Partition Data for Model Reference Hierarchy Using Data Dictionaries

When you use model referencing to break a large system of models into smaller components and subcomponents, you can create data dictionaries to segregate the design data. Design data is the set of workspace variables that the models use to specify block parameters and signal characteristics. For basic information about data dictionaries, see What Is a Data Dictionary?.

To take this component-based approach to data management, create a shared dictionary that contains common data and a separate dictionary for each component that contains the data needed by that component.

Create a Dictionary for Each Component

This example shows how to partition design data into dictionaries. When you finish, each component in the system has a dictionary, and dictionary references allow the components to share data.

Explore Example Model Hierarchy

  1. Navigate to the folder matlabroot/help/toolbox/simulink/examples (open).

  2. Copy these files to a writable folder:

    • ProjectData_Contr.mat

    • ProjectData_ContrSub1.mat

    • ProjectData_ContrSub2.mat

    • ProjectData_ContrSubs.mat

    • ProjectData_Plant.mat

    • ProjectData_System.mat

    • ex_SystemModel

    • ex_PlantComp_Lvl1

    • ex_PlantComp_Lvl2

    • ex_ContrComp

    • ex_ContrComp_Sub1_Lvl1

    • ex_ContrComp_Sub1_Lvl2

    • ex_ContrComp_Sub2_Lvl1

    • ex_ContrComp_Sub2_Lvl2

  3. Load the MAT-files to create design data in the base workspace.

  4. Open the example model ex_SystemModel. This model is at the top of a reference hierarchy that includes the other example models.

  5. In the model, update the diagram. Each bus signal in the model uses a Simulink.Bus object as a data type. The objects, SensorBus and CtrlBus, are in the base workspace.

    The referenced models ex_PlantComp_Lvl1 and ex_ContrComp use the bus objects for root-level inputs and outputs, which means the plant and controller components share the objects.

  6. In the base workspace, double-click the Simulink.NumericType object named FloatType. Signals, parameters, and other data items in the controller component use this shared data type.

  7. In the Model Explorer Model Hierarchy pane, expand the node ex_SystemModel.

    Click the Configurations node. In the Contents pane, the node Reference to SimConfigSet appears. SimConfigSet is a Simulink.ConfigSet object in the base workspace. To maintain configuration parameter uniformity for simulation, all of the models in the hierarchy refer to SimConfigSet.

  8. Right-click the node Controller (ex_ContrComp) and select Open.

  9. In the Model Explorer Model Hierarchy pane, expand the new node ex_ContrComp. Click the Configurations node.

    In the Contents pane, the node Reference to CodeGenConfigSet appears. CodeGenConfigSet is a Simulink.ConfigSet object in the base workspace. To maintain configuration parameter uniformity for code generation, the models in the controller component refer to CodeGenConfigSet. The models in the plant component do not use CodeGenConfigSet.

  10. In the Model Hierarchy pane, select Base Workspace. In the Contents pane, right-click the variable diff and select Find Where Used. In the Select a system dialog box, select ex_SystemModel and click OK. If you see a message about updating the diagram, click OK.

    In the Contents pane, the variable diff is used by Constant blocks in the models ex_ContrComp_Sub1_Lvl1 and ex_ContrComp_Sub1_Lvl2, which make up the first controller subcomponent. Similarly, other models in the hierarchy share the base workspace variables coeff, init, mu, and rho.

The table shows the models that share each variable in the base workspace.

Variable NameModels Using the VariableScope of Sharing
CtrlBusTop-level models in the plant and controller componentsShared globally by entire system
SensorBusTop-level models in the plant and controller componentsShared globally by entire system
SimConfigSetAll models in the hierarchyShared globally by entire system
rhoex_PlantComp_Lvl2 ,ex_ContrComp_Sub1_Lvl2, and ex_ContrComp_Sub2_Lvl2Shared globally by entire system
muex_PlantComp_Lvl1 and ex_PlantComp_Lvl2Shared by models in the plant component
FloatTypeAll models in the controller componentShared by controller component and subcomponents
CodeGenConfigSetAll models in the controller componentShared by controller component and subcomponents
initex_ContrComp_Sub1_Lvl2 and ex_ContrComp_Sub2_Lvl1Shared by controller subcomponents
diffex_ContrComp_Sub1_Lvl1 and ex_ContrComp_Sub1_Lvl2Shared by models in the first controller subcomponent
coeffex_ContrComp_Sub2_Lvl1 and ex_ContrComp_Sub2_Lvl2Shared by models in the second controller subcomponent

Suppose that separate teams of developers maintain the plant component and the controller components. You can use data dictionaries to store and scope the shared design data.

Create Shared Global Dictionary

Create a shared global data dictionary that contains the data shared globally by the entire system.

  1. In the Model Explorer, select File > New > Data Dictionary.

  2. Set the new dictionary name to GlobalShare and click Save.

  3. In the Model Hierarchy pane, right-click the GlobalSharenode and select Show Empty Sections.

  4. In the Model Hierarchy pane, select Base Workspace. In the Contents pane, select the design data that are shared globally by the entire system: CtrlBus, SensorBus, and rho.

  5. Right-click and select Copy.

  6. In the Model Hierarchy pane, right-click the Design Data node under GlobalShare and select Paste.

  7. Similarly, copy SimConfigSet from the Base Workspace and copy to the Configurations node under GlobalShare.

Create Dictionary for Plant Component

Create a data dictionary for data shared by models in the Plant component. Add a reference from this dictionary to the shared global dictionary.

  1. In the Model Explorer, select File > New > Data Dictionary.

  2. Set the new dictionary name to Plant and click Save.

  3. In the Model Hierarchy pane, select the node Plant. In the Dialog pane, under Referenced Dictionaries, click Add.

  4. Double-click GlobalShare.sldd.

  5. In the Model Hierarchy pane, right-click the node Plant and select Save Changes.

Link Plant Component to Dictionary and Migrate Data

Link the Plant component to its component dictionary then migrate data shared by models in the Plant component from the base workspace to the dictionary.

  1. Open the model ex_PlantComp_Lvl1.

  2. In the model, update the diagram.

  3. If the Diagnostic View displays an error for multiple inconsistent definitions of SimConfigSet, select Delete others next to the GlobalShare instance. This fix keeps the definition in the GlobalShare dictionary and removes other definitions that can be seen by the model.

  4. In the Modeling tab, under Design, click Link to Data Dictionary.

  5. In the dialog box, click Browse.

  6. Double-click Plant.sldd.

  7. In the Model Properties dialog box, click Apply. Click Change all models in response to the message about linking referenced models.

  8. In the Model Properties dialog box, click Migrate data.

  9. In the Migrate Data dialog box, select Include data from referenced models and then click Migrate.

  10. (Optional) In the Model Properties dialog box, clear Enable model access to base workspace.

  11. Remove the previous method for loading model data. In the Model Properties dialog box, on the Callbacks tab, clear the PreLoadFcn for the model.

  12. Click OK.

Create Dictionary for Controller Component

Create a data dictionary that contains the data shared by models in the controller component. This dictionary can also reference the shared global dictionary.

  1. In the Model Explorer, select File > New > Data Dictionary.

  2. Set the new dictionary name to Controller and click Save.

  3. In the Model Hierarchy pane, select the node Controller. In the Dialog pane, under Referenced Dictionaries, click Add.

  4. Double-click GlobalShare.sldd.

  5. In the Model Hierarchy pane, right-click the node Controller and select Save Changes.

Link Controller Component to Dictionary and Migrate Data

Link the Controller component to its component dictionary then migrate data shared by models in the Controller component from the base workspace to the dictionary.

  1. Open the model ex_ContrComp.

  2. If the Diagnostic View displays an error for multiple inconsistent definitions of SimConfigSet, select Delete others next to the GlobalShare instance. This fix keeps the definition in the GlobalShare dictionary and removes other definitions that can be seen by the model.

  3. In the Modeling tab, under Design, click Link to Data Dictionary.

  4. In the dialog box, click Browse.

  5. Double-click Controller.sldd.

  6. In the Model Properties dialog box, click Apply. Click Change all models in response to the message about linking referenced models.

  7. In the Model Properties dialog box, click Migrate data.

  8. In the Migrate Data dialog box, select Include data from referenced models and then click Migrate.

  9. (Optional) In the Model Properties dialog box, clear Enable model access to base workspace.

  10. Remove the previous method for loading model data. In the Model Properties dialog box, on the Callbacks tab, clear the PreLoadFcn for the model.

  11. Click OK.

Link System to Global Dictionary

Finally, link the top model to the global dictionary.

  1. Open the model ex_SystemModel.

  2. In the Modeling tab, under Design, click Link to Data Dictionary.

  3. In the dialog box, click Browse.

  4. Double-click GlobalShare.sldd.

  5. In the Model Properties dialog box, click OK. Click Change this model only in response to the message about linking referenced models.

Inspect Data Storage

In the Model Explorer Model Hierarchy pane, select the dictionary node Plant. In the Contents pane, to view the contents of Plant.sldd, click Show Current System and Below . The contents of the Design Data and Configurations sections appear.

Similarly, view the contents of Controller.sldd.

The DataSource column shows the variables and objects that each dictionary stores.

All of the globally shared variables, such as CtrlBus and SensorBus, reside in GlobalShare.sldd. The variable init, which both of the controller subcomponents share, resides in Controller.sldd.

If the development team assigned to the controller component must make changes to the globally shared variables, they access the GlobalShare dictionary file. Similarly, if the team must make changes to the variable init, they must access the Controller dictionary file.

Inspect Dictionary Hierarchy

To view the entire dictionary and model hierarchy, perform a dependency analysis.

  1. Open your saved model ex_SystemModel.

  2. On the Modeling tab, in the Design section, click Dependency Analyzer.

The system model, ex_SystemModel, is linked to the dictionary GlobalShare.sldd. The plant component and the controller component are each linked to a separate dictionary. To access the shared data, the component dictionaries reference the dictionary GlobalShare.sldd. These dictionaries form a reference hierarchy.

Strategies to Discover Shared Data

To learn how the models in a model reference hierarchy share data, use these techniques:

  • In an open model, on the Modeling tab, select Find > Find Ref Variables. The Model Explorer displays the variables that the model uses, as well as the variables that referenced models use. You can then right-click a variable and select Find Where Used to display all of the models that use the variable. For more information, see Edit and Manage Workspace Variables by Using Model Explorer.

  • At the command prompt, use the function Simulink.findVars to determine the variables a model uses. You can then use the function intersect to determine the variables two models, components, or subcomponents share.

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