Description:
In wb you can create a fk and choose to "pick columns".
If you do and the type of the referenced column does not match the referencing column, the tool does not allow you to create the fk.
You get an error message, but it is all hidden in the status bar, whereas the user is at that time looking at the little black window in the corner that is guiding the user through the process.
How to repeat:
See attached wb model and screenshot.
create a new relationship by
1) click the 1:n nonidentifying relationship tool
2) click the "pick columns checkbox"
3) click the idtable1 column in table2
4) confirm the selection by clicking in the black box on the "pick referred columns" button
5) click on the idtable1 column in table2
now observe the message in the statusbar.
(In the screenshot all these steps are numbered, open screenshot, read this and retry in the attached model)
Suggested fix:
At the very least the error message should be much more prominent. Ideally it should appear near the place where the user is looking at.
Personally I would like it much better if wb would just create the relationshop, and mark it as invalid so the user can fix it later. In that case the error (or errors) can be part of the fk definition.
This feature would also allow you to draw fk's on in existing schemata that are physically impossible - something that is very useful if you inherit a not so clean schema. I mean, in the real world it soimply happens that you get a schema with a char column referencing an int column. insane? maybe...but why would wb care if i'm documenting that schema? Hell, I could use wb to even show people how it would look after clean up. But now, we can't as it doensnt let me draw it.
(I am not contesting that the prevention of creating a wrong fk is a good feature. But it is esp. useful when creating something new - not when dcumenting something old or already existing. So i think the user should be able to choose whether this protecting should prevent or rather detect and notify)
