What's New in DB Visual ARCHITECT 5.2 Service Pack 1 for NetBeans?

Latest build: sp1_20100313 (February 22, 2010) View release notes

Reference model element in documentation

Reference model element in documentation

New feature

Insert reference model element references to rich text documentation pane. The referenced model elements will be linked and highlighted.

Class diagram

Class diagram

Enhanced feature

Class diagram is the most widely used diagram in modeling object-oriented system. A class diagram shows a set of classes, interfaces, associations and generalizations. Package is commonly used model element for organizing elements in class diagram. Class diagrams are not just for visualizing and documenting structure models but also for constructing executable system with forward, reverse and round-trip engineering. There is also a synchronization engine for generating and updating entity relationship diagram from class diagram.

Database generation

Database generation

Enhanced feature

Generate database schema (DDL) from entity relationship diagram (ERD). Both database creation and database patching script can be generated automatically. The following movie demonstrates the database generation feature.

Reclaiming and eliminating spaces with sweeper and magnet

Reclaiming and eliminating spaces with sweeper and magnet

Enhanced feature

Modeling is not just about creating diagrams but also the ease of refinement. Good visual modeling tool allows modeler to create and manipulate diagrams in effective way. DB Visual ARCHITECT for NetBeans provides sweeper and magnet functions for expanding and compacting diagram without messing up the layout.

Traceability and model transitor

Traceability and model transitor

Enhanced feature

Traceability between model elements helps to identify and locate the source of origin of specify model element in project. For example, physical entity "ORDER_ITEM" is derived from a conceptual entity called "Order item" in a entity relationship diagram. DB Visual ARCHITECT for NetBeans supports model transitor to manage and maintain the traceability between model elements.

Manage and apply styles

Manage and apply styles

Enhanced feature

Style is a set of formatting attributes for diagram elements. Applying style to diagram element enables you to quickly change the formatting of diagram element without setting attributes one by one. The manage style function allows you to change formatting attributes of existing style, and all changes will be applied to all diagram elements applied the same style.

Publishing project to web server

Publishing project to web server

Enhanced feature

The sharing of latest and accurate system design to customer, team member or other department staff greatly increases the efficiency of communications. DB Visual ARCHITECT for NetBeans supports publishing project to web enabled format. The published content contains all information in the project, including documentation, detail property, internal references and external references of each diagram and model element. The published content incorporates some navigation functions to increase the usability such as jump to shape, open reference and popup documentation when mouse over the element. There is no special requirement in both server and client side. Project Publisher can run with system job scheduler to publish and upload project(s) in regular bases.

DB-VA User's Guide Online

What's New in DB Visual ARCHITECT 5.2 for NetBeans?

Release date: January 11, 2010View release notes

Generate PHP doctrine persistent layer

Generate PHP doctrine persistent layer

New feature

Generate PHP persistent layer working with Doctrine object relational mapping (ORM) framework.

Automatic translation

Automatic translation

New feature

Translate logical database design to different languages by automatic translation function. Both model element name and documentation can be translated.

UML Profile

UML Profile

New feature

A new diagram type, "Profile Diagram" is introduced for designing stereotypes and tagged values visually. Profile diagram supports defining stereotypes with generalization, composition. Integer and floating number tagged values are also supported.

Project management properties

Project management properties

New feature

Define status, difficulty, priority, version, iteration, phase and discipline of each model element for project management purpose.

Automatic expand diagram margin

Automatic expand diagram margin

New feature

Automatic expand diagram base on the growth of design. Margin can be defined visually.

Handy association editing

Handy association editing

New feature

Specify all association properties in diagram without going through deep dialog boxes.

Java round-trip code engineering

Java round-trip code engineering

Enhanced feature

Design classes in UML class diagram, generate Java source code and reverse Java source code to update the UML class diagram. Java annotation syntax is supported in the latest version.

Instant reverse engineering

Instant reverse engineering

Enhanced feature

Reverse engineer 12 programming languages to UML class diagram. Supported programming languages include Java, C++, .NET DDL or exe, IDL, Ada 95, XML, XML schema, JDBC, Hibernate, PHP 5.0 or above, Python and Objective-C. The latest version supports reversing source code to package diagram for high level analysis.

Report template designer

Report template designer

Enhanced feature

Design report template with easy-to-use visual template designer. The latest version has added a lot of customizable elements and increased in usability.

Generating MS Word 2007 report

Generating MS Word 2007 report

Enhanced feature

Generate database specification to Microsoft Word 2007 format. The MS Word 2007 report generation feature is available in Windows, Mac OSX, Linux and Unix platforms. The latest version supports specifying MS Word document as template.

Glossary grid

Glossary grid

Enhanced feature

Identify, document and manage domain terms with glossary grid. Each term can have multiple aliases. All terms will be highlighted and linked in model element documentation.

Rich Text documentation

Rich Text documentation

Enhanced feature

Write detail description to model elements with rich formatted text. The latest release highlights and links glossary terms from documentation to glossary grid.

Visual Diff

Visual Diff

Enhanced feature

Compare and generate differences between two diagrams automatically with visual diff. Identify differences between two databases by comparing two entity relationship diagrams.

Matrix

Matrix

Enhanced feature

Overview dependencies between model elements by matrix diagram. The latest version supports exporting matrix diagram to Microsoft Excel for further analysis.