Creating an Abstract Data Type

You can create an abstract data type from the Browser or Model menu.

1. Select  Model  Abstract Data Types  to open the List of Abstract Data Types, and click the Add a Row tool. Then click the Properties tool to open the property sheet of the new type.
   Alternatively, you can create an abstract data type by right-clicking the model (or a package), and selecting  New  Abstract Data Type .
2. Select the type for the ADT in the Type list on the General tab. Depending on your DBMS, you can choose from:
   • Array - Fixed length collection of elements. For example, VARRAY (Oracle 8 and higher).
   • List - Open collection of objects. For example, TABLE (Oracle 8 and higher).
   • Java - Java class. For example, JAVA (SAP® SQL Anywhere® and SAP® Adaptive Server® Enterprise).
   • Object - Contains lists of attributes and procedures. For example, OBJECT or SQLJ OBJECT (Oracle 8 and higher).
   • Structured - Contains a list of attributes. For example, NAMED ROW TYPE (Informix 9.x and higher).
3. [for object and structured types] Click the Attributes tab and create any appropriate attributes.
4. [for object types] Click the Procedures tab and create any appropriate procedures.
5. Click OK to return to your model.

   For general information about creating objects, see Core Features Guide > Modeling with PowerDesigner > Objects.