You can use the JPA-to-UML
transformation to generate UML models from Java Persistence API entities.
You should be familiar with the Java-to-UML and EJB 3.0–to-UML transformations
before you run the JPA-to-UML transformation.
About this task
You can use this transformation in both of the following
round-trip-engineering (RTE) scenarios:
- Transform a UML model into code, change the code, and then transform
the changed code into UML (model-code-model)
By default, the IBM® Rational® modeling products support
this scenario, which begins by running the UML-to-JPA transformation.
- Transform existing JPA entities and Java code
into a UML model, change the model, and then transform the changed
model into Java code and JPA
entities (code-model-code)
This scenario begins by running the JPA-to-UML
transformation. To use this transformation in this scenario, you must
link the existing JPA entities and Java code
elements to the UML model elements in the model that this transformation
generates. This linking adds annotations and comments to the code
so that the UML-to-JPA transformation can propagate the UML changes
to the code and preserve existing method bodies. You should link the
elements before you modify the recently added model elements and run
the UML-to-JPA transformation. After you link the elements, subsequent
transformations merge as you expect.
Note: To link the code elements
to the UML model elements, on the Main page of the UML-to-JPA transformation
configuration, click Link Java to UML.
For
more information about this scenario and merging changes when you
develop JPA entities, Java,
and UML, see the related concept topic below. Although this related
topic describes the workflow for the Java transformations,
the workflow is the same for the UML-to-JPA and JPA-to-UML transformations.