foreign key on table

[JimF]

Since the columns on a table class are already marked on the side as being a foreign key, I'm not sure what the point of having all the FKs listed in the frame at the bottom is. Takes up a lot of space on what is already a crowded diagram. I can't figure out any way hide them, does someone know?

[Bruno.Cossi]

Hi,

right-click on the table, go to Element Features > Specify Feature Visibility and uncheck the Operations.

Hope this helps!
Bruno

Since the columns on a table class are already marked on the side as being a foreign key, I'm not sure what the point of having all the FKs listed in the frame at the bottom is. Takes up a lot of space on what is already a crowded diagram. I can't figure out any way hide them, does someone know?

[JimF]

Awesome Bruno!

Any way to do that on a more global level, or do I need to hit each table individually?

[JimF]

It's interesting that a foreign key is considered an "operation". I've got to get my mind around that...

[JimF]

Any way to hide individual columns (attributes)? Reason why I might want to do this is, typically I have to create several ERDs because one diagram is just too much to print or even comprehend. So I break the data model up into logical pieces. I might show the entire employee table in one piece, then in another need to show the employee table again, but this time only a few columns are pertinent to other tables in that piece. I've figured out how to hide all the attributes, and that is useful, because I may just want to show the table with no columns (perhaps a note saying refer to different diagram to see all the columns), but again, in some cases, showing some columns and not others might be useful.

[Bruno.Cossi]

Hi,

it is not so much that a key is considered an operation, it is more due to the fact that EA is a UML modeling tool and the database modeling features have been a bit twisted to fit into the application. The class operations are used to represent primary and foreign keys, indexes, triggers...

Bruno

It's interesting that a foreign key is considered an "operation". I've got to get my mind around that...

[sargasso]

I have seen the advocacy of using operations to denote keys somewhere by one of the high priests (Hay, Ambler, Fowler et al) but I cant lay my hands on it at the moment.

Interestingly, Ambler suggests using attribute stereotyping to denote key membership, then goes on to say that it is confusing at best.... :-/


bruce