displayed after an import operation. The window contains informational messages and any warning or error messages.
Default Save Directory: The default directory or folder in which to save files.
Default System Types Directory: The default directory or folder for storing type definition files.
Default Reports Directory: The default directory or folder in which to generate Data Modeler Reports. If you do not specify a directory, the default is in datamodeler/reports
or datamodeler\reports
under the location where you installed Data Modeler. For example, on a Windows system this might be C:\Program Files\datamodeler\datamodeler\reports
.
Path to Saxon XSLT 2.0 Jar File: Path to the Saxon 2.0 XSLT processor, if you have downloaded the file and want Data Modeler to use it for generating reports (for example: C:\saxon9.3\saxon9he.jar
). If you do not specify this option, Data Modeler uses XSLT 1.0 in report generation. (To read about and download the Saxon XSLT processor, go to http://saxon.sourceforge.net/
.)
Show "Select Relational Models" Dialog: Controls whether the dialog box for selecting relational models to be included is displayed when you open a Data Modeler design. If this option is disabled, all relational models are included by default when you open a Data Modeler design.
Load Design Level Settings on 'Open Design': Controls whether to load any settings specific to that design when opening a design. If this option is disabled, any design-specific settings are ignored and the Data Modeler global settings are used.
Show Properties Dialog on New Object: Controls whether the Properties dialog box for objects of that type is displayed when you create a new model object.
Restore Previous Design Level Settings After 'Close Design': Controls whether to restore any setting specific to the previous current design after closing the current design. If this option is disabled, the Data Modeler global settings are restored.
Import: Lets you import Data Modeler preferences and other settings that had previously been exported, as explained in Exporting and Importing Preferences and Other Settings.
Export: Saves Data Modeler preferences and other settings to an XML file, so that you can later import the information, as explained in Exporting and Importing Preferences and Other Settings.
Other Data Modeler preferences are grouped into the following categories:
The DDL pane contains general options for Data Definition Language (DDL) statements in code to be generated.
Statement Termination Character for DB2 and UDB: Termination character for DDL for IBM DB2 and UDB databases.
Create Type Substitution Triggers for Oracle and UDB: Controls whether triggers are created for type substitutions in Oracle and IBM UDB physical models.
Create Arc Constraints: Controls whether triggers are created in generated DDL code to implement foreign key arc constraints.
Create Triggers for Non Transferable FK: Controls whether triggers are created for non-transferable foreign key relationships. (Whether a foreign key relationship is transferable is controlled by the Transferable (Updatable) option in the Foreign Key Properties dialog box.)
Show CHAR/BYTE Unit for Oracle Varchar2 and Char Types: Controls whether, for attributes of Oracle type CHAR or VARCHAR2, the unit (CHAR or BYTE) associated with the attribute length is included for columns based on the attribute in relational model diagrams and in generated CREATE TABLE statements.
Generate Short Form of NOT NULL Constraint: Controls whether to use a NOT NULL
constraint name in column definitions (in CREATE TABLE statements).
Use Quoted Identifiers: Controls whether object names are enclosed in double quotes in the generated DDL statements.
Create Domains During Import: Controls whether domains are created from data types during import operations.
Generate Comments in RDBMS: Controls whether Comment in RDBMS text is included in the generated DDL statements
Generate Inline Column Check Constraints: Controls whether the column check constraint clause is included inline (in the CREATE TABLE statement) or as separate constraint definition (in an ALTER TABLE statement).
Include Default Settings in DDL: Controls whether default keywords are included in the generated DDL statements when you have not specified a corresponding setting. This option is useful if you want to see every keyword that will be used in the generated statements.
Include Logging in DDL: Controls whether logging information is included in the generated DDL statements.
Include Schema in DDL: Controls whether object names are prefixed with the schema name (for example, SCOTT.EMP
as opposed to just EMP
) in the generated DDL statements.
Include Storage in DDL: Controls whether storage information is included in the generated DDL statements.
Include Tablespace in DDL: Controls whether tablespace information is included in the generated DDL statements.
SQL Formatting: Use SQL Developer Formatter: Controls whether SQL formatting uses the SQL Developer defaults or the traditional Data Modeler defaults. (You can try DDL generation with the option on and off to see which DDL output better suits your personal preference.)
DDL: DDL/Comparison
Lets you specify things to be considered or ignored in comparisons.
Use 'Data Type Kind' Property in Compare Functionality: Controls whether the data type kind (such as domain, logical type, or distinct type) should be considered to prevent types of different kinds from generating the same native data type (for example, preventing a domain and a logical type from resulting in Number(7,2)).
Use 'Schema' Property in Compare Functionality: Controls whether the schema name associated with an object should be considered when comparing two objects.
Use 'Columns Order' Property in Compare Functionality: Controls whether the order of columns should be considered when comparing two tables.
Case Sensitive Names in Compare Functionality: Controls whether the letter case in object names should be considered when comparing two objects.
DDL: DDL/Storage
Lets you specify storage options to be included in DDL for import and export operations. These options affect which clauses and keywords are included.
Including storage options provides produces more detailed DDL statements; this makes it clear exactly what options are in effect, and enables you to edit them in the DDL if you want. Excluding storage options produces more concise DDL statements, which you may find more readable.
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The Diagram pane contains general options that affect the appearance of model diagrams.
General: Synchronize with Tree: Controls whether the focus on an active diagram is automatically moved to reflect the selection of objects under that model in the object browser.
Diagram: Logical Model
Contains options that apply to the diagram of the logical model.
Notation Type: Notation type: Barker (sometimes called "crow's foot") or Bachman.
Box-in-Box Presentation for Entity Inheritances: Displays subtypes in a box inside their supertype's box.
Diagram: Relational Model
Contains options that apply to a diagram of a relational model.
Foreign Key Arrow Direction: Controls whether the arrowhead points toward the primary key or toward the foreign key in foreign key relationship arrows.
Related Topics
The Model pane contains options that apply to several types of models.
Default RDBMS Type: Default database type.
Default RDBMS Site: Default site within the default database type.
Columns and Attributes Defaults: Nulls Allowed: Controls whether new columns and attributes are allowed to have null values. If this option is disabled, new columns and attributes are by default mandatory (value required).
Preferred Domains and Logical Types: Enables you to limit the values displayed in drop-down lists of domains and logical types. (You can use this feature to prevent such lists from being "cluttered" with domains and logical types that you never specify.) To have a domain or logical type appear in drop-down lists, move it from the Preferred side to the All side.
Model: Logical
Contains options that apply to the logical model.
Relation Cardinality: Source Optional: Controls whether the source entity in a relationship must, by default, contain one or more instances. If this option is enabled, source instances are not required for all relationship types; if this option is disabled, one or more source instances are required for all relationship types.
Relation Cardinality: Target Optional: Controls whether the target entity in a relationship must, by default, contain one or more instances. If this option is enabled, target instances are not required for all relationship types; if this option is disabled, one or more target instances are required for all relationship types.
Use and Set First Unique Identifier as Primary Key: Controls whether, by default, the first unique identifier attribute is set as the primary unique identifier when you create an entity.
FK Attribute Name Synchronization: Keep as the Name of the Originating Attribute: Controls whether the supertype or referenced attribute must be used in unique identifier (foreign key) naming. To be able to specify some other name, deselect this option.
Model: Physical
Contains options that apply to a physical model. Different options apply to each supported type of database.
For DB2, you can specify a Naming Rule for several options, and can add a variable to any naming rule string that you enter. For example, for Create TableSpace for Each Table, you might type TBLS_
and then click Add Variable and select {model}
, causing each creation or renaming of a table to create or rename a corresponding tablespace to TBLS_
plus the table name.
Model: Relational
Contains options that apply to a relational model.
Delete FK Columns Strategy: Specifies what Data Modeler should do when you attempt to delete a table that has one or more generated foreign key columns (columns in other tables) pointing to it: delete the foreign key columns, do not delete the foreign key columns, or ask to confirm the foreign key column deletions.
For example, using the relational model in Data Modeler Tutorial: Modeling for a Small Database, if you delete the Books table, the Transactions table contains the book_id foreign key column that refers to the primary key of the Books table. Your choice for this option determines what happens to the Transactions.book_id column if you delete the Books table.
Default Foreign Key Delete Rule: Specifies what happens if a user tries to delete a row containing data that is involved in a foreign key relationship:
No Action causes an error message to be displayed indicating that deletion is not allowed; the deletion is rolled back.
Cascade deletes all rows containing data that is involved in the foreign key relationship.
Set Null sets the value to null if all foreign key columns for the table can accept null values.
Allow Columns Reorder During Engineering: If this option is enabled, Data Modeler can reorder the attributes of the associated entity when the table is engineered to the logical model, for example, to place attributes considered more important first. (This behavior can be especially useful with tables that contain many columns.) If this option is not enabled, entity attributes are placed in the same order as their associated columns in the table definition.
Synchronize Remote Objects When Model Is Loaded: If this option is enabled, then when a remote object (object in another model) are dropped into the diagram of a current model, the representation of the remote object is changed (synchronized) whenever the model is loaded to reflect any changes that may have been made to the remote object. If this option is not enabled, the representation of the remote object is not changed in the diagram.
Surrogate Column Data Type: Data type for surrogate column (unique key that is not the primary key), if a table has a surrogate key.
Model: Synchronization Physical
Contains options that apply to synchronizing a physical model of a specified database type with its associated relational model.
For each specified Type of object, you can specify whether to Synchronize it (that is, whether to have changes in the relational model to objects of the specified types be applied automatically in the associated physical models).
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The Search pane contains options that affect the behavior when you use the Find Object (Search) feature
Press Enter to Search: Returns matches (reflecting the search string that you have typed so far) when you press Enter.
Search as You Type: Returns matches after you type the first specified number of characters (symbols). If you continue typing, the matches are automatically updated for each additional character that you type.
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The SQL Formatter pane controls how statements are formatted in SQL scripts that are generated.
Import: Lets you import code style profile settings that you previously exported.
Export: Exports the current code profile settings to an XML file.
Autoformat PL/SQL in Procedures, Packages, Views, and Triggers: If this option is checked, the SQL Formatter options are applied automatically in generated PL/SQL code for procedures, packages, views, and triggers; if this option is not checked, the SQL Formatter options are applied only when you so request.
Panes for product-specific formatting options (Oracle Formatting and Other Vendors): Individual panes let you specify formatting options for Oracle and for other vendors (Microsoft Access, IBM DB2, Microsoft SQL Server, Sybase Adaptive Server). In each of these panes, you can click Edit to indicate alignment, indentation, line breaks, CASE line breaks, white space, and other options.
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The Third Party JDBC Drivers pane specifies drivers to be used for connections to third-party (non-Oracle) databases. Data Modeler needs to use a JDBC driver for some operations, such as obtaining metadata from the third-party database.
Oracle does not supply non-Oracle drivers. To access any non-Oracle databases that require the use of drivers other than ODBC/JDBC (which are included in Java), you must download the files for the necessary drivers, and then add them using this pane. To download drivers, use the appropriate link at the third-party site. For example:
For Microsoft SQL Server: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/data/aa937724.aspx
For IBM DB2/LUW, the IBM Data Server Driver for JDBC and SQLJ at: http://www-01.ibm.com/software/data/db2/linux-unix-windows/downloads.html
For each driver to be added, click the Add (+) icon and select the path for the driver.
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The Extensions pane determines which optional extensions Data Modeler uses when it starts. (Data Modeler also uses some mandatory extensions, which users cannot remove or disable.) If you change any settings, you must exit Data Modeler and restart it for the new settings to take effect.
For Versioning Support, the settings (selected or not, and configuration options if selected) affect whether the Versioning menu is displayed and the items on that menu.
Configure: Displays the Configure Extension dialog box.
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The Global Ignore List pane specifies filters that determine which files and file types will not be used in any processing.
New Filter: A file name or file type that you want to add to the list of files and file types (in the Filter box) that Data Modeler will ignore during all processing (if the filter is enabled, or checked). You can exclude a particular file by entering its complete file name, such as mumble.txt
, or you can exclude all files of the same type by entering a construct that describes the file type, such as *.txt
.
Add: Adds the new filter to the list in the Filter box.
Remove: Deletes the selected filter from the list in the Filter box.
Restore Defaults: Restores the contents of the Filter box to the Data Modeler defaults.
Filter: Contains the list of files and file types. For each item, if it is enabled (checked), the filter is enforced and the file or file type is ignored by Data Modeler; but if it is disabled (unchecked), the filter is not enforced.
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The Mouseover Popups pane specifies text to be displayed on hover-related mouse actions over relevant object names.
Popup Name: The type of information to be displayed: Data Values (value of the item under the mouse pointer, such as the value of a variable), Documentation (documentation on the item under the mouse pointer, such as Javadoc on a method call), or Source (source code of the item under the mouse pointer, such as the source code of a method).
Activate Via: Use action with the mouse cursor to activate the display: Hover, or Hover while pressing one or two specified modifier keys.
Description: Description of the associated Popup Name entry.
Smart Enabled: If this option is checked, then the text for the relevant type of information is displayed if Smart Popup is also checked.
Smart Popup: If this option is checked, the relevant text for the first smart-enabled popup is displayed for the item under the mouse pointer.
Related Topics
The Shortcut Keys pane enables you to view and customize the shortcut key (also called accelerator key) mappings for Data Modeler.
Hide Unmapped Commands: If this option is checked, only shortcut keys with mappings are displayed.
More Actions:
Export: Exports the shortcut key definitions to an XML file.
Import: Imports the shortcut key definitions from a previously exported XML file.
Load Keyboard Scheme: Drops all current shortcut key mappings and sets the mappings in the specified scheme. (This option was called Load Preset in previous releases.) If you have made changes to the mappings and want to restore the default settings, select Default.
Category: Lists commands and shortcuts grouped by specific categories (Code Editor, Compare, and so on), to control which actions are displayed.
Command: An action relevant to the specified category. When you select an action, any existing shortcut key mappings are displayed.
Shortcut: Any existing key mappings for the selected action. To remove an existing key mapping, select it and click Remove.
New Shortcut: The new shortcut key to be associated with the action. Press and hold the desired modifier key, then press the other key. For example, to associate Ctrl+J with an action, press and hold the Ctrl key, then press the j key. If any actions are currently associated with that shortcut key, they are listed in the Current Assignment box.
Conflicts: A read-only display of the current action, if any, that is mapped to the shortcut key that you specified in the New Shortcut box.
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Versioning preferences affect the behavior of the version control and management systems that you can use with Data Modeler. For information about using versioning with Data Modeler, see Using Versioning.
The Subversion pane specifies the Subversion client to use with Data Modeler.
Versioning: Subversion: Comment Templates
The Subversion: Comment Templates pane specifies templates for comments to be used with commit operations. For example, a template might contain text like the following:
Problem Description (with bug ID if any): Fix Description:
You can add, edit, and remove comment templates, and you can export templates to an XML file or import templates that had previously been exported.
Versioning: Subversion: General
The Subversion: General pane specifies environment settings and the operation timeout.
Use Navigator State Overlay Icons: If this option is enabled, state overlay icons are used. State overlay icons are small symbols associated with object names in the navigators. They indicate the state of version-controlled files (for example, "up to date").
Use Navigator State Overlay Labels: If this option is enabled, state overlay labels are used. State overlay labels are tooltips associated with object names in the navigators.
Automatically Add New Files on Committing Working Copy: If this option is enabled, any new files you have created in your working copy are automatically added to the Subversion repository whenever you commit any individual file. Otherwise, Subversion will not add new files when you commit changes; you must continue to add new files to Subversion explicitly.
Automatically Lock Files with svn:needs-lock Property After Checkout: If this option is enabled, files you check out from the repository are automatically locked, preventing other team members from checking them out until you release the files.
Use Merge Wizard for Subversion Merging: If this option is enabled, the Merge wizard rather than the Merge dialog box is invoked for merge requests.
Operation Timeout: Maximum number of seconds, minutes, or hours allowed for Subversion operations to complete.
Edit Subversion Configuration File: To modify the Subversion file directly, click Edit "server". You can make changes to server-specific protocol parameters such as proxy host, proxy port, timeout, compression, and other values. Lines beginning with # are interpreted as comments.
Versioning: Subversion: Version Tools
The Subversion: Version Tools pane specifies options for the pending changes window and the merge editor.
Use Outgoing Changes Commit Dialog: Enables you to make optimum use of limited screen space when the Pending Changes window is open. You can save screen space by not showing the Comments area of the Pending Changes window, but you might still want to add comments before a commit action. You can choose the circumstances under which the Commit dialog is opened: always, only when the Comments area of the Pending Changes window is hidden, or never.
Incoming Changes Timer Interval: The frequency at which the change status of files is checked.
Merge Editor: Specifies whether files are merged locally or at the server.
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The Web Browser and Proxy pane settings are relevant only if Data Modeler needs to access the World Wide Web (such as when you use the Check for Updates feature on the Help menu), and only if your system is behind a firewall.
Browser Command Line: To specify a Web browser other than your default browser, specify the executable file to start that browser. To use your default browser, leave this field blank.
Use HTTP Proxy Server: Check your Web browser options or preferences for the appropriate values for these fields.
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