Can I load a data model (ddl) straight into the back-end of MDS?

Question

I have a DBA/Database Developer background, and I'm trying to learn MDS.

MDS appears to be very front-end centric with hardly any involvement in the back-end. Is there any way to load a data model (like "create table" scripts) directly into the back-end? Or does everything need to be created in the front-end?

Answer 1

Hi Emily

you can use API to create a model, but it could be quite long and more complicated than with front end

example for creating an entity: (sample from my mdsmanager project)

 public static void CreateEntity(string ModelName, string newEntityName)
        {
            OperationResult OperationResult = new OperationResult();
            Metadata Metadata = new Metadata();
            Identifier identifier = new Identifier()
            {
                Name = ModelName
            };
            Metadata.Entities = new Collection<Entity>();
            Collection<Entity> entities = Metadata.Entities;
            Entity entity1 = new Entity();
            Entity entity2 = entity1;
            EntityContextIdentifier contextIdentifier1 = new EntityContextIdentifier();
            contextIdentifier1.Name = newEntityName;
            contextIdentifier1.ModelId = identifier;
            EntityContextIdentifier contextIdentifier2 = contextIdentifier1;
            entity2.Identifier = (ModelContextIdentifier)contextIdentifier2;
            entity1.IsFlat = true;
            Entity entity3 = entity1;
            Collection<ExplicitHierarchy> collection1 = new Collection<ExplicitHierarchy>();
            Collection<ExplicitHierarchy> collection2 = collection1;
            ExplicitHierarchy explicitHierarchy1 = new ExplicitHierarchy();
            ExplicitHierarchy explicitHierarchy2 = explicitHierarchy1;
            EntityContextIdentifier contextIdentifier3 = new EntityContextIdentifier();
            contextIdentifier3.ModelId = identifier;
            contextIdentifier3.Name = newEntityName;
            EntityContextIdentifier contextIdentifier4 = contextIdentifier3;
            explicitHierarchy2.Identifier = contextIdentifier4;
            ExplicitHierarchy explicitHierarchy3 = explicitHierarchy1;
            collection2.Add(explicitHierarchy3);
            Collection<ExplicitHierarchy> collection3 = collection1;
            entity3.ExplicitHierarchies = collection3;
            Entity entity4 = entity1;
            entities.Add(entity4);
            using (ServiceClient serviceClient = new ServiceClientWrapper().CreateServiceClient())
                serviceClient.MetadataCreate(new International(), Metadata, true, out OperationResult);
           
        }

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Regards,

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Xavier Averbouch
Microsoft Community Contributor
SOAT
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Answer 2

Hi Emily,

There is an utlity to accomplish this job.

You can download the utility along with the source code from: -

http://mdsutilities.codeplex.com/

The utility to download is: - MDSModelImport.

More details: -

MDSModelImport
A command-line utility to import model metadata from a SQL Server database. For customers who do their data modeling in ERWin or somesuch to get jump-started on their MDS modeling.

Usage: MDSModelImport
 
  Qualifiers:
    [-?]                   Print this help guide.
    -Server:STRING         Source SQL Server
    -Database:STRING       Source Database Name
    -Model:STRING          Name of the MDS Model to create.  It must not exist.
    [-Schema:STRING]       Schema to use for import.  Default is all schemas.
    [-MDSEndpoint:STRING]  URL to MDS Web Service.  Default is in MDSModelImport.exe.config
-----------------------------------
Examples
MDSModelImport.exe -server (local) -database AdventureWorks -schema HumanResources -model HumanResourcesModel -MDSEndpoint http://localhost/mds/Service/Service.svc

Answer 3

Hi Emily

and also the official console tool from MS: MDSModelDeploy

see : http://blogs.msdn.com/b/jason_howell/archive/2011/12/15/deploying-mds-samples-in-sql-server-2012.aspx

---

Regards,

---

Xavier Averbouch
Microsoft Community Contributor
SOAT
If a post answers your question, please click "Mark As Answer" on that post and "Vote as Helpful".

Answer 4

Thank you very much! Once I was able to enable the MDS web service (instructions here http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh272581.aspx), I just had to modify the MDSEndpoint in your example above by taking out the "MDS" of the web service connect string (http://localhost/Service/Service.svc is what worked for me).