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The frequency of the function along with the usage of the entities and attributes defined and the Elementary checkbox help the Application Design Wizard determine which functions become screens, reports , utilities, and manual processes. If the function is elementary, it is at its base level and can no longer be decomposed. If the function is atomic, it is a single-leaf node with nothing below it. The following shows some frequencies and usages of entities:

Frequency Overnight ”Select only usages ”Report
Frequence Immediate ”Any usages ”Screen
Frequency Overnight ”Entity Usages other than select ”Utility
No entities ”manual process

In the trigger area, you can specify any functions that are triggered by completion of the current function. For example, the function of printing payroll checks can trigger the function of distributing payroll checks.

NOTE
You cannot specify a parent function from the child function's Trigger tab. If you identify a child from the parent and then look at the child, the parent will be identified.

A function can also be shared by two parent functions; however, only one can be the true parent. This is referred to as a common function. After you select the Function icon, enter the information as you normally would. Then, under the common function table, identify the application and module of the true parent. The common function can come from another application with the repository. If there are additional functions below the function that becomes the common function, those functions are considered common as well and need not be re-identified.

CAUTION
All the characteristics of a function are editable. However, if you edit the short name of a function and it is the parent of another function, when you print out the function definition, the old name of the parent function will appear on the definition of the child. This error occurs because the CASE system has denormalized the function definition table and the original parent name is stored with the child. If you run into this problem, contact Oracle's support staff, and they will supply you with a utility to solve this problem.

You can also include a function from the RON. Using Edit Include Function from the menu bar, choose the function from the available list. If you select a function that you do not want to be included in the function hierarchy, cut the function or delete it if you want the function deleted from the RON also.

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TIP
To select multiple functions from the list, hold down the Ctrl key and click the functions you require, or select a block of functions by holding down the Shift key. If you choose a large number, your diagram might become too difficult to follow for the initial editing, so keep this in mind when you make your selection.
Changing Diagram Layout

There are three types of diagram layout:

  • Vertical: All functions are displayed vertically on the diagram. (See Figure 32.2.)
  • Horizontal: All functions are displayed horizontally, with each level displaying vertically. (See Figure 32.3.)
  • Hybrid: A combination of vertical and horizontal that seems the most appealing based on the functional breakdown. (See Figure 32.4.)
NOTE
These directional arrangements are the same for other diagramming tools.

To choose a specific layout type, select Tools from the menu bar. Choose Vertical, Horizontal, or Hybrid from the layout choices.

Often it is necessary to use different layouts at different levels of your diagram to obtain the best fit. This is accomplished by selecting the function to begin with and everything below it will be laid out according to the option selected.

Resequencing Functions

After you have created your diagram, you might want to resequence certain functions. To do so, click the Resequence icon. Then, select the function you want to resequence. Drag it just beyond the function you want it to follow. Then release the button. Resequencing does not change the way it will appear in the menu. This is performed from the Module Structure Diagrammer.

TIP
When you make a function the last function, there is no room on the function hierarchy for it at the end. Instead, make it the second-to-last function. Then move the last function in front
of it.

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Figure 32.2.
A vertical layout for a
functional hierarchy.


Figure 32.3.
A horizontal layout for
a functional hierarchy.


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Figure 32.4. A hybrid layout for a
functional hierarchy.


Moving a Function to a New Parent

Sometimes it makes sense to move a function from one area of the diagram to another. To reparent a function, click the Reparent icon. Then select the function you want to reparent. Drag the cursor to the new parent and release the button.

CAUTION
Minimize the size of your canvas before reparenting. If you attempt to drag the function beyond the vertical sides of the screen, your screen might begin scrolling to the extreme right or left, depending on which way you were moving, and appear to stick there. Save the diagram and reopen. A technique to get around this is reparenting to foster parents until you reach the true parent.
NOTE
If when reparenting or resequencing you accidentally orphan a function, you will find it on the upper-right corner of the diagram.

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Sharing Functions

Sometimes a function is used more than once in an application, or a function is used in multiple applications. Rather than make a function redundant, you can refer to it multiple times or make it into a shared function. Double-click the function that will be a copy of another function. In the common area, enter the application and the short name of the function you are copying.

CAUTION
Designer/2000 enables you to enter any information on a referencing function that you would on a regular function such as notes, description, entity usage, and so on. However, when you are printing a function definition for a function that references another function, the only data displayed is the data from the common function, not any extra notes you might have added to the function referencing the information.
Consolidating

When you make changes to a function's definition or its point in the hierarchy, you can enter the changes in either the Diagrammer or RON. The changes are reflected on other diagrams that use the same functions. There might be a reason for you to keep the changes off. They might reflect an earlier time or the business opinions of another department. However, it is possible to take into account the changes from other users and consolidate them into the current diagram. To do so, you must choose Edit Consolidate from the menu bar. At this point, you can choose whether to consolidate a specific function or the entire diagram.

NOTE
If you do not consolidate an element that has changed, you cannot edit it.
Using Colors, Fonts, and Line Width

Color in the Function Hierarchy Diagrammer works in a similar way to that mentioned in the Entity Relationship Diagrammer section. For example, all payroll functions could be filled in with green. Another example is using colors to specify what type of module the function will become with a different color for each (screen, report, utility, and menu). Add color from the color palette and change the line width by clicking on the Line Width icons.

Dataflow Diagrammer

This section provides a brief overview of how to model information using the Dataflow Diagrammer. As you can see from the screen in Figure 32.5, the general appearance and many

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Oracle Unleashed
Oracle Development Unleashed (3rd Edition)
ISBN: 0672315750
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 1997
Pages: 391

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