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DBMS definition file provide PowerDesigner with the information necessary to model, reverse-engineer, and generate for a particular DBMS. PowerDesigner provides definition files for most popular DBMSs. You select a DBMS when you create a PDM.

DBMS definition files have an .xdb extension and are located in <install_dir>/Resource Files/DBMS. To view the list of DBMSs, select Start of the navigation path Tools Next navigation step Resources Next navigation step DBMS End of the navigation path. For information about the tools available in resource file lists, see PowerDesigner Resource Files.

You can consult or modify the DBMS definition file attached to your PDM in the Resource Editor by selecting Start of the navigation path Database Next navigation step Edit current DBMS End of the navigation path. When you select a category or an item in the left-hand pane, the name, value, and related comment appear in the right side of the dialog box.

Caution The resource files provided with PowerDesigner inside the Program Files folder cannot be modified directly. To create a copy for editing, use the New tool on the resource file list, and save it in another location. To include resource files from different locations for use in your models, use the Path tool on the resource file list.
Each DBMS file has the following structure:
  • General - contains general information about the database, without any categories (see General Category (DBMS)). All items defined in the General category apply to all database objects.

  • Script - used for generation and reverse engineering. Contains the following sub-categories:

    • SQL - contains the following sub-categories, each of which contains items whose values define general syntax for the database:
    • Objects - contains commands to create, delete or modify all the objects in the database. Also includes commands that define object behavior, defaults, necessary SQL queries, reverse engineering options, and so on (see Script/Objects Category (DBMS)).

    • Data Type - contains the list of valid data types for the specified DBMS and the corresponding types in PowerDesigner (see Script/Data Type Category (DBMS)).

    • Customize - Retrieves information from PowerDesigner Version 6 DBMS definition files. It is not used in later versions.

  • ODBC - present only if the DBMS does not support standard statements for generation. In this case the ODBC category contains additional items necessary for live database connection generation .

  • Transformation Profiles – contains group of transformations used during model generation when you need to apply changes to objects in the source or target models (see Transformations (Profile)).

  • Profile - allows you to define extended attribute types and extended attributes for database objects (see Profile Category (DBMS)).

The following properties are available on the root of a DBMS definition file:

Property

Description

Name / Code

Name and code of the DBMS.

File Name

[read only] Path and name of the DBMS file.

Family

Used to classify a DBMS, and to establish a link between different database resource files. For example, SAP® SQL Anywhere®, and SAP® Adaptive Server® Enterprise belong to the SQL Server family.

Triggers are retained when you change target within the same family.

Merge interface allows to merge models from the same family.

Comment

Additional information about the DBMS