Sparx Systems Forum
Enterprise Architect => Bugs and Issues => Topic started by: Wolf K on May 21, 2014, 05:20:41 am
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I am using EA to document my database dictionary. The output for my customer is a generated RTF document. In order to add sufficient field descriptions I use the 'Notes' field for the field element. However, the format options are not really sufficient to document a field properly. For example: I try to copy and paste a small table into the notes field (from Word) and all formatting is immediately lost. Is there a way to have EA support better formatted notes?
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I wish
and good luck with that (see Memo tags allow rich text please (http://www.sparxsystems.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?num=1297751986/1#1))
At a minimum please submit a feature request
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The recommendation is to use a linked document if you want tables as part of your notes.
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I don't understand this suggestion. I have about 100-150 feature classes and tables in my model with at least (estimate) 10+ attributes (columns) for each. I want to print out a data dictionary for my customer and I in the data dictionary I want to show in the 'notes' column my 'formatted' explanation for that field. You are suggesting that I add a 'linked' document, I am not sure how that would help me. In essence I am writing my data dictionary now outside EA. I thought EA would allow me to single source my efforts.
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Actually that is exactly what Simon suggests. You may consider to use automation to create the linked documents.
q.
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But linked documents exist per class/table (element), not per attribute/colum as required in this case.
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But linked documents exist per class/table (element), not per attribute/colum as required in this case.
Sure. So you have to create a more (or less) complex document inside the class which knows about the contained attributes. We all know it's crap but you likely can't hope for a meaningful solution in time.
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This is getting pretty complicated for a relatively simple task. It looks like I am back to maintaining a separate data dictionary in word. Unfortunately my customer insists that I add various business rules that affect most columns to the data dictionary, and the notepad style formatting supported by EA is not sufficient for this task.
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Woolf, get yourself and 100 of your friends, and all the EA trainers you know to each submit a feature request. You might get it by christmas, especially if your 100 friends are all EA trainers.