Conceptual Modeling Diagram Elements

Go Up to Property Views

There are five Conceptual Data Modeling diagram elements: Subject Area, Business Entity, Business Attribute Interaction, and Relationship.

Subject Area

Use the following table to understand the Property View fields available for a Subject Area Object.

Property View	Description
General
Name	Label that appears for an element both in the Model View tree and in the diagram. You can edit this label.
Description	A text box where you can enter information describing or defining the project. Right-click text to open a shortcut menu. You can cut, copy, paste, and delete selected text within the Description text box. You can paste plain text from external applications. You can undo any action and you can select all text by pressing Ctrl+A. The following formatting options are available for the text: Bold, Italics, Underscore, and Strikethrough. You can also change the font color as well as the background color.
Notes	A text box where you can annotate the element with additional information. Right-click text to open a shortcut menu. You can cut, copy, paste, and delete selected text within the Notes text box. You can paste plain text from external applications. You can undo any action and you can select all text by pressing Ctrl+A. The following formatting options are available for the text: Bold, Italics, Underscore, and Strikethrough. You can also change the font color as well as the background color.
Mappings
Create Mapping	Click to open the Create Mapping dialog.
Edit Target	Click to open the Property View for the targeted element.
Remove Target from Mapping.	The deleted target is no longer mapped.
Links
Add Link	Opens the Create Link wizard. This wizard allows you to create conceptual or usage links between elements.
Edit Link	Opens the property view for the selected link.
Delete Link	Deletes the selected link (either the link or the link target).
Show Selected Links on Active Diagram	Once you have created a link in the Diagram View, click this icon to display the links for the selected object in the diagram.
Expand All	Expands all the nodes in the tree.
Collapse All	Collapses all the nodes in the tree.
Refresh Links	Updates all the nodes in the Link Report.
Usage (CRUD)
Usage	The header displays the name of the linked element and the status of the filter (on or off). Receivers. Displays a list of the elements with usages (receivers). You can select multiple receivers in this list and delete all the receivers that are selected. Usage. Displays the usage setting (C, R, U, D). You can change the Usage attributes in this column and this change is reflected in the diagram. For example, you can change a C (Create) type to a U (Update) type. Usage Description. Displays the information entered in the Description text field for the target object of the usage. For example, if a usage was drawn between a task and a Data Store object, the description of the Data Store object is displayed. If there are no links or all the links have been filtered out, you are given the information that "No usages are defined for this element" in the Receivers column.
Add Usage	Opens the Create Usage wizard where you can create a new usage.
Edit Usage	When you select a Receiver in the table, the edit option becomes available. Click this to open the Usage edit tab where you can edit the name of the usage. The default name is Usage. You can also change the usage settings (Create, Read, Update, and Delete).
Delete	When you select a Receiver in the table, the delete option becomes available. This action removes the selected receiver from the usage.
Show Selected Usages	When you select a Receiver in the table, the Show Selected Usages option () becomes available. Click this icon to display the usage for the selected receiver in the diagram, including the usage settings.
Filter Receiver Types	Opens the Usage Report Filter dialog where you can select the types of objects you want included in the Usage Report.
Export Usage Report	You can export the Usage (CRUD) reports in the following formats: CSV, HTML, PDF, and RTF.
Print	Opens the Print dialog where you can select a printer, set preferences, select a page range and number of copies and then print.
Refresh Usage	Updates all the nodes in the Usage Report.
Impact Analysis
Filter Designation	Indicates whether a Filter is set for the Impact Analysis Report. Two icons are displayed to the left of the Filter Designation indicator: Click to display the impact analysis information in a tree format. Click to display the impact analysis information in a table format.
Create Impact Analysis Diagram	Once you create a link you can create a diagram that is a graphical representation of that link.
Filter	Opens the Impact Analysis Filter dialog.
Export	You can export and save the Impact Analysis report in the following file formats: CSV, HTML, PDF, and RTF.
Print	Opens the Print dialog where you can select a printer, set preferences, select a page range and number of copies and then print.
Expand All	Expands all the nodes in the tree.
Collapse All	Collapses all the nodes in the tree.
Refresh	Updates all the nodes in the Impact Analysis Report.
Appearance
Font and Color Options	Use these commands to change fonts and element colors.
Rendering	Use these commands to change the shadowing and gradient settings for an element.
Horizontal Alignment	Use these commands to set the justification for text labels in an element.
Vertical Alignment	Use these commands to place the text in the top, center, or bottom of an element.
Diagram Display Options	Show name. Displays the label of the Subject Area object. This option is selected by default. Show Expansion Control. You can hide or show the expander indicator located in the lower right-hand corner of the object. The expander is shown as the default setting.
Line Display Options	Select the width of the border from the drop-down list. You can select from 1 to 5 pixels.
Shape	You can display the Subject Area object as an oval or as a squared-edge box. The default setting is as an oval.
Apply to Diagram	Applies the formatting changes to all existing start events on the active diagram.
Restore Defaults	Restores the default settings for all changes made in the Appearance tab.
Set as Default	All formatting changes made in the Appearance tab become the default settings for new start event elements placed in the Diagram View.

Business Entity

Use the following table to understand the Property View fields available for a Business Entity.

Property View	Description
General
Name	Label that appears for an element both in the Model View tree and in the diagram. You can edit this label.
Description	A text box where you can enter information describing or defining the project. Right-click text to open a shortcut menu. You can cut, copy, paste, and delete selected text within the Description text box. You can paste plain text from external applications. You can undo any action and you can select all text by pressing Ctrl+A. The following formatting options are available for the text: Bold, Italics, Underscore, and Strikethrough. You can also change the font color as well as the background color.
Notes	A text box where you can annotate the element with additional information. Right-click text to open a shortcut menu. You can cut, copy, paste, and delete selected text within the Notes text box. You can paste plain text from external applications. You can undo any action and you can select all text by pressing Ctrl+A. The following formatting options are available for the text: Bold, Italics, Underscore, and Strikethrough. You can also change the font color as well as the background color.
Business Attributes
	This tab contains a table displaying all the Business Attributes, Domains, and/or Business Elements contained in a Business Entity.
Name	Displays the name of the business attribute.
Unique Identifier	Adds a # indicator to the Business Attribute, Domain, or Business Element. This designates the attribute as a unique attribute which is mapped to Keys in an ER logical model.
Data Type	Click in this cell and all available data types are listed. The Data Types available are high level: binary, BLOB/Image, Boolean, char, CLOB/Large Text, Decimal, Date, Integer, Time Stamp, Varchar, and XML.
Optionality	Click in this cell and drop-down list opens with three options: None, Mandatory, and Other. If you select Mandatory it becomes a mandatory property and a plus sign (+) appears to the left of the attribute. Select Optional, and a minus sign (-) appears to the left of the attribute. Select None and no optionality setting appears.
Bound Business Element	Click in this cell and the drop-down list displays all Business Elements available for binding. Note that the Business Attribute's name changes to the newly-selected Business Element.
Bound Domain	Click in this cell and the drop-down list displays all Domains available for binding. Note that the Business Attribute's name changes to the newly-selected Domain.
Create Business Attribute	Click to add a new Business Attribute to the Business Entity.
Edit Business Attribute	Click to open the Property View for the select Business Attribute.
Delete Business Attribute	Delete the selected attributed.
Move Business Attribute Up	You can reorder the attributes. Use the up arrow key to move the selected Business Attribute up.
Move Business Attribute Down	You can reorder the attributes. Use the down arrow key to move the selected Business Attribute down.
Links
Add Link	Opens the Create Link wizard. This wizard allows you to create conceptual or usage links between elements.
Edit Link	Opens the property view for the selected link.
Delete Link	Deletes the selected link (either the link or the link target).
Show Selected Links on Active Diagram	Once you have created a link in the Diagram View, click this icon to display the links for the selected object in the diagram.
Expand All	Expands all the nodes in the tree.
Collapse All	Collapses all the nodes in the tree.
Refresh Links	Updates all the nodes in the Link Report.
Usage (CRUD)
Usage	The header displays the name of the linked element and the status of the filter (on or off). Receivers. Displays a list of the elements with usages (receivers). You can select multiple receivers in this list and delete all the receivers that are selected. Usage. Displays the usage setting (C, R, U, D). You can change the Usage attributes in this column and this change is reflected in the diagram. For example, you can change a C (Create) type to a U (Update) type. Usage Description. Displays the information entered in the Description text field for the target object of the usage. For example, if a usage was drawn between a task and a Data Store object, the description of the Data Store object is displayed. If there are no links or all the links have been filtered out, you are given the information that "No usages are defined for this element" in the Receivers column.
Add Usage	Opens the Create Usage wizard where you can create a new usage.
Edit Usage	When you select a Receiver in the table, the edit option becomes available. Click this to open the Usage edit tab where you can edit the name of the usage. The default name is Usage. You can also change the usage settings (Create, Read, Update, and Delete).
Delete	When you select a Receiver in the table, the delete option becomes available. This action removes the selected receiver from the usage.
Show Selected Usages	When you select a Receiver in the table, the Show Selected Usages option () becomes available. Click this icon to display the usage for the selected receiver in the diagram, including the usage settings.
Filter Receiver Types	Opens the Usage Report Filter dialog where you can select the types of objects you want included in the Usage Report.
Export Usage Report	You can export the Usage (CRUD) reports in the following formats: CSV, HTML, PDF, and RTF.
Print	Opens the Print dialog where you can select a printer, set preferences, select a page range and number of copies and then print.
Refresh Usage	Updates all the nodes in the Usage Report.
Impact Analysis
Filter Designation	Indicates whether a Filter is set for the Impact Analysis Report. Two icons are displayed to the left of the Filter Designation indicator: Click to display the impact analysis information in a tree format. Click to display the impact analysis information in a table format.
Create Impact Analysis Diagram	Once you create a link you can create a diagram that is a graphical representation of that link.
Filter	Opens the Impact Analysis Filter dialog
Export	You can export and save the Impact Analysis report in the following file formats: CSV, HTML, PDF, and RTF.
Print	Opens the Print dialog where you can select a printer, set preferences, select a page range and number of copies and then print.
Expand All	Expands all the nodes in the tree.
Collapse All	Collapses all the nodes in the tree.
Refresh	Updates all the nodes in the Impact Analysis Report.
Appearance
Font and Color Options	Use these commands to change fonts and element colors.
Rendering	Use these commands to change the shadowing and gradient settings for an element.
Horizontal Alignment	Use these commands to set the justification for text labels in an element.
Vertical Alignment	Use these commands to place the text in the top, center, or bottom of an element.
Diagram Display Options	Show name. Displays the label of the Business Entity object. This option is selected by default. Show Expander Control. You can hide or show the expander indicator located in the lower right-hand corner of the object. The expander is shown as the default setting.
Line Display Options	Select the width of the border from the drop-down list. You can select from 1 to 5 pixels.
Business Attribute Diagram Display Options	Show Business Attributes. Displays any Business Attributes in the Business Entity. Align attributes to top. When you place a business attribute in a Business Entity object, it is aligned in the top left corner of that object. If this option is not selected, the Business Attributes align in the bottom left corner of the object. Show Optionality. You can choose to hide or display the mandatory indicators (plus or minus) for the Business Attribute. Show Unique Identifier. Displays the unique identifier (#) to the left of the Business Attribute in a Business Entity.
Apply to Diagram	Applies the formatting changes to all existing start events on the active diagram.
Restore Defaults	Restores the default settings for all changes made in the Appearance tab.
Set as Default	All formatting changes made in the Appearance tab become the default settings for new start event elements placed in the Diagram View.

Business Attribute

Use the following table to understand the Property View fields available for a Business Attribute.

Property View	Description
General
Name	Name of the Business Attribute.
Unique Identifier	Adds a # indicator to the business attribute. This designates the attribute as a unique attribute which is mapped to Keys in an ER logical model. This option is not selected by default. When this option is selected it is automatically mandatory so the Optionality setting is disabled.
Data Type	The data types available are: Binary, BLOB/Image, Boolean, Char, CLOB/Large Text, Date, Decimal, Integer, None, Time Stamp, Varchar, and XML.
Width	The length of the attribute/domain datatype.
Scale	Indicates the number of digits after a decimal (for those data types that imply a decimal.
Optionality	None. No optionality is to be set. Mandatory. If you select Mandatory it becomes a mandatory property and a plus sign (+) appears to the left of the attribute. Optional. If it is optional, a minus sign (-) appears to the left of the attribute. Note. If the Unique Identifier option is selected, the Optionality property is automatically bet to Mandatory and is disabled.
Business Element Binding Options	Bound Business Element. Select the name of the Business Element binding to the attribute from the drop-down list. Bound Business Element Domain. Click and the Property View for the bound business element opens. This option is not available if the business attribute is not bound to a business element. Override the following properties of the business element. Select the property(ies) you want overridden in the bound business element. If the attribute is bound to a business element, the four check boxes are enabled and are synchronized with the business element properties.
Domain Binding Options	Bound Domain. Select the name of the domain from the drop-down list displaying all domains in the Reference Objects project. Override the following properties of the domain. Select the property(ies) you want overridden in the bound business domain. If the attribute is bound to a domain, the four check boxes are enabled and are synchronized with the domain properties. The override options are available only if the corresponding enforcement property is selected on the domain (i.e., the property is enforced). Otherwise, if you change the property on the attribute, it is assumed to be overriding the domain property. Important: You can bind to a Business Element or Domain, not to both. If you have a bound Business Element and attempt to also bind a domain, a Bound Domain Warning dialog opens. Select Yes to choose to remove the Business Element binding and bind the domain. If you select No the domain binding is not accepted and the Bound Domain selection returns to None.
Name	Name of the Business Attribute.
Description
Override Bound Business Element Description	The Description Override option is selected by default on the General tab. This ensures that any description additions or changes are always in synch with the bound Business Element description. If this option is not selected, you cannot edit the description on this tab. Important: If you clear the override check box, the description from the Business Element is enforced on the Business Attribute without warning.
	A text box where you can enter information describing or defining the project. Right-click text to open a shortcut menu. You can cut, copy, paste, and delete selected text within the Description text box. You can paste plain text from external applications. You can undo any action and you can select all text by pressing Ctrl+A. The following formatting options are available for the text: Bold, Italics, Underscore, and Strikethrough. You can also change the font color as well as the background color.
Notes
Override Bound Business Element Notes	The Notes Override option is selected by default on the General tab. This ensures that any notes additions or changes are always in synch with the bound Business Element notes. If this option is not selected, you cannot edit the notes on this tab. Important: If you clear the override check box, the notes from the Business Element is enforced on the Business Attribute without warning.
	A text box where you can annotate the element with additional information. Right-click text to open a shortcut menu. You can cut, copy, paste, and delete selected text within the Notes text box. You can paste plain text from external applications. You can undo any action and you can select all text by pressing Ctrl+A. The following formatting options are available for the text: Bold, Italics, Underscore, and Strikethrough. You can also change the font color as well as the background color.
Bindings
Add Binding	Opens the Create Binding with Targets dialog where you can create bindings. {{Caution|You can bind to a Business Element or Domain, not to both. If you have a bound Business Element and attempt to also bind a domain, a Bound Domain Warning dialog opens. Select Yes to choose to remove the domain binding and bind the Business Element. If you select No, the Business Element binding is not accepted and the Bound Business Element selection returns to None.
Edit Target	Opens the Property View for the selected target in the Bindings hierarchy.
Delete Binding	Removes the source from the Bindings hierarchy.
Expand All	Expand the entire binding hierarchy.
Collapse All	Collapses the entire binding hierarchy.
Refresh Binding	Updates all the nodes in the Binding Report.
Resolve Violation	Resolves the conflict that occurs when a property is changed in a Business Attribute that doesn't match the property in a bound Business Element or Domain.
Links
Add Link	Opens the Create Link wizard. This wizard allows you to create conceptual or usage links between elements.
Edit Link	Opens the property view for the selected link.
Delete Link	Deletes the selected link (either the link or the link target).
Show Selected Links on Active Diagram	Once you have created a link in the Diagram View, click this icon to display the links for the selected object in the diagram.
Expand All	Expands all the nodes in the tree.
Collapse All	Collapses all the nodes in the tree.
Refresh Links	Updates all the nodes in the Link Report.
Usage (CRUD)
Usage	The header displays the name of the linked element and the status of the filter (on or off). Receivers. Displays a list of the elements with usages (receivers). You can select multiple receivers in this list and delete all the receivers that are selected. Usage. Displays the usage setting (C, R, U, D). You can change the Usage attributes in this column and this change is reflected in the diagram. For example, you can change a C (Create) type to a U (Update) type. Usage Description. Displays the information entered in the Description text field for the target object of the usage. For example, if a usage was drawn between a task and a Data Store object, the description of the Data Store object is displayed. If there are no links or all the links have been filtered out, you are given the information that "No usages are defined for this element" in the Receivers column.
Add Usage	Opens the Create Usage wizard where you can create a new usage.
Edit Usage	When you select a Receiver in the table, the edit option becomes available. Click this to open the Usage edit tab where you can edit the name of the usage. The default name is Usage. You can also change the usage settings (Create, Read, Update, and Delete).
Delete	When you select a Receiver in the table, the delete option becomes available. This action removes the selected receiver from the usage.
Show Selected Usages	When you select a Receiver in the table, the Show Selected Usages option () becomes available. Click this icon to display the usage for the selected receiver in the diagram, including the usage settings.
Filter Receiver Types	Opens the Usage Report Filter dialog where you can select the types of objects you want included in the Usage Report.
Export Usage Report	You can export the Usage (CRUD) reports in the following formats: CSV, HTML, PDF, and RTF.
Print	Opens the Print dialog where you can select a printer, set preferences, select a page range and number of copies and then print.
Refresh Usage	Updates all the nodes in the Usage Report.
Impact Analysis
Filter Designation	Indicates whether a Filter is set for the Impact Analysis Report. Two icons are displayed to the left of the Filter Designation indicator: Click to display the impact analysis information in a tree format. Click to display the impact analysis information in a table format.
Create Impact Analysis Diagram	Once you create a link you can create a diagram that is a graphical representation of that link.
Filter	Opens the Impact Analysis Filter dialog.
Export	You can export and save the Impact Analysis report in the following file formats: CSV, HTML, PDF, and RTF.
Print	Opens the Print dialog where you can select a printer, set preferences, select a page range and number of copies and then print.
Expand All	Expands all the nodes in the tree.
Collapse All	Collapses all the nodes in the tree.
Refresh	Updates all the nodes in the Impact Analysis Report.
Appearance
Font and Color Options	Use these commands to change fonts and element colors.
Horizontal Alignment	Use these commands to set the justification for text labels in an element.
Diagram Display Options	You can choose to hide or show the unique identifier (#) for the Business Attribute. This option is selected by default when you have set an attribute as a unique identifier on the General tab.
Apply to Diagram	Applies the formatting changes to all existing start events on the active diagram.
Restore Defaults	Restores the default settings for all changes made in the Appearance tab.
Set as Default	All formatting changes made in the Appearance tab become the default settings for new start event elements placed in the Diagram View.

Interaction

Use the following table to understand the Property View fields available for an Interaction.

Property View	Description
General
Name	Label that appears for an element both in the Model View tree and in the diagram. You can edit this label.
Source	Displays the name of the source Business Element.
Target	Displays the name of the target Business Element.
Verb Phrase	Describes the parent-to-child action.
Inverse Verb Phrase	Describes the child-to-parent action.
Description	A text box where you can enter information describing or defining the project. Right-click text to open a shortcut menu. You can cut, copy, paste, and delete selected text within the Description text box. You can paste plain text from external applications. You can undo any action and you can select all text by pressing Ctrl+A. The following formatting options are available for the text: Bold, Italics, Underscore, and Strikethrough. You can also change the font color as well as the background color.
Notes	A text box where you can annotate the element with additional information. Right-click text to open a shortcut menu. You can cut, copy, paste, and delete selected text within the Notes text box. You can paste plain text from external applications. You can undo any action and you can select all text by pressing Ctrl+A. The following formatting options are available for the text: Bold, Italics, Underscore, and Strikethrough. You can also change the font color as well as the background color.
Mappings
Create Mapping	Click to open the Create Mapping dialog.
Edit Target	Click to open the Property View for the targeted element.