New to RISE - some questions

[mh...@phimpetus.com]

Hi,

I've recently installed RISE and used it to develop the database model for a work project.

I have a couple of questions regarding the T-SQL code generator as follows:
1. Is it possible to influence the naming convention with regard to entities? For example I have an entity called 'InvoiceLine', which becomes 't_TSR_u_InvoiceLine' when generated (TSR is the model name). I would like to keep the original name without the prefix. Similarly I would like to remove 'c_u_' as a prefix to the entitiy attributes and use my own conventions for naming primary & foreign keys. Is any of this possible?

2. Can I change the datatype mapping to T-SQL? For example, 'varchar' would be a better choice than 'nvarchar' (the default) for this project. It would also be nice to have more data types e.g. some form of fixed point decimal type, not just int and float.

I've been very impressed with what I've seen so far of RISE and will continue evaluating.

Thanks,

Mark

[Joar]

Hi Mark,
Thank you for your inquiry about RISE!

1. The conventions used by the RISE code generators fulfill the
requirement (among other) that the resulting names are not in conflict
even if you choose to have more than one model in one and the same
logical database. In RISE there is no way yet to influence the naming
conventions. However; we are looking into ways allowing for other
conventions without the need to develop a code generator of your own
(which by the way is a real option whenever specific needs of your
organization are such that more general code generators do not
suffice).

We are e.g. investigating the possibility to allow for entering
convention configuration in your RISE Editor so that a specific code
generator could use this information for its used convention. That way
you would get a choice between
a. "default" (more or less as now)
b. "none" (no naming convention used, i.e. use entity name et c. as
is)
c. "select a custom convention" (giving you a list of any conventions
you have in your model)

If this is introduced, the risk of ending up with something that will
not be unique is of course something that needs to be informed about.
This is crucial e.g. for an organization using one RISE server for
several developers. What do you think of such a solution? Do you think
it would be a good development in regards to how you use RISE?

2. I believe that the first part of your second question is similar to
the one above. We are looking into which parts of mapping (from
general information model to database and application layers) would be
well handled if configurable, e.g. should the user be able to enter
the use of Unicode or should separate data types in the general model
be possible to manually be mapped to type for each target environment
respectively?

Our reasoning regarding the second part of the question is also
similar: The data types included in the RISE Editor are all such that
they have an obvious interpretation in all relevant target
environments, both at database and application level. One that we are
looking at right now to see if we can find good ways to implement in
all the environments, is "numeric". If we do, we will of course post
information on in this forum as soon as it has been released.

Don't forget that if your organization's needs are such that the
general code generators do not suffice, there is always the
possibility to develop specific ones.

Best regards,
Joar

[MarkH]

Hi Joar,

Thanks for your response and apologies for my late acknowledgement.

To take the points in turn:
1. I understand the requirement for unique naming and I think the
solution you propose would be ideal. In the meantime I have written
some T-SQL scripts to rename the entities. If time permits, I'll take
a look at how to write a code generator for RISE.

2. For my needs, a new 'numeric' type would be useful. I also think
there could be value in allowing the user to decide whether a 'string'
attribute should handle Unicode or not. Again, I have scipted some T-
SQL to change the data types to suit my specific needs. Again, I may
look at code generation.

Thanks very much for your suggestions.

By the way, I've just downloaded the 2.6.0.9 release - are there any
significant changes from 2.6.0.8? Are there any release notes on the
website (I couldn't find any but I'm not that familiar with the site)?

Thanks,

Mark

[Joar]

Hi Mark,
Thank you for giving us valuable input!
I'm glad to hear that you have actually solved the problems in, as far
as I can tell, great ways. We will keep investigating both issues.

Regarding the latest release (it's not your being unfamiliar with our
site, it's our need to better our release communications):
It contains no significant changes relating to the use of RISE Editor
itself but has some updates needed for the RISE Developers' Cloud (a
service that allows you to develop using RISE without the need to set
up any RISE server, database et c. of your own).

Best regards,
Joar