Creating Business Rules for Physical Models

[unknown]

Can I get intellisense when creating Business Rules?

Also, where can I find the object model to use when creating
Business Rules. I'm new to PowerDesigner and although its
VBScript, how do I get to the object model or expression
builder to ensure my syntax is correct?

Thanks

Tom

[Karel van der Walt]

There is no equivalent to say OCL of UML in physical model.

Also the formal Business Rules meta model now under custodianship of OMG is
not available.

I end up stating most business rules semi-formally in Conceptual model and
then implementing via check constraints in PDM.

There defnitely is scope for template implementations of check constraints
for business rules of certain forms e.g. range like begindate must be
earlier than an enddate (say).

You may want to log an enhancement request.

HTH
k

[unknown]

Karal:

Thanks for responding. Yes, I will log an enhancement
request for intelli-sense. I do the same thing. Set up
business rules semi-formally in the conceptual design and
then formalize them in the physical design. You say there
are constraints like begindate and endate. Where did these
come from? Isn't there an object model that ships with
PowerBuilder for me to reference? Right now I would have no
idea it was begindate or bdate or edate or enddate?


What is the signficance of your statement "formal Business
Rules meta model now under custodianship of OMG is not
available." What does this mean?

Tom

Post by Karel van der Walt
There is no equivalent to say OCL of UML in physical
model.
Also the formal Business Rules meta model now under
custodianship of OMG is not available.
I end up stating most business rules semi-formally in
Conceptual model and then implementing via check
constraints in PDM.
There defnitely is scope for template implementations of
check constraints for business rules of certain forms e.g.
range like begindate must be earlier than an enddate
(say).
You may want to log an enhancement request.
HTH
k

[Matt Creason]

There is an object model and repository metamodel for PowerDesigner in the
\\PowerDesigner 11\Examples directory called metamodel.oom and Repository
metamodel.pdm respectively. To find out how to reference objects in
VBScript or other languages, use the PowerDesigner Scripting Help from the
Help menu.

[Karel van der Walt]

For business rules meta model follow links from
http://www.businessrulesgroup.org/brgactv.htm
- the original GUIDE work was good.

In short when we make a (PD) conceptual model, we model with
entities and relationships. Our model may contains entities called say
Asset and Depreciation. The MetaModel of conceptual model states that the
(meta-)entity
called 'Entity' may have a 0..* relationship with the (meta-)entity called
'Relationship'. This determines that model entities in a valid conceptual
model may have many or no relationships (with other model entities).

Similarly a Business Rule meta-model describes exactly the building block of
valid business rules and valid constructs.

The begindate/Enddate that i used as an example were attributes in my model
and the business rule stated a relationships between them that could be
enforced by a table check constraint on columns.

PowerDesigner does not yet implement any finer granularity than just
business rules in its meta-model. As standards go, the OMG may take a while
to commit to something definitive.

I believe this also presents a 3-rd party opportinity to supplement PD via
its growing extension mechanisms.

hth
k