SQL Server Modeling CTP Domains Overview
[This content is no longer valid. For the latest information on "M", "Quadrant", SQL Server Modeling Services, and the Repository, see the Model Citizen blog.]
This topic describes the system-provided models available in the SQL Server Modeling CTP, the application feature areas they describe, and when they are typically used in the design, development, and management processes. For more information about viewing domains and data instances in the Microsoft code name “Quadrant”, see "Quadrant".
Domains Provided with the SQL Server Modeling CTP
The power and flexibility of a model-based development platform increases tremendously each time more of the models you need and want to use become available. SQL Server Modeling CTP comes with a set of domain models written in the Microsoft code name “M” modeling language that are organized into modules (similar to namespaces in other languages) that help domain and model developers where to find the structures or functionality that they need. Models can:
Represent specific items, such as .NET Framework metadata.
Represent a specific pattern that you can use to shape your own models, especially when used with the Modeling Services database.
Represent a specific pattern that you can use to indicate how the models are projected into the Modeling Services database and what features they should have.
These domains, which represent various architectural and feature areas, are stored as SQL schemas (the models themselves) and as data instances (your configured versions of models) in the SQL Server Modeling Services and contain models in the following categories. The models are delivered as image files with the extension .mx and are installed in the Modeling Services database during setup. The source files in “M” are also provided for reference purposes. Once installed, content can be explored either in SQL Server 2008 or in “Quadrant”.
Modules
Base Domain Library (BDL). This domain set (which consists of the Repository Schema, Repository.Item Schema, and System.Globalization Schema modules in “M” – SQL schemas in the Modeling Services database) contains models that you can use to support the separation of logical data access (views, in SQL Server 2008) from physical storage (SQL Server tables); establish Folders, which can be used to secure data access and version schemas and data; establish efficient ID patterns for data; support globalization; and control auditing and other security features in SQL Server 2008. The BDL defines storage extents and utilities for several commonly occurring kinds of data that can be referenced from other domains as well as a set of domain-neutral types and functions that can be incorporated into the definition of other domains. The image file is Repository.mx.
System_Runtime. The common language runtime (CLR) domain targets the Microsoft implementation of the ECMA CLI specification. It contains the schema of the metadata of a .NET Framework assembly and is installed as the System_Runtime SQL schema. You can use either the CLR loader (LoadAssembly.exe) or Microsoft code name “Quadrant” to load metadata from your own .NET assemblies into SQL Server Modeling Services to examine .NET metadata across a product, a division, or potentially an entire enterprise. For an introduction to the possibilities of the System_Runtime domain, see Walkthrough: Using the System_Runtime Domain. The image file is System.Runtime.mx.
The Microsoft.Uml2 domain has been significantly extended in this release. It targets the Object Management Group’s Unified Modeling Language™ (UML) specification version 2.1.1; it is installed as the Microsoft.Uml2 SQL schema in the SQL Server Modeling Services. The Unified Modeling Language™ (UML™) is a language and notation system used to specify, construct, visualize, and document the models of software systems. UML 2.1.1 model instances in an .xmi file that conforms to the L3 Merged CMOF specification can be imported into the SQL Server Modeling Services with the UML loader (
LoadUml.exe) that is included with SQL Server Modeling CTP. For more information, see LoadUml.exe Command Line Reference. Use the models in this domain to load or examine UML across huge amounts of data to examine inheritance, dependencies, and so on, whether in SQL Server 2008 or in “Quadrant”. You can also export the UML information to .xmi files using the Exportuml.exe tool. For an introduction to the possibilities of the Microsoft.Uml2 domain, see Walkthrough: Using the Microsoft.Uml2 Domain. The image file is Microsoft.Uml2.mx.System.Identity. The System.Identity module exists to support applications such as directories which are concerned with storing, searching, and retrieving information (called claims) about physical and digital subjects and resources that can be uniquely identified.