FKs to shortcuts?

[Former Member]

Hi all,

When I used to use PD, I would be in one model, create a shortcut from another model and then create FKs from that shortcut to tables within my model.  This represents cross-database RI in some database platforms and cross-schema RI in Oracle.

How do I accomplish that in PD?  The shortcut documentation says you can't make the shortcut a child of another entity.  That makes sense.  But nothing written as the shortcut being a parent to an entity.  Shouldn't I be able to do that/

[GeorgeMcGeachie]

You can still do that, Galen. You can drag a table from Model A onto a diagram in Model B, which will create a shortcut to that table. Now you can draw a reference in the usual way.

You can also pick a parent table from a different model (as long as the model is open) by clicking the 'select object' tool to the right of the parent table dropdown in the property sheet for a reference.

[Former Member]

Hi George and all,

I submitted a reply 2 days ago that included a Powerdesigner Workspace with 2 logical and 2 physical models.  The models had "Parent" and "Child" in their name with a "parent" table and a "child" table.  I guess it was never approved.

I am unable to do what you say can be done within logical models.  Physical models work just fine.

I can bring the child into the parents logical model as a shortcut and create the FK, but I cannot bring the parent into the child's logical model and create the FK.

I am using PD 16.5.5

[Former Member]

What would be the process for submitting a bug report on this?  In the Logical Model I copy an entity from one model and paste as shortcut into another model.  I then click the relationship Toolbox item, click on the shortcut and drag to another table to create a child FK to the shortcut.  I get the following message in the Output:

A shortcut to an object in another model (external shortcut) cannot serve as the child object for this kind of link.

The error itself is backward.  I'm trying to use the shortcut as the parent but it says I'm trying to use it as the child.  I do not have an issue doing this in the Physical Datamodel .  I'm using 16.5.5.0 (4693)

[Former Member]

I also generated Conceptual models and tried this.  Same issue

In a conceptual model I "pasted as shortcut" then I create an "Association".  I was able to create a association link from an entity in the model but unable to create an association link from that shortcut.  This seems to be more proof that shortcuts aren't working the way they would be expected?

This functionality only seems to be allowed in the Physical.  I truly do not want to use only Physical modeling with PD.  I truly want to be a higher level than physical with the modeling, but not having this functionality will force me to physical only.  At that point, I've lost a large selling point to PD vs Erwin.  Yes, PD is a far far superior tool to Erwin even if we only model with Physical models but I was going to use the functionality of having many models within a workspace and shortcuts between models giving us the enterprise views we lack here.  Without shortcuts, each schema/database is standalone.  We already have standalone with Erwin.  I wanted to redo all our 80 schemas into PD, saving each of them as separate models and then create an SSgA workspace which included them all.  So, the storage representation of the models would be as they are today, as standalone.  But, workspaces would allow me to bring them together.  The workspace and shortcuts would be an overwhelming selling point to the team.  To be able to see all our schemas as one big enterprise model would sell everybody on PD as the tool to migrate to.  And to be clear, this team I'm working with has over 15 years of using Erwin together as a team.  So, it is not an easy sell.  I'm trying to tip the scales so far to PD, that they cannot help but move.  Just seeing some of the functionality, some of the team members already want to experiment with it.  I want it to be "We have to have that!"  Shortcuts were my selling point.

[GeorgeMcGeachie]

Does your SAP id allow you to submit support cases? Your local administrator (possibly in procurement ) should be able to help you get the right privilege.

[Former Member]

Hi George,

I asked someone here at State Street to enter a bug report.  He is away on vacation.  Hopefully when he gets back he can do so.