The Tools, IDEF Utilities, IDEF0 Model Propagation command attaches the model name of the parent IDEF0 diagram that you have open to all of its child diagrams. This is a useful utility if you have created IDEF0 diagrams for which you have not specified a model (in their diagram properties dialog), but have connected those diagrams as children in a hierarchy of IDEF0 diagrams. The model name of an IDEF0 diagram is found in its Diagram Properties (right-click the diagram workspace and select Diagram Properties or select Edit, Diagram Properties).
IDEF0 Model Names and Child Diagrams
If you start modeling with an IDEF0 Context diagram (which must have a model name) and then create child IDEF0 diagrams, System Architect will automatically give that model name to the child diagram(s).
However, if you do not start with an IDEF0 Context diagram, and simply create a hierarchy of IDEF0 diagrams through Parent-Child linkages, none of the diagrams will have an IDEF0 model name assigned to it unless you manually specify the model name for each one.
There are advantages to each method. If you are drilling down from a Context diagram, you can be very certain that the child diagrams belong to the same model. However, many times in analysis you might be modeling a business situation that you do not yet know how to ‘group’.
Running the Model Propagation Utility
To get each diagram in the hierarchy to report to a particular model:
1 Open the IDEF0 diagram in the hierarchy that has the model name that you want to propagate to child diagrams.
2 Select Tools, IDEF Utilities, IDEF0 Model Propagation.
3 Select the diagram name that you want to Propagate.
4 Select the Propg button. System Architect will assign its model name to all diagrams below it (but not above it) in the hierarchy.
