FAQ - ENOVIA Schema Analyzer

FAQ - ENOVIA Schema Analyzer (2008-AUG-28)

Please check the file ReadmeENOVIAStudioSchemaAnalyze.html for installation of ENOVIA Studio Schema Analyzer.
This FAQ may include references to customer specific extensions which are not available in the standard ENOVIA Studio Schema Analyzer tool.

GUI handling - General

Q: What is the meaning of the color markup in the (textual) Schema Browser?
A: Within the ENOVIA Studio Schema Analyzer Schema Browser, following color markup is used: Attributes: String: black, Integer: darkblue, Real: light blue, Boolean: grey, Date\Time: green. For Types, blue color means a super class (root class), i.e. a class which has subclasses. For eService trigger program parameters, red color means inactive objects, also all inactive Persons (instance) are listed in red.
Q: What is the meta-key for the menu bar activation?
A: Please use the Alt-key to activate the menus. Use it in combination with the underlined letters to start a menu entry. Additional shortcuts (e.g. Ctrl-c for copy) are listed in parentheses after the menu entry.
Q: Most of the buttons are inactive (grey) after the tool is started?
A: The window appearing after starting the tool is the main window, also called Launcher. You have to open an existing schema or create a new one to be able to start the editors.
Q: I press the right mouse button but do not get the expected menu?
A: The mouse device settings are different for two and three button mice. For an immediate workaround try pressing the Ctrl- or Alt-key when pressing the mouse button. Use the main window menu Extra/Settings to configure for two or three button mouse.

GUI handling - Graphical Editors

Q: Using an object's property window I change/add some features but the diagram does not show the changes on the object?
A: The update mechanism after closing a property window depends how the property window was opened. To avoid inconsistencies, only the first (clicked) object is updated automatically. If the property window was opened not directly, all changes can be made visible by using the functionality "Schema check" (menu Object/Schema).
For a quick check, select all objects (Ctrl-a) and notice the red handles on the concerned objects. These objects will also be listed in the "Schema check" window. Depending of the diagram purpose, you may want to update the graphical properties.
Q: An object was deleted in an graphical editor but it still exists e. g. in the Schema Browser?
A: Note the difference between the delete key and the menu item Edit/Delete in the graphical editor. The delete key does only remove the graphical representation of a ENOVIA Studio Schema Analyzer schema object in the current diagram. To remove a Schema Analyzer schema object and its graphical presentation from the schema you have to use the main menu item 'Edit/Delete'.
Q: I want to place many new objects of the same type in a diagram, any way to speed this up?
A: Use a double-click to activate the object creation mode, then you can place directly as many new objects as needed.
Q: Any way to insert free text in a diagram without a background frame?
A: Insert free text as usual, then use the button Line type and select None.
Q: I copy a diagram by selecting all graphical objects, then paste in another diagram of another ENOVIA Studio Schema Analyzer schema - why are the pasted objects renamed to "Copy of .."?
A: The graphical objects are only one of many possible visual representations of an Schema Analyzer schema object. The diagrams can be copied in two different ways, with or without the corresponding schema objects. If the destination schema file already contains the schema objects, switch from graphical editor menu Edit/Copy Object to Copy Graphic to copy only the graphical objects without the corresponding schema objects.
Q: Sometimes the Property Editor for an Object has a "GoTo" feature to open the property window for related objects, sometimes not?
A: The property editor for an object can be opened with the right mouse button almost on any graphical presentation of the object. However, for consistency reasons within the graphical editors, only the property windows in the Schema Editor have the full "GoTo" feature.

Printing and HTML Generation

Q: The generated HTML report does not appear when opening the HTML start file?
A: For correct execution of the Report Java Applet, Java Runtime Version 1.4.2 or newer is needed (downloadable from the Internet).
Q: Some diagrams produce warnings at generation time and empty GIF images in the generated document?
A: For readability and performance reasons there is a parameter for the maximum GIF image size to be produced, in this case a substitution image named 'Empty GIF' will be shown. Change the default maximum GIF size within the general settings or in the Report Generator Wizard. If there are still GIF generator warnings, check the diagram and split it manually in reasonable new diagrams, e.g. often there is a natural partition in reasonably sized subclass hierarchies. This improves readability of the generated GIFs as well. Use the automatic subclass routing of the UML-Editor for re-partitioning of diagrams.
Q: Some diagrams are not nicely exported when printing Postscript files.
A: When printing to Postscript format, be sure to set the option "Image printing", in the ENOVIA Studio Schema Analyzer start window menu Extra/Settings. If you get black boxes instead of the diagram images, check if your computer display settings are "High color 16 bit", if yes, please change to a higher or lower color resolution.
Q: The texts in my diagrams get too big on printed documents?
A: When using CGM graphics be sure to use a small standard font for text already within the editors.

Import/Export to ENOVIA

Q: What do the Import warnings mean?
A: ENOVIA Studio Schema Analyzer tries to import as many object types as possible. Based on the actually used ENOVIA version, e.g. MQL commands for listing WEB GUI objects will not work. Another example is the MQL command list interface which was introduced with MQL 10.6.
Q: Using the Import name filter, also not conforming objects exist lateron in the ENOVIA Studio Schema Analyzer schema?
A: When ENOVIA Studio Schema Analyzer creates objects for the Schema Analyzer schema during import from an ENOVIA system, it creates additionally all objects which have a relation to the imported objects. If such an additional object is not within the explicit import object set, it will be created only by name, i. e. without any detailed properties. These object shells are eventually lateron replaced by the complete objects if they are part of another explicit import object set.
Q: In the Export Wizard, Step 2 of 3, coming from schema comparison, not all objects in the export list generate an MQL statement?
A: These are objects which are indirectly affected, e.g. by further relations. These further relations are listed in the middle bottom column of the wizard window.
Q: Not all Triggers are exported to ENOVIA?
A: If a Trigger is created within Analyzer, it will only be exported to ENOVIA if at least one Program is assigned to the Trigger. This reflects the Trigger creation procedure in ENOVIA.
Q: What objects are imported and exported from and to ENOVIA?
A: The ENOVIA interface of ENOVIA Studio Schema Analyzer supports import, analysis, report and export of: Attribute, Type, Relation, Format, Person, Group, Role, Association, Rule, Policy, Program and Wizard; also the WEB-GUI objects Web Form, Command, Menu, Inquiry, Table (system), Channel and Portal. User tables can optionally be imported, too, but equal names to system tables are not supported.
Import and export of following objects does not include extended information (e.g. geometrical layout information, crypted password information): Wizard, Table, Web Form, Portal, Person. All properties - including custom defined ones - are imported, analyzed and reported. For consistency reasons, several administration properties are not exported, and only additional properties of type property x value y are exported.
All business objects imported to ENOVIA Studio Schema Analyzer, like e.g. eService Trigger Program Parameters can be analyzed and reported by Schema Analyzer, but in general will not be exported.
An ENOVIA Studio Schema Analyzer import of an exemplary ENOVIA Framework database is part of the Schema Analyzer installation package.
Q: ENOVIA Studio Schema Analyzer Schema comparison finds differences in imported, then exported and re-imported schemas?
A: Policies/Default Formats: Two consistency reasons for differences for the Policy default Format: First, the original default Format must be in the Format set of the given policy. Second, when no default Format is set, ENOVIA will automatically set a default Format at MQL import time.

Compatibility

Q: Can I reuse schema files from previous Schema Analyzer/MSA versions?
A: If you open files from recent Schema Analyzer versions, they will be converted automatically into the current format. Save them with a new file name. Old Accelerator 4.x schema files can be converted with a tool version chain, e.g. Accelerator 4.0.9.1 -> MSA 10.5.0.4 -> MSA 10.5.1.1/10.5.2.5a/10.5.9.2 -> MSA 10.6.0.1 - 10.6.1.6 -> MSA 10.6.2.4 -> [ MSA 10.6.2.6 - 10.6.3.2 (008-026) -> MSA 10.6.3.3 - 10.6.3.5 (027 - 032) -> MSA 10.6.3.6 (034) -> MSA 1.6.3.8 - 10.6.3.9 (036-037) -> MSA 10.6.4.0 / 10.6.9.0 (038) -> ] MSA 10.6.9.1 - 10.6.9.3 = 10.7.0.0 - 10.7.0.4 = 10.7.1.0 (040-048) [ -> MSA 10.7.1.1 (052) -> MSA 10.7.1.3 (054) -> MSA 10.7.1.5 - 10.7.2.x (055-057) ] -> ESA 10.8.0.1 - Schema Analyzer V6R2009 (083 - 085) If there is any problem during conversion, check the conversion log in ENOVIA Studio Schema Analyzer directory log\misc, or contact the email product support.
Q: Can ENOVIA Studio Schema Analyzer be used with older ENOVIA systems?
A: ENOVIA Studio Schema Analyzer is implemented to be compatible with any running ENOVIA version. If you use a very early version with few MQL selectables, MSA 10.5.1.1 should be used for import. Later Schema Analyzer versions have optimized import based on the MQL selectables.
Q: What general software standards are supported by Schema Analyzer?
A: The automatically generated Type diagrams are UML type diagrams. For extended modeling, a Schema Analyzer option provides also UML functionality like packages, Interfaces and Stereotypes.
An external standard Tcl/Tk script is used for highlighting program changes. Standard JavaDoc comments within Java Programs are extracted by ENOVIA Studio Schema Analyzer when importing ENOVIA programs. The generated reports are in Word RTF, WordML-XML or in HTML format. A general data export will be in XML format.

Schema objects

Q: The total number of objects given by the schema statistics does not match some Schema Query result numbers?
A: The Schema statistics works 1:1 with ENOVIA object definitions. The Schema Analyzer Schema Query object granularity is finer, e.g. table columns are listed as separate objects, too.
Q: What object attributes are specific to Schema Analyzer?
A: The schema objects within ENOVIA Studio Schema Analyzer reflect the original ENOVIA schema objects. Additionally, within Schema Analyzer an attribute comment (corresponds to a similar UML attribute) is available which can hold additional documentation text. This variable will be nil for fresh imported objects, and will/can of course not be exported to ENOVIA. The same applies for the variable "abbreviation", and for any URL-info which can be connected within ENOVIA Studio Schema Analyzer to any schema object.
Q: What is the sub directory matrixStores good for?
A: If during export of a Policy with a defined attribute Store this Store object is not existent in the target ENOVIA system, a warning will be given and the Store will be created, with a directory path Schema Analyzer installation directory\matrixStores. You may change this path later in the ENOVIA system if necessary.
Q: Sometimes there is an object named ~Group [None]~ or ~Role [None]~ listed. Where does this come from?
A: These are virtual objects similar to the ENOVIA object Types[All], which are used by the ENOVIA Studio Schema Analyzer object engine to link related objects (e.g. classes and instances) together, when there is no equivalent ENOVIA object existing. These can be ignored for all common tool operations.

Miscellaneous

Q: What do the ENOVIA Studio Schema Analyzer schema file examples demonstrate?
A: The directory "data" contains 3 files: An imported ENOVIA standard framework schema and two small demo schemas. Loading the demo schema files EXAMPLE_CURRENT.msa or EXAMPLE_COMPARISON.msa, the color markup for Types, Attributes and Programs can be seen in the Schema Browser. The program "parsing_test.java" demonstrates JavaDoc style parsing and can be used to test the tkdiff installation. If a Schema comparison is performed on EXAMPLE_CURRENT and EXAMPLE_COMPARISON, an additional attribute for a Type, differences in program source code / state access rights can be seen via the diff feature, and several other policy changes.
Q: After import of ENOVIA data there seem to be diagrams missing?
A: Check if the tool was installed with a full license. With an evaluation license, only a restricted number of diagrams is generated automatically for imported Types and Policies.
Q: The automatic batch mode does not work?
A: The ENOVIA Studio Schema Analyzer batch mode feature configures Schema Analyzer for automatic import (and Report generation and Schema Comparison, if desired); it can be used by cron-like commands to run at night or e. g. whenever WAN latency is low. To check the configuration for batch mode, start the batch mode Configuration wizard main window menu "Extra/Batch Mode". To activate the batch mode, use a copy of the provided batch job file SchemaAnalyzer_batchmode_template.bat in the main installation directory is used. Within this two line batch file, the actual installation path must be adjusted only once. The batch mode can be started directly by double click on the batchmode.bat file, also time controlled execution is possible at any given date e.g. using the MS Windows command at in a DOS/ cmd shell, for example
at 23:59 /INTERACTIVE "c:\Programs\SchemaAnalyzer-V6R2009-1.0\XY_batch_mode.bat"
Note the separate subdirectory structure "batchmode" in the main ENOVIA Studio Schema Analyzer installation directory, optionally it is used exclusively for all by batch mode automatically processed schemas and reports.

Styleguide for ENOVIA Schema Analyzer

HTML Reports
It is recommended to create a public directory called e.g. SchemaAnalyzer_reports in parallel to the Schema Analyzer installation, and to add this directory to the Tool settings. This way the reports directory path does not change with future Tool installations, and is available again by importing the settings file.
Undo / Backup
Due to the complex underlying schema relations a general Undo feature is unfortunately not feasible. However, every change in the diagram is applied to the Schema Analyzer schema file only when you explicitly say so (the Editor will ask before you close a modified diagram). For backup reasons you may want to store (apply) diagrams during graphical modeling in different phases by using different names for the diagram AND save the schema, too.
Naming of Schema Objects
Operating and PDM systems may have different handling of names, case sensitive or case insensitive. Hence different Schema objects should not use the same name in case insensitive sense. Further company specific rules are recommended, e.g. to write Process names in capital letters only.
Usage of Editors
All the editors work on the same underlying schema, so the user is free to choose the needed visualization type. Every created object is reusable in every other editor.
Importing Programs from ENOVIA
The ENOVIA object Program has a field containing the program text, which may be Tcl source code. In Tcl, quotation marks, apostrophes and inverted commas are used for different purposes, mainly as string and comment delimiters. During the import of ENOVIA schema to Analyzer problems can arise due to the MQL/Tcl-specification which uses inverted commas itself to signal start and end of a textual attribute contents string; so an inverted comma within a TCL source code text string could be interpreted as end of the program text. Bottom line: If you get problems importing ENOVIA TCL programs check and vary the usage of inverted commas and quotation marks e.g. as comment delimiter.