To increase modeling efficiency, Design Studio enables you to create new data elements that obtain attributes from other data elements. In Design Studio, this is called deriving from a base type element, where the new element automatically obtains the information in the base element.
Leveraging information already defined for base types enables you to define attributes once, share the common attributes among multiple entities, and edit those entities in a single location. Changes that you make to a base type automatically cascade to all entities that derive from that base type.
See "Deriving from Base Type Elements" for more information. See Design Studio Concepts for more information about leveraging information defined for existing data elements.
Extending Design Studio Entities
When modeling simple and structured data elements in Design Studio, you can create new data elements that derive from existing base types. Rather than referencing one of the primitive types (int, boolean, char, and so forth), you reference another data element as their data type.
To create data elements that derive from existing base types:
From the Studio menu, select Show Design Perspective.
Click the Dictionary tab.
Right-click in the Dictionary view area and select the appropriate menu option.
To create a data element that will contain no child elements, select Add Simple Schema Element.
To create a data element that will contain child elements, select Add Structured Schema Element.
In the Type field, click Select.
The Data Element Selection dialog box appears.
Select an existing data element as the base type for the new element.
The new element becomes a subtype of the element you select here, and inherits some of the base type element attributes.
Enter information for all required fields.
See "Creating Simple Data Elements, Structured Data Elements, and Data Structure Definitions" for more information.