The manual for the ERKKA-program

You can plan databases with this program. By drawing ER-diagrams the program generates the SQL-statements and relations (tables) about the database.

There are three sheets on the program. The first sheet is the drawing area and this open always first. The second sheet is the SQL. There are creating SQL-statements bases on ER-drawing. The third sheet is the relations and there are creating relations (tables) bases on the SQL-file.

The contents

1. Drawing

1.1. File menu

1.2. Edit menu

1.3. View menu

1.4. Options menu

1.5. Insert menu

1.6. Help menu

1.7. Drawing pictures

2. SQL-view

2.1. File menu

2.2. Edit menu

2.3. View menu

2.4. Refresh

2.5. Editing SQL-statements

2.6. Transforming not success

2.7. CREATE TABLE is missing

3. Relations-view

3.1. File menu

3.2. View menu

3.3. Refresh

3.4. A line is missing

3.5. Arranging

1. Drawing

To the contents

1.1. File menu

To the contents

1.1.1. New

Select File and then New from the menu. Then you have to choose the configuration file (.erkka) from the list opens in the window. After that you can begin the drawing.

Notice: If you now select File and Open instead of New the program supposes that there is some drawing-element in the file. The program ask for the drawing-element.

To the contents

1.1.2. Open

Select File and then Open from the menu. Then you have to choose the configuration file (.erkka) from the list opens in the window. After that the drawing opens and you can edit it. If you have an old drawing open close the program the drawing by asking if you want to save it.

To the contents

1.1.3. Close

Select File and Close from the menu. The program ask if you want to save the drawing.

To the contents

1.1.4. Save and save as

You can save the drawing (.erkka)

To the contents

1.1.5. Print

You can print the drawing.

To the contents

1.1.6. Export

Yuo can export the drawing as .png.

To the contents

1.1.7. Exit

Exit the program.

To the contents

1.2. Edit menu

To the contents

1.2.1 Undo-redo

You can undo and redo as many times you want, but texts you can not undo or redo. It works only with drawing, also adding objects, removing them, moving them, and so on.

To the contents

1.2.2. Cut

Does not work.

To the contents

1.2.3. Copy

Does not work.

To the contents

1.2.4. Paste

Does not work.

To the contents

1.2.5. Delete

You can delete an object and its information.

To the contents

1.2.6. Select All

Select all objects active.

To the contents

1.2.7. Edit

The cursor is placed to the name-field of the selected object.

To the contents

1.3. View menu

To the contents

You can change the sheet by selecting another sheet from this menu. The present sheet is marked with a point.

1.4. Options menu

To the contents

1.4.1. HideAllHotSpots

Hide all spots in the lines in the drawing.

Notice: For example at printing.

To the contents

1.4.2. Color

You can change the color for the background, the line, the infopanel or the selected objects.

To the contents

1.5. Insert menu

To the contents

The selected object becames active.

1.6. Help menu

To the contents

There are manual and about.

1.7. Drawing pictures

To the contents

1.7.1 Adding objects

Select an object by pressing the button at the top of the window. Then you click above the drawing area and the selected object is appearing to this. By clicking many times when an object is selected you can add many similar objects.

Notice:When you want to release an actived button you have to press Arrow button. Then you can select active attributes inside the entity also.

Attribute:

Attribute is an property for an entity or a relation. It can join to an entity or to a relation also. All the fields, which can define for attribute, are defined in the configurationfile. One attribute of an entity have to be primarykey.

Notice:Attributes can be inside or outside the entity.

Relation:

Relation can be between two or more entities. It reflects the relation between two entities. The relation must have cardinalities, which you can define for the lines.

Entity:

An entity is a thing or an action which can be regocnize.

Line:

The line must have cardinality. Cardinality have to be defined to relations, in this case to two lines. Its value can be empty, 1 or M. These three character are defined in the ER-configurationfile too. The true cardinality is one-to-one(1-to-1), one-to-many(1-to-M) or many-to-many(M-to-M). The lines which have an attribute as another target must be empty and the lines which have a relation as another target must be 1 or M.

To the contents

1.7.2. Selecting an object

When there are objects in the drawing area you can choose one object active by pressing it with mouse. The information panel about this object open on the left side of the window. The selected object is situated in a red box. If you are working with the entity which can include attributes the information panel about this entity open on the left side of the window. And by clicking an attribute you can select them instead of the entity.

To the contents

1.7.3. Selecting many objects

You can choose many objects by pressing the Control button and at the same time clicking the objects. All objects which are selected are surrounded by a red box. The information panel does not open.

To the contents

1.7.4. Adding and chancing the information of the object

When an object is selected active the information about it is on the information panel on the left side of the window. Clicking with mouse above the text area you can add for example the name for the object. In some fields there is combobox or checkbox in whice you can choose the alternative. All the fields are defined in the configurationfile. By pressing F2 you can get the cursor at the textfield.

Notice! Advance only normal characters, not for example ä,ö or å

To the contents

1.7.5. Removing an object

If you want to delete an object you select them active and press Delete button or select Delete from the menu.

Notice:If the cursor is in a textfield in the Informationpanel you can delete only the text not an object. By clicking Arrow button at the top of the window you can get the cursor out of the textfield.

To the contents

1.7.6 Moving an object

By pressing mouse and keeping it down you can move a selected object. If you are moving many objects at the same time you have to press Control button too.

To the contents

1.7.7. Connecting objects

By selecting Line object and clicking on the drawing area first an object and then another object you can connect the two objects with a line. A line always has a cardinality. If you are connecting an attribute to an entity the cardinality is empty (or 1). And if you are connecting an entity and a relation is cardinality 1 or M.

To the contents

1.7.8. Arrow button

By pressing this button none of objects is selected.

To the contents

2. SQL-view

2.1. File menu

To the contents

Save as (.sql), Print, Exit.

2.2. Edit menu

To the contents

Cut, Copy, Paste, Select All. All these actions are in use in the SQL-view.

2.3. View menu

To the contents

You can change the sheet by selecting another sheet from this menu. The present sheet is marked with a point.

2.4. Refresh

To the contents

If you have changed ER-picture and changes not appear to the SQL-view press F5-button.

2.5. Editing SQL-statements

To the contents

SQL-statements can be edit and saved as text. By editing these SQL- statements you can affect Relation-view. The changes do not affect ER- diagram.

2.6. Transforming not success

To the contents

Check you have not ä or ö in the ER-diagram and the cardinalities are defined.

2.7. CREATE TABLE is missing

To the contents

Check you have defined the primarykey for all the entities.

3. Relations-view

3.1. File menu

To the contents

There are three chance to choose: Export, Print and Exit. The relations you can export to png.

3.2. View menu

To the contents

You can change the sheet by selecting another sheet from this menu. The present sheet is marked with a point.

3.3. Refresh

To the contents

If you have done changes and them not appear to the Relaions-view press F5-button.

3.4. A line is missing

To the contents

If there is no primarykey in the relations-view there are no lines between relations. You have to define primarykeys at the drawing-view for all of the entities.

3.5. Arranging

To the contents

Relations are arranged casually and you have to arrange them yourself.