# Top Oracle SQL Developer Data Modeler Settings



I've started to use SQL Developer Data Modeler](http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/developer-tools/datamodeler/overview/index.html)(SDDM) a lot for a project and realized that pretty much everything is configurable. The problem is that there's no single area to search all the different settings and even the settings' search boxes don't filter for all the options. To get around this (and for my own references) I've included some settings that I found very useful. _I'll try to keep this post up to date as I continue to explore SDDM._

**Notes**

- [Jeff Smith](https://twitter.com/thatjeffsmith) has [blogged](http://www.thatjeffsmith.com) about a lot of the different settings. For a more extensive list check out his [blog](http://www.thatjeffsmith.com).
- When _Preferences_ is mentioned it's `Tools > Preferences` in Windows and `Oracle Data Modeler > Preferences` in Mac.
- I did not include any scripting (design rules, transformations, or DDL transformations) in this list. I'll write a separate article on that.

## Adding `PROMPT` Statements in DDL

SDDM can generate DDL statements for you either by clicking the DDL button (1) or synchronizing the model with a schema (2):

<img src="{% asset_path Snip20170721_7.png %}">

It's always helpful to have `prompt` statements before each DDL change to help debug where an issue occurred. To do so open `Preferences` and check  `Include PROMPT Command (for Oracle only)`:

<img src="{% asset_path Snip20170721_6.png %}">

All DDL will then include a `prompt` statement like:

```sql
PROMPT CREATING TABLE 'MY_TABLE';
CREATE TABLE MY_TABLE ...
```

## 12c Identity Column or Auto Generate Sequences

Depending on your database version you may want to either have sequences automatically generated for you or not. In my case I was using a 12c instance and was going to use [Identity Columns](https://oracle-base.com/articles/12c/identity-columns-in-oracle-12cr1) for primary key IDs. I didn't want sequences for each table to be automatically generated. To toggle this feature open Preferences and change the options in the image below.

<img src="{% asset_path Snip20170721_8.png %}">


More on the Identity Column settings [here](http://www.thatjeffsmith.com/archive/2014/01/defining-12c-identity-columns-in-oracle-sql-developer-data-modeler/)

## DDL Format - Lowercase and Tabs

If you're really picky on the format of the DDL that is generated you can modify some of the settings in `Preferences > Format`:

<img src="{% asset_path Snip20170721_9.png %}">


## Naming Standard Templates

When adding primary keys (PK) and various other constraints a default name is always generated. You can determine how this name is generated by modifying the design's properties settings:

<img src="{% asset_path Snip20170721_10.png %}">

More information on different variables can be found [here](https://kentgraziano.com/2015/12/29/better-data-modeling-discovering-foreign-keys-fk-in-sqldevmodeler-sddm/)

## Short Table Names

In most DB instances all object names are limited to 30 characters (this is changed in 12c but most organizations still haven't enabled 128 characters). When using naming standards this can cause some issues because just referencing `<table_name>` may not work as its already 30 characters. Note `<table_name>` isn't a real variable in SDDM.

You can define a short name (SDDM calls it an `Abbreviation`) for each table via the table properties. Setting the `Abbreviation` is also very helpful when generating DDL statements or constraints from scripts.

<img src="{% asset_path Snip20170722_12.png %}">