A visual interface to a conceptual data modelling tool

Two of the major problems with currently available software design tools are that they require too much detail too early in the design process, and that they do little to provide sufficient context for the software designer as the design is taking place. The paper presents a visual interface that addresses these two issues, and that in turn leads to a hew user interface metaphor. The interface is to a set of cooperating expert systems that acts as a non-intrusive, intelligent assistant in the conceptual data modelling phase of database design. The user interface allows the designer to simultaneously work at the abstract level and at the detail level while building the enterprise model from which the database will be generated. The key features of the interface are graphical gestural input, and the spatial maintenance of logical context through a technique of information filtering, using a structure of hierarchical windows. Planned extensions to the interface include user manipulation of a 3-D representation of extended entity-relationship diagrams, interactive control of behavior modelling animations, and the ability to deal with several models at the same time