Attributes (table columns) data types disappeared!

[chrvi]

Hi,

I have a large EA project (on SQL database) with several models. I have also a new "product" (i.e. database datatypes) MyProduct (with almost the same types as in Informix) and the project has lots of packages version controlled.

I've just discovered that in one of my models I can't see table column data types in "Data type" field of any column in this model tables.  
So far, this model table columns have always displayed correctly but suddenly their data type information just disappeared.
All the tables still contain correctly set MyProduct in Database field but I can't even select any column data type of a table since the "Data type" drop-down list is empty.

In other models of the same project everything works fine and all the MyProduct tables display their column datatypes correctly.

We've discovered that checking-out a package from the problematic model fixes the columns data types displaying but the trouble is the amount of such version controled packages which would have to be processed to correct the whole model.
Unfortunately, in "File history" of the version controlled packages there is no change (so we still don't know the cause of our problem).

I just don't have any idea why the whole model data became suddenly "incorrect" neither how to fix it as soon as possible (without checking-out and checking-in all the packages under version control).

Any hint would be really appreciated...

Thanks,

Radek

[«Midnight»]

Radek,

Please post to a single thread. We'll find it.

[chrvi]

Oh, OK, sorry. I've just removed the other copy of this issue.

But to return to my problem - one of my colleagues told me that once before all the tables from the model suddenly disappeared. It was before we put the model under version control so fixing that problem was quite easy by loading data from xml to the database again.

However, now, with hundreds of packages under version control, this process won't be so easy.

Any hint?

My current problem with attributes data types selecting could be caused by "null" value in PDATA2 field of problematic tables.
I have noticed that if I set some "database" to a particular class I will see this database name in both GenType and PDATA2 fields (if I analyze database data of my EA project).
The tables where I can't select any attribute data type contain the database name only in GenType field...
But still I don't understand why the PDATA2 field became null...

Radek

[«Midnight»]

My current problem with attributes data types selecting could be caused by "null" value in PDATA2 field of problematic tables.
I have noticed that if I set some "database" to a particular class I will see this database name in both GenType and PDATA2 fields (if I analyze database data of my EA project).
The tables where I can't select any attribute data type contain the database name only in GenType field...
But still I don't understand why the PDATA2 field became null.

Nor do I, but it has me quite concerned.

However, this might suggest a quick fix - while you wait for Sparx to get to the root of the problem of course - through a DBMS-level tweak to 'reload' the PDATA2 field with the product name.

Perhaps you can try it on a copy of your project, and see if this brings the display back in sync. If it does, maybe the real problem is caused by EA clearing the field. If not, the field may be another symptom. Either way it would likely be useful information to include in your eventual bug report to Sparx.

David

[Paolo F Cantoni]

My current problem with attributes data types selecting could be caused by "null" value in PDATA2 field of problematic tables.
I have noticed that if I set some "database" to a particular class I will see this database name in both GenFile and PDATA2 fields (if I analyze database data of my EA project).
The tables where I can't select any attribute data type contain the database name only in GenFile field...
But still I don't understand why the PDATA2 field became null...

Hi Radek,

Don't worry about not understanding... Just put it down to EAUI...

In any event I just checked my (conceptual) database design and I, too, found areas where the GenFile and PDATA2 columns differed.  I've now fixed them...

There are a number of reasons, particularly if the repository has been used on different machines, as to why this has occurred.  All are down to BAD "broken as designed" code within EA.

Maybe the Sparxians can confirm that the two columns MUST contain the same values (and why, if so, the Check Project Integrity [Shift+F9] doesn't fix it)

Paolo

[chrvi]

By the way the following info from EA Help is really funny:

Element - attribute MiscData:
String. This low-level property provides information about the contents of the PDatax fields. These database fields are not documented and developers must gain understanding of these fields through their own endeavors to use this property.

OK, I'm gonna write to Sparxians whether it would be possible to get a patch and then work just with GenType (and forget all those PDATAx fields)...