Table Class

[Olaf]

does anyone have a clue why setting a column´s primary key attribute leads to that column showing up in the operations section of that table class??

[CJ]

G'day,

I hope that the more experienced folk in this forum will address your question.  In the meantime, I'll take a crack at it.

For table-stereotyped classes, the operations are anything and everything that isn't an attribute (table column).  Primary key constraints, foreign key constraints, indexes, checks, etc. are all considered operations ... me thinks it's a UML standard?

[jaimeglz]

Hi Olaf,

According to SQL standards, adding a PK contraint to a table should automatically create an index for the chosen column or columns. An index is a behavioural feature, which plays the same role as an operation; for instance, when you invoke the index (which happens automatically when you search for a primary key datum), you fire-off a sequence of events, which is part the behavioural aspect of your table.

In UML, behavioural features of classifiers (such as tables) are grouped into the operations dept., and this is why SQL constraints, such as PKs, appear in the operations section of the classes' box.

Hope I have helped to clarify the issue.

Jaime Gonzalez