Bulk Editor Row-Level Paste

Use the row-level paste feature of the Bulk Editor to paste textual data from the clipboard that represents property values on specific objects in the erwin® Data Modeler model.

The data must be in the format described in the topic Bulk Editor Row-Level Copy. The string erwin Property Ids must appear at the beginning of the clipboard’s contents in order to enable the Paste Paste Selected Rows from the Clipboard Button on the Bulk Editor Toolbar button in the Bulk Editor.

The data is self-defining when it is in the proper format. That is, each line of text has a heading that uniquely identifies an object in the model. Each column of data has a heading that uniquely identifies a property on that object.

Note: Because the data is self-defining, the objects and properties in the clipboard do not need to match the objects and properties currently shown in the Bulk Editor. You may find this useful to prepare data outside of the Bulk Editor and merely use the Bulk Editor’s paste function as a way to enter the data into erwin® Data Modeler. However, this feature can only be used for existing objects and properties, and not for adding new objects.

The paste operation identifies whether the object specified in a row from the clipboard exists in the current model and is of the correct type. This should allow pasting data from a model to another model that was derived from it or saved from it, because these types of models contain objects that are the same in both models. Unrelated models will likely not match on both object ID and object types. In this case the data is rejected, so the model is not susceptible to damage from pasting onto objects that are not appropriate to receive it.

Once an appropriate object is identified in the model, each column in the Paste data is processed. The property is identified, and the data taken from the row that corresponds to that property. The data is translated, if possible, into the corresponding internal erwin® Data Modeler data and the change is applied to the object.

Diagnostic messages are provided if any of the data is unusable. Even if some of the Paste data cannot be used, the data that is usable is applied to the model. When the model changes, the objects and properties that also appear in the Bulk Editor are immediately updated to show the effects of the Paste operation. If the Paste affects objects or properties that do not appear in the Bulk Editor, you can review the changes in the Action Log pane.

More information:

Using the Bulk Editor

Bulk Editor Row-Level Copy

The Action Log Pane