Updating query-based diagrams

You can update a query-based diagram using the Explore update tools. You might want to update a diagram after defining additional elements in the model or if you want to define different parameters for the update tool. If the subsequent run of the query finds additional elements, they are added to the diagram and any modifications you have made to the diagram are preserved.

About this task

To update a query-based diagram:

Procedure

  1. In the Project Explorer, open a query-based diagram. The diagram may also contain manually created elements that would not be returned as part of the query.
  2. In the Explore tab of the Palette, click the drawer corresponding to an appropriate aspect of the architecture model; then click the corresponding UPIA diagram view update tool.
  3. Click in the diagram. A window opens prompting you to enter the update tool parameters.
  4. If you have not selected the Remember parameters (do not ask again) check box on previous use of the update tool, then you are prompted to enter the update tool parameters.
    1. Select the search scope for the update operation.
    2. Configure update options.
    3. Click OK.

Results

The update tool scans the model for appropriate elements. If an element in the query result already exists in the diagram, then its shape is reused. If an element does not already exist in the diagram, a new shape is created and added to the diagram. Relationships between elements on the diagram are also shown. The layout of the existing diagram elements (before the diagram update) is not changed.

Shapes in the diagram that were added previously and do not correspond to the query results are not removed from the diagram. This allows you to run several queries from the Explore tools on the same diagram to create the results of a composite query.


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