You can use the workbench to compare and merge data objects
or data models.
There are two types of comparisons that you can perform. You can
compare data objects with other data objects or you can compare data
models with another version of the same data model.
- Data object compare and merge
- If you are comparing data objects that are contained in a data
model (for example, two tables), or two objects that are displayed
in the Data Source Explorer, you compare differences in the data object
compare editor. This type of comparison is a two way comparison. You
can navigate and merge structural differences between data objects,
merge properties changes between data objects, generate DDL for changes
that you made, and export the structural differences to an XML file
on the file system. If you make changes to a data model object in
the compare editor, the changes are automatically added to the model,
then you must save the model after you exit the compare editor to
save the changes. You can also choose to not save the changes, and
generate delta DDL statements instead. If you make changes to a server
data object, then you must generate delta DDL statements for the object
and then deploy it to the server to save the changes.
You can also
analyze the impact and dependencies of a data object to determine
how the object affects and is affected by changes to other objects.
- Data model compare and merge
- If you are comparing data model files (for example, *.LDM or *.DBM
files), you compare differences in the data model compare editor.
This type of model comparison can be either a two way or a three way
comparison. For example:
- The data model compare editor performs a two way comparison if
you compare two data models that are not under source code control.
- The data model compare editor performs a three-way comparison
if you compare three data models, or if you synchronize a data model
that is under source code control.
The differences between data objects are listed in the compare
editor, so that you can browse and accept changes made by the contributors.
You
can merge changes directly in the compare editor and save the changes
to the affected data models. It is not necessary to generate DDL when
you are performing a data model comparison and merge.