The Dependency Graph (Visual Analysis)

Open the PD graph from the Visual Analysis button and read its five tabs: Galaxy Map, Insights, MVC Blueprint, ERD / UML, and Event Flow, drawn from your tree.

What you'll learn

  • How to open the PD graph from the Visual Analysis button.
  • What each of the five graph tabs shows — Galaxy Map, Insights, MVC Blueprint, ERD / UML, Event Flow.
  • When to reach for the graph instead of the tables.

This is the visual counterpart to the PD tables and status rollups. Same data, drawn as a graph.

Why a graph

The PD tables are good for editing one entity type at a time. They're less good for seeing how everything connects — which Models a Feature owns, which Controllers touch a Model, where an Event fires. Relationships that span entity types are hard to hold in your head row by row.

The dependency graph renders the whole brand's PD tree as nodes and edges, colored by status. It's the view you put on a screen when you're talking about architecture — "here's the system, here's what's done, here's what depends on what."

It reads the same brand-scoped data as the tables, so switch brands and you're looking at a different graph.

How to open it

  1. Open Product Manager (/studio/product-development).
  2. Click Visual Analysis in the top bar.
  3. The graph opens on the Galaxy Map tab. Use the tabs to switch between the five views.
  4. Use the refresh control if you've just edited entities in another tab and want the graph to re-pull.

The five tabs

The graph page has five tabs, each a different lens on the same structure:

  • Galaxy Map — the default. The full constellation of PD entities and their relationships, laid out so you can see the whole system at once and pan around it.
  • Insights — aggregate readings over the tree (counts and status spread across entities) rather than the node layout. The "how is this shaped" summary.
  • MVC Blueprint — the structure grouped along Model / View / Controller lines, so you can see the data layer, the presentation layer, and the handlers separately.
  • ERD / UML — an entity-relationship view of your Models and their Attributes and relations — the database-shaped diagram of the spec.
  • Event Flow — how Events connect to the Controllers and Models they fire against, so you can trace what happens when.

These are reading views. The graph is for understanding and presenting the structure; you still create and edit entities back in the tables.

A beta note: the graph is honest about gaps. If your PD tree is sparse — a few Solutions with no Models, no Events wired — the graph will look sparse too. The views reflect what you've actually modeled, not a polished idealization of it.

When to use which view

  • Explaining the system to someone → Galaxy Map.
  • Checking how much is built and where the early-status clusters are → Insights (and the status rollups in the tables).
  • Reasoning about layers — data vs. UI vs. handlers → MVC Blueprint.
  • Designing or reviewing the data model → ERD / UML.
  • Tracing what an action triggers → Event Flow.

FAQ

Where is the graph? Behind the Visual Analysis button on the Product Manager page (/studio/product-development). It opens on the Galaxy Map tab.

My graph looks empty or thin — why? The graph only shows what you've modeled. A brand with few Models or no Events will produce a thin graph. Add structure in the tables and refresh.

Can I edit entities from the graph? The graph is a reading and presentation view. Create and edit entities in the PD tables; come back to the graph to see the result.

Why is the graph different when I switch brands? PD is brand-scoped, so each brand has its own graph. See The Brand Switcher.

What's the difference between ERD / UML and MVC Blueprint? ERD / UML focuses on the data model — Models, Attributes, relations. MVC Blueprint groups the whole spec along Model / View / Controller lines, including the presentation and handler sides.

What's next

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