This is where you will be able to define and manage your defaults, rules, user datatypes, and domains.

The third tab on the explorer gives you some very nice reusability.

This is the set of reference models.  Initially this will be unpopulated.  As you design models that you might want to reuse as a base, you can add them to the Reference Models.  Right now, this is a little cumbersome.  Underneath the ER/Studio directory, there is a folder called Reference.  You need to locate the models that you want to use as reference models and copy then into that folder.  They will then be displayed like you see in the screen shot above.  You can then drag and drop these models into the one you are currently working on.  This will bring over all of the tables, rules, defaults, domains, and user datatypes into the current model.   Therefore, you have to be careful.  It provides a base for designing, but there isn't any flexibility.  It is all or nothing.  What I'd use this for would be some standard constructs I use throughout models.  For example, just about every database I've designed has had some form of inline auditing.  This means a time and user are tracked for the last modification to every row.  I also use two defaults and two user datatypes.  I could create a model that contains a table with just these two columns in it along with the two domains and two defaults.  Then when I start a new model, I can simply drag and drop this into the new model and I already have the domains and defaults setup along with a skeleton table to work from.  It would be very nice to have the functionality to be able to pick and choose tables from your reference model to be brought over to the new one you are working on.

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