What can power designer do for me

What can PowerDesigner do for me? 30/11/2011

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EMEA PowerDesigner Virtual User Group,

1st December, 2011

EMEA PowerDesigner Virtual User Group, December 1st, 2011 130/11/2011

Agenda

What is Metadata?

PowerDesigner and Metadata

PowerDesigner Essentials

Examples



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What is metadata?� Is it “data about data”?

� Sort of, but not really

� So metadata is …

� Information Metadata

� The Metadata Archipelago

� The four ‘D’s


Is metadata “data about data”?� If you ask us for our definition of metadata,

before we can even think about what it really means, we hear ourselves say aloud, “Data about data.” This is, however, a poor definition.

� A good definition would have to be clear, complete, and correct.

� It does not provide examples nor distinguish how metadata really differs from data. Therefore, we need a better definition for the term metadata.



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So Metadata is …� Steve Hoberman once spoke on a metadata-

related topic with several DAMA chapters and user groups. Collectively, they came up with the following definition for metadata:

Metadata is text, voice, or image that describes what the audience wants or needs to see or experience. The audience could be a person, group, or software program. Metadata is important because it aids in clarifying and finding the actual data.

There are at least six types of metadata: business (also known as ‘semantic’), storage, process, display, project, and program.


Information Metadata

� add semantics

EMEA PowerDesigner Virtual User Group, December 1st, 2011 6

Database Schemas

XML Schemas

Screens

Reports

Business Data Items

Data Transformation & Lineage

Design Patterns

Lines represent shared metadata elements, and/or links

between metadata elements.

Non-DBMSfiles

Concepts

Logical Data Structures

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The metadata archipelagoEMEA PowerDesigner Virtual User Group, December 1st, 2011 7

ApplicationArchitecture

Project & Resource Management

IT Assets

S/W Licences

Hardware

TechnicalArchitecture

IT Service Management

Configuration Management

Middleware Services

Web Services

WSDL & UDDI

Systems Devt.Methods & Processes

Organisation (incl. Locations & Assets) and People

Business Processes

Information Metadata

Business Rules and semantics

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The Four Ds of MetadataThese points summarise the ways in which metadata can be used.

� Discover & Document

� Design

� Do



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The Four Ds of Metadata


• what you know about the present

Discover

• Enterprise Architecture, Processes, Data Models, Data Movements, Business Rules etc

Document

• Construct models that describe the future, such as processes, databases, messages, applications, and data movements

Describe / Design

• Create real artefacts from the models, such as databases or XML schemas; manage changes to those artefacts; enable impact analysis

Do

30/11/2011



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Loosely Coupled for success


There are many reasons why models are produced, for business

people and technologists, and as a result PowerDesigner’s

underlying technology allows these models to be loosely coupled.

The relationships between models are preserved, as changes on

both sides impact the other.

Over the years, this philosophy has been extended from data

modelling, into application modelling, process modelling, and most

recently, enterprise architecture - linking architecture, data, application, and process together at all levels of abstraction.

Paraphrased from David Dichmann’s foreword to ‘Data Modeling Made Simple with PowerDesigner’

30/11/2011

PowerDesigner metadata scope� business requirements

� business rules

� business processes

� Enterprise Architecture

� Glossary of Terms

� Object-Oriented design

� Conceptual and logical data structures

� databases

� data movements

� XML vocabularies



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30/11/2011 EMEA PowerDesigner Virtual User Group, December 1st, 2011 13

Enterprise Architecture

PowerDesigner Editions

En

terp

rise

Arc

hit

ect

EA Frameworks

Enterprise Architecture Models

Information ArchitectureObject-Oriented Models

Info

rma

tio

n A

rch

ite

ct

Business Process Models Business Process Models

Conceptual Data Models Conceptual Data Models

Data ModellingData Movement Models Data Movement Models

Da

ta A

rch

ite

ct/R

E

Repository Repository Repository

Web-based Authoring Web-based Authoring Web-based Authoring

Da

ta A

rch

ite

ct/D

M

Logical Data Models Logical Data Models Logical Data Models

Physical Data Models Physical Data Models Physical Data Models

XML Models XML Models XML Models

Core Core Core

Frameworks (1)


Thanks to Jay Stevens for this framework

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Frameworks (2)



Link

and

Sync

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A typical Business

Process ModelThis was created in PowerDesigner, but could equally have been drawn in a ‘drawing tool’.



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why not use a drawing tool? (1)�Drawing tools communicate ideas visually, and may

capture some additional information about some of the objects represented

�each diagram stands alone: if a process appears on five diagrams, there is no connection between those five symbols; you cannot ensure that those five diagrams are consistent in how they depict that process, nor is there a way of knowing whether or not the process also appears on a sixth diagram that you haven’t been told about


why not use a drawing tool? (2)�There is also no link from that process to any objects

that were generated from it, and no link to any associated objects

�Objects appear to live in a disconnected world. When it comes to managing change, that disconnected world gets very uncomfortable

In conclusion:

�Drawing tools do not manage metadata



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PowerDesigner Building Blocks� Not Just a Load Of

Symbols

� models

� diagrams

� objects

� sub-objects

� links

� examples




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Dependencies


Not Just a Load Of Symbols� Each type of PowerDesigner diagram supports certain

specific types of objects, and each object created in a diagram is represented by a symbol.

� Anything that appears on a diagram is a symbol. Most PowerDesigner objects can be represented on diagrams, so they have their own symbols.

� Links between objects can also have symbols, such as the process flows in the sample BPM.

� Some objects, such as Data Items and Domains, cannot appear on PowerDesigner diagrams, so they do not have symbols.



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PowerDesigner practices� Leverage existing

documentation� Excel Import

� Requirements Import

� Create and manage� generate artefact

� XML

� BPEL

� DB

� Refactor� round-trip

� XML

� Databases

� PowerBuilder applications

� Link� Mapping Editor

� Custom Traceability Links

� Collaboration� Repository

� Communication� Web portal

� Reports

� Excel export




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Enterprise Architecture




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Data Modeling Made Simple

with PowerDesignerThe cheapest place to buy the book initially will be the publisher’s web site – you can save 20% on the USD 79.95 list price if you pre-order at http://www.technicspub.com/ – use code PD20Promo at the checkout.International delivery ranges from $10 to $25 dependent on your location; I don’t know if Canada counts as ‘international’, though.


Contact MeTelephone: +44 (0) 20 8123 8756 (forwarded to mobile)

UK mobile: +44 (0) 794 293 0648

Skype: gmcgeachie

Twitter: metadatajunkie

Email: George.McGeachie @ MetadataMatters.com

Blog: http://metadatajunkie.wordpress.com/



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31EMEA PowerDesigner Virtual User Group, December 1st, 201130/11/2011

What can power designer do for me

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