How DB2 Change Management Expert works with Entity Relationship Modeling tools

DB2® Change Management Expert works with different Entity Relationship Modeling (ERM) tools such as Rational Data Architect (RDA). It is helpful to understand how the tools differ and how they work together.

DB2 Change Management Expert and Rational Data Architect (RDA)

DB2 Change Management Expert and RDA help address closely related business problems. For example,
With DB2 Change Management Expert you can:
Migrate data objects between environments, compare data models, and visualize dependencies. You can also change data objects in place, analyze your data models, and preserve data.
With RDA you can:
Create logical models and view the model entities and relationships in the Data Design Project.
With RDA and DB2 Change Management Expert you can:
Manage the life cycle of your database. RDA is useful for Business Analysts and Database Architects where DB2 Change Management Expert is useful for Database Administrators.

Product differences by role

DB2 Change Management Expert and RDA can be used in different role-oriented contexts.

Business Analysts and Data Architects can use RDA to:
  • Work together on specifications
  • Create database changes
  • Use diagramming and visualization
  • Analyze the impact of changes
  • Develop data models iteratively
  • Develop logical models
  • Compare data models
Database Administrators can use DB2 Change Management Expert to:
  • Migrate data object changes throughout Enterprise environments.
  • Compare data models
  • Create complex database changes
  • Analyze the impact of changes
  • Preserve data
  • Preserve authorizations
  • Preserve database application bindings
  • Deploy complex database changes
Operations Managers can use DB2 Change Management Expert to:
  • Audit changes
  • Handle contingencies by using the undo and redo capabilities

Product differences by object

Certain objects are handled differently by the two products:
Data models

RDA supports logical data models and physical data models.

DB2 Change Management Expert supports physical data models.

You can translate the logical data models used by RDA into physical data models that can then be incorporated into DB2 Change Management Expert. Transformation from logical data models to physical data models must be completed within RDA. When you transform a logical model to a physical model, the logical entities map to physical objects. For example, entities become tables, attributes become columns, and relationships become referential integrity.

The physical models can be copied between the two products.

Start of changeProjectsEnd of change
Start of changeBoth RDA and DB2 Change Management Expert use Data Design Projects. End of change
Scripts
Both RDA and DB2 Change Management Expert support SQL scripts such as DDL, DML, and DCL. DB2 Change Management Expert supports additional DB2 commands and utilities such as import, export, create database, reorg, and rebind.

If a script contains commands that DB2 Change Management Expert supports, but that RDA does not, it will have a file extension of .chx.

In summary, you can:Start of change
  • Use physical data models that were created by using RDA in DB2 Change Management Expert.
  • Check RDA data design projects out of library control and use them in DB2 Change Management Expert.
  • Use SQL scripts generated with RDA or other ERM tools and reverse engineer them with DB2 Change Management Expert to implement databases or make changes to database schemas.
End of change


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