Sparx Systems Forum

Enterprise Architect => Uml Process => Topic started by: Tom G on August 16, 2007, 02:04:48 am

Title: PIM and attribute data types
Post by: Tom G on August 16, 2007, 02:04:48 am

Hi,

If you want to create a platform independent model which data types should you use for the attributes ?

If you set the "language" of the class to "none" which I would prefer in a PIM, you only have a very limited list of default types. Of course I could create my own basic types as classes in my model but this does not seem to be the right way to work or is it ?

Thanks,
Tom

Title: Re: PIM and attribute data types
Post by: Paolo F Cantoni on August 16, 2007, 03:36:59 am

Hi Tom,

At the CIM and PIM levels (and above) we use a special purpose languages  "Conceptual" and "Independent" - actually we haven't implemented "Independent" yet...  ;)

However, Conceptual has data types like Real, Integer, String etc

We have been developing a set of Domain Independent datatypes and domains and may include those also... Things such as: URI, DriveBasedFileLocator etc...

At the PIM level, we might have types such as TinyInteger, LargeReal etc...

HTH,
Paolo

[size=0]©2007 Paolo Cantoni, -Semantica-[/size]

Title: Re: PIM and attribute data types
Post by: frankk on August 16, 2007, 10:10:33 am

Paolo,

I like the idea of 'Conceptual'. How/where is this implemented?

Frank

Title: Re: PIM and attribute data types
Post by: Paolo F Cantoni on August 16, 2007, 01:49:39 pm

Quote

Paolo,

I like the idea of 'Conceptual'. How/where is this implemented?

Frank

Hi Frank,

Start at: Settings...|Code Datatypes...|[Add Product]

From memory, you need to add at least one actual datatype for the new Product name to "stick".

HTH,
Paolo

Title: Re: PIM and attribute data types
Post by: Tom G on August 17, 2007, 02:10:49 am

Thanks Paolo.

That's right, if you don't add at least one datatype the "custom" product is removed from the list.

What I don't understand is that EA really advocates MDA, PIM and the other reutemeteut - that's Dutch slang for "related things" :) - but does not deliver "out-of-the-box" the products/datatypes to create these in a natural way. Or am I missing something ?

Anyway, does there exist a standardized list of basic "conceptual" datatypes ? I can make up a list of course but would definitely prefer a standard.

Another thing I don't get is the "Common Type" thing in EA. Does anyone knows how it is used ? I have looked for a clear description but can't find it... Why is it not a fixed list of datatypes ? I would assume it to be the list of basic datatypes I am looking for but it is not !

Kr,
Tom

Title: Re: PIM and attribute data types
Post by: «Midnight» on August 17, 2007, 02:40:21 am

If you mean "Primitive Types" then check out the UML Superstructure specification at OMG.

You might also want to look at MDA stuff from the same source.

David

Title: Re: PIM and attribute data types
Post by: frankk on August 17, 2007, 06:40:42 am

Thank you :-)