Integration with entity-relationship modeling tools

Optim™ Database Administrator works with entity-relationship modeling (ERM) tools such as InfoSphere™ Data Architect. It is helpful to understand how the tools differ and how they work together.

Optim Database Administrator and InfoSphere Data Architect

Optim Database Administrator and InfoSphere Data Architect help address closely related business problems. For example,
With Optim Database Administrator 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 InfoSphere Data Architect you can:
Create logical models and view the model entities and relationships in the Data Design Project.
With InfoSphere Data Architect and Optim Database Administrator you can:
Manage the life cycle of your database. InfoSphere Data Architect is useful for Business Analysts and Database Architects where Optim Database Administrator is useful for Database Administrators.

Product differences by role

Optim Database Administrator and InfoSphere Data Architect can be used in different role-oriented contexts.

Business Analysts and Data Architects can use InfoSphere Data Architect 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 Optim Database Administrator 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 Optim Database Administrator 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

InfoSphere Data Architect supports logical data models and physical data models.

Optim Database Administrator supports physical data models.

You can translate the logical data models used by InfoSphere Data Architect into physical data models that can then be incorporated into Optim Database Administrator. Transformation from logical data models to physical data models must be completed within InfoSphere Data Architect. 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.

Projects
Both InfoSphere Data Architect and Optim Database Administrator use Data Design Projects.
Scripts
Both InfoSphere Data Architect and Optim Database Administrator support SQL scripts such as DDL, DML, and DCL. Optim Database Administrator supports additional DB2 commands and utilities such as import, export, load, reorg, and rebind.

If a script contains commands that Optim Database Administrator supports, but that InfoSphere Data Architect does not, it will have a file extension of .chx.

In summary, you can:
  • Use physical data models that were created by using InfoSphere Data Architect in Optim Database Administrator
  • Check InfoSphere Data Architect data design projects out of library control and use them in Optim Database Administrator
  • Use SQL scripts that were generated with InfoSphere Data Architect or other ERM tools and reverse engineer them with Optim Database Administrator to implement databases or make changes to database schemas

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