This page is for application designers who want define the data that will back the application. It explains how to draw an ERD and setup its properties.

Overview

Use an ERD to define the structure of the data that backs your application.

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Overview

For an introduction to ERD concepts and why ERDs are important, see

Understanding ERDs and Views

Entity Relationship Diagrams.

The process for

creating

defining data structures in an ERD

is slightly different depending

depends on whether or not you have already created

streams

tables in PhixFlow.

The following stream

The following table summarises the different ways you can add

streams

data to an ERD, depending on your starting point

. (See the sections below for details of how to add streams and relationships.)

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Starting PointProcessPrimary KeySee

:

Creating and Importing Data

Starting Point

Process

Attributes

Further Topics

I have CSV or Excel data

Drag the file onto the ERD canvas. PhixFlow automatically imports the data for you.

In each table:

either set one attribute as the Primary Key and ensure all values are unique
or add an attribute called UID with
- Data Type = Integer
- Precision = 10
and set one attribute to be the Display Name.

Creating Tables in an ERD, below.

I have no data

Define the

streams

tables, attributes and their relationships in the ERD.

Later you will need to add records to the

streams

table:

either manually, for

example create

example, create a screen in which application users can enter data.
or via an

analysis model

Analysis Model.

PhixFlow automatically creates

each stream

each table with:

a primary key

a Primary Key called UID
a Name attribute

the Name attribute set as the display name; see

, as the Display Name.

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Creating Tables in an ERD, below.
Creating a Screen from

a Stream
Load

an ERD Table 2. Importing Data
I have data but it's not in PhixFlow	Use an

analysis model

Analysis Model to connect to your data. PhixFlow can read the data structures to create

stream. When you run analysis on the model, PhixFlow loads the data records

tables.

In each

stream

table:

either set one attribute as the

primary key

Primary Key and ensure all values

will be

are unique
or add an attribute called UID with
- Data Type = Integer
- Precision = 10

Set

- Tick Primary Key
and set one attribute to be the Display Name.

Load

Importing Data Analysis Models for Batch Processing Data
	I have

streams

tables in PhixFlow already

In the ERD toolbar, click

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table_list

tables
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table_list

tables
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to display a list of all the

streams

tables. Drag

streams

tables into the ERD and then add the relationships.

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Note

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How to Define

Add an Existing Stream

In the toolbar, click Insert excerpt_table_list_table_listnopaneltrue.

PhixFlow filters the repository to show the list of streams available in this application.

Drag a stream from the repository onto the ERD canvas.

Create a New Stream

Creating Tables in an ERD

Open an Existing ERD

In the repository, find ERD.

Either right-click on an ERD name and select Display.

Or double-click the ERD name to open the properties. In the properties toolbar, click the Insert excerpt_erd_display_erd_displaynopaneltrue icon.

Create a New ERD

In the repository, find ERD. Right-click to display the context menu, and select Insert excerpt_add_addnopaneltrueEnter a name for your ERD, and a description then click Insert excerpt_finish_finishnopaneltrue.

Tip
When you are creating streams, choose a name that reflects the entity your stream represents.

PhixFlow opens a new ERD canvas on the left with a toolbar at the top. Hover your mouse pointer over toolbar icons to display a tooltip.

Drag and Drop Import: Create a New Table using Excel or CSV
Anchor
Excel
Excel

Drag a CSV or Excel file directly onto an ERD canvas.
PhixFlow creates a table automatically based on the information in the file.

This topic is also covered in the ERD Fundamentals video course; see Entity Relationship Diagrams.

Create a New Table
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NewTable

Drag
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tables
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from

from the toolbar into the diagram.
In the

pop-up

popup, enter a name

, for example "Customer", and click Insert excerpt_dialog_finish_dialog_finishnopaneltrue

that reflects what the table will represent. For example, Customer.
PhixFlow opens the properties

tab

for the new

stream on the right

table and adds the

stream

table to the canvas.
The table header displays

the

its name

entered in step 2

.PhixFlow automatically adds

2

two attributes:

- UID

- PhixFlow requires

- , a primary key that is a unique identifier

and primary key

- for each

stream

- record.
- Name

- PhixFlow sets the Name attribute to be the display name. In data grids and forms etc. PhixFlow uses this attribute to provide a user-friendly name, rather than a numeric identifier. Optionally, change the attribute name

- , a display name that is shown instead of the numeric UID in a view or form.
To add attributes to the

stream

table:
1. In the

stream

1. table, click
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  . PhixFlow opens the attribute properties on the right, with the default settings of:
  - Type = String
  - Length = 50 characters.
2. In the properties, enter the Name and select appropriate type properties, such as Date or Integer; see

Attributes

1. Attribute. The following data types have additional properties:
  - For String, add Length
  - For Integer, add Precision
  - For Decimal, add Significant Figures and Decimal Places
2. Click
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  to save the attribute properties.
PhixFlow adds the attribute

to the stream in the ERD.

to the table in the ERD.

Add an Existing Table

In the toolbar, click
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.
PhixFlow filters the repository to show the list of tables available in this application.
Drag a table from the repository onto the ERD canvas.

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Create Relationships

In an ERD you can create a one-to-many relationship between a primary key in

one stream

one table with an attribute in another

stream

table. For relationship concepts, see

Understanding ERDs and Views

Entity Relationship Diagrams.

To create a relationship

, click

:

Click-drag from one attribute name to another.

Expand

title	More detail

Click on the source attribute.

Drag to the destination attribute.

One of the attributes must be a primary key.
PhixFlow highlights the attribute when your mouse pointer is over it.
When the destination attribute is highlighted, release the click.

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Relationships

See the

stream

table below for the relationships that can be created between attributes

.

:

Drag from		Relationship

line

From stream1To stream2

Table 1	Table 2
primary key	attribute	1:Many

stream1

Table1.primarykey →

stream2

Table2.attribute

1:many


attribute	primary key	1:Many

stream2

Table2.primarykey →

stream1

Table1.attribute

1:many


attribute	attribute

if stream1

If Table1 has no primary key

:

, PhixFlow makes the

stream1

Table1.attribute the primary key.

if stream 1

If Table1 has a primary key

:

, the relationship is from

stream1

Table1.primarykey instead of from

stream1.

the attribute being dragged.

Relationship Restrictions

PhixFlow cannot create a relationship between your selected attributes if your selected foreign key attribute:

is already a foreign key to a different primary key.
has a different Data Type and type properties to the primary key.

In these cases, PhixFlow reports an error: Related attributes must have the same type and length. This type/length is different.

If this happens, you can:

create a new attribute to be the foreign key.
change the foreign key attributes to match the primary key, provided there is no data in

the stream

the table.
create the relationship with a different attribute.

To change the data type properties,

In

in the ERD, click on an attribute to open its properties

. TipIf you have created several ERDs to define the data structure that your application requires, then each ERD is a view onto a part of the full data structure

.

Show Relationships From Other ERDs
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erd-view
erd-view

Tip
If you have created several ERDs to define the data structure that your application requires, then each ERD is a view onto a part of the full data structure.

If a

stream

table appears on more than one ERD it may have relationships with

streams

tables that are not visible in your current ERD. To see other related

streams

tables, right-click a

stream

table to show the

context

popup menu and select:

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PhixFlow adds the related

streams

tables to your ERD.

To

keep

remove the related

streams in

tables from your ERD,

in the toolbar,

right click on each one and click

Insert excerpt

	_

save

remove
	_

save

remove
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.

To remove the related streams

from

your ERD, in the toolbar, click Insert excerpt_refresh_refreshnopaneltrue

the diagram.

Saving ERDs

Changes to streams, attributes and relationships are automatically saved. However, to keep any

Any changes you make

to the layout of a diagram, such as moving streams or adding angle points to relationships, remember to click Insert excerpt_save_savenopaneltrue in the toolbar. PhixFlow notifies you if there are unsaved changes when you attempt to close an ERD.

Accessing Properties

You can set properties for all the items in an ERD. To access properties:

for

on the ERD canvas are automatically saved.

Accessing Properties

To access properties for:

the ERD: in the canvas toolbar click
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for a stream

tables: in the ERD, click on

the stream

the table header or right-click to open the

pop-up

popup menu and select
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config

edit
_

config

edit
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for an attribute

attributes: in the

stream

table, click on an attribute

for a relationship: in the ERD, click on the relationship line. For relationships you can only add or change the description.

PhixFlow opens the properties

panel on the right.

Rearranging ERDs

To move streams around in the ERD, click on the header and drag the stream. There are also Align options in the toolbar that you can use to line up or distribute selected streams.

If you want to highlight the relationships that affect a stream, click the stream to select it. The following screenshot shows the Teacher stream is selected.

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Blue lines indicate relationships to a foreign key in the selected stream
Green lines indicate relationships from the primary key in the selected stream.

If a stream has a lot of attributes that you do not need to see, collapse the list to show only the stream's primary and foreign keys.

Either right-click on a stream and select Hide attributes or Show attributes
Or double-click on the stream header.

To select multiple streams, draw a square around them.

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Hover your mouse pointer over
an angle to see the blue angle point.

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By default, relationships are straight lines, but you can change them to have angles.

Click on a relationship line to add an angle point, which appears as a blue dot; see the screenshot on the left.
Move the mouse pointer over the blue dot. It changes to a four-way arrow to indicate you can drag.
Drag the point to the position you require.

To remove an unwanted angle, right-click the blue dot and select Remove Point; see the screenshot on the right.

Right-click the blue angle point to see the Remove option

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Properties

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Basic Settings

FieldDescriptionName

The name for the ERD.

Insert excerpt_description_descriptionnopaneltrue Insert excerpt_audit_auditnopaneltrue

Toolbars and Popup Menus

ERD Toolbar

The toolbar is at the top of the canvas. Hover your mouse pointer over the toolbar to see a tooltip.

OptionDescription

Create options

Insert excerpt_tables_tablesnopaneltrueDrag this icon onto the canvas to create a stream.

List options

Insert excerpt_tables_tablesnopaneltrueClick to open the repository filtered to list the streams available in your application.

Canvas options

Insert excerpt_help_helpnopaneltrueOpen the help topic with details about working with ERDs. Insert excerpt_align_alignnopaneltrue

Options to arrange the selected streams in the ERD:

Insert excerpt_align_grid_align_gridnopaneltrue Insert excerpt_align_left_align_leftnopaneltrue Insert excerpt_align_right_align_rightnopaneltrue Insert excerpt_align_top_align_topnopaneltrue Insert excerpt_align_bottom_align_bottomnopaneltrue Insert excerpt_distribute_horizontal_distribute_horizontalnopaneltrue Insert excerpt_distribute_vertical_distribute_verticalnopaneltrue Insert excerpt_property_settings_property_settingsnopaneltrueOpen the properties tab for the ERD. Insert excerpt_zoom_out_zoom_outnopaneltrueZoom out to see more of the diagram, with smaller text. Insert excerpt_zoom_in_zoom_innopaneltrueZoom in to see a smaller area of the diagram, with larger text. Insert excerpt_save_savenopaneltruePhixFlow automatically saves changes to streams and relationships.
Use this icon to save diagram layout changes to the ERD. Insert excerpt_refresh_refreshnopaneltrue

Update the ERD to the last saved diagram layout. This clears any unsaved layout changes.
Your ERD should automatically show an changes elsewhere in PhixFlow. For example, if someone adds a new attribute to a stream in your ERD, the attribute will appear on the list. If changes are not appearing, click this icon.

Ungroup

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Select a grouped set of items and then click to ungroup them.

Select several items then click to group them together.

Stream Pop-up Menu

To access more options in a pop-up menu, in the stream header, click Insert excerpt_more_options_erd_more_options_erdnopaneltrue OptionDescription Insert excerpt_config_confignopaneltrue

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Insert excerpt_property_settings_property_settingsnopaneltrue

Open the properties for this stream.

Insert excerpt_remove_removenopaneltrue

Remove the selected item(s) from the diagram.

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todo-Fiona - should be Insert excerpt_rel_out_rel_outnopaneltrueStreams may have relationships to other streams not represented on the current ERD. Use these options to add all related streams to your ERD so that you can see the full relationship set; see Show Relationships From Other ERDs , above.

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todo-Fiona - should be

Insert excerpt_rel_in_rel_innopaneltrue Insert excerpt_attributes_show_hide_attributes_show_hidenopaneltrue

Toggle the stream between expanded to show all attributes or collapsed to show only the stream name, primary key and any foreign keys. This is useful if your stream contains many attributes.

Insert excerpt_delete_deletenopaneltrueDelete the selected item(s) from the ERD and from everywhere it is used.

Attribute Pop-up Menu

OptionDescription Insert excerpt_key_primary_set_key_primary_setnopaneltrueSet the current attribute to be a primary key. Remember to unset any other primary key in the stream. Insert excerpt_key_foriegn_set_key_foriegn_setnopaneltrueSet the current attribute to be a foreign key. Insert excerpt_attributes_attributesnopaneltrueCreate a new attribute for the stream. PhixFlow opens the properties where you can add a name and set the data type. Insert excerpt_delete_item_delete_itemnopaneltrue attributeDelete the attribute from the stream. PhixFlow prompts you to confirm. HTML Comment

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Things not yet implemented

For the Starting Point stream:

I have data in Excel files

Drag the Excel files directly into an ERD. PhixFlow loads the data structure and records. It then adds the stream to the ERD.

In the ERD, you then add the relationships between streams.

PhixFlow prompts you to set the primary key and display name attributes.Link to doc on XD flow 4.10

For Open an Existing ERD

From the home menu, select Data and click on an ERD in the list.
In the repository, open your application and find Data → ERD.
- Either right-click on an ERD name and select Display.
- Or...

For Create a New ERD

From the home menu, select Data.

PhixFlow displays the list of ERDs. Select Create New from the left hand side.

In the pop-up, enter a name for your ERD, and a description then click Insert excerpt_dialog_finish_dialog_finishnopaneltrue.

Tip
When you are creating streams, choose a name that reflects the entity your stream represents.

PhixFlow opens a new ERD canvas on the left with a toolbar at the top. Hover your mouse pointer over toolbar icons to display a tooltip.

For Create a Stream From an Excel File Document Flow 4.10

For Create Relationships Stream

primary keystream headerstream1.primarykey → stream2.new-attribute
1:many

pane on the right.

Versions Compared

Old Version 73

New Version Current

Key

Overview

Overview

Creating and Importing Data

Add an Existing Stream

Creating Tables in an ERD

Open an Existing ERD

Create a New ERD

Drag and Drop Import: Create a New Table using Excel or CSV
Anchor
Excel
Excel

Create a New Table
Anchor
NewTable
NewTable

Add an Existing Table

Create Relationships

Relationships

Relationship Restrictions

Show Relationships From Other ERDs
Anchor
erd-view
erd-view

Saving ERDs

Accessing Properties

Accessing Properties

Rearranging ERDs

Properties

Basic Settings

Toolbars and Popup Menus

ERD Toolbar

Stream Pop-up Menu

Attribute Pop-up Menu

Things not yet implemented

For the Starting Point stream:

For Open an Existing ERD

For Create a New ERD

For Create a Stream From an Excel File Document Flow 4.10

For Create Relationships Stream

Page Comparison

Versions Compared

Old Version 73

New Version Current

Key

Overview

Overview

Creating and Importing Data

Add an Existing Stream

Creating Tables in an ERD

Open an Existing ERD

Create a New ERD

Drag and Drop Import: Create a New Table using Excel or CSV AnchorExcelExcel

Create a New Table AnchorNewTableNewTable

Add an Existing Table

Create Relationships

Relationships

Relationship Restrictions

Show Relationships From Other ERDs Anchorerd-viewerd-view

Saving ERDs

Accessing Properties

Accessing Properties

Rearranging ERDs

Properties

Basic Settings

Toolbars and Popup Menus

ERD Toolbar

Stream Pop-up Menu

Attribute Pop-up Menu

Things not yet implemented

For the Starting Point stream:

For Open an Existing ERD

For Create a New ERD

For Create a Stream From an Excel File Document Flow 4.10

For Create Relationships Stream

Drag and Drop Import: Create a New Table using Excel or CSV
Anchor
Excel
Excel

Create a New Table
Anchor
NewTable
NewTable

Show Relationships From Other ERDs
Anchor
erd-view
erd-view