SQL Server Modeling Services Overview
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SQL Server Modeling Services uses SQL Server 2008 to store and manage models for the enterprise. Modeling Services enables you to more productively build and manage data-driven applications.
Organizations today routinely repeat the same complex task of designing enterprise-ready databases to store data that is related to their application and business requirements. A Modeling Services database simplifies this task by providing a Base Domain Library (BDL). The BDL provides tables and procedures that support features such as claims-based security, change tracking, versioning, and localization. Modeling Services enables organizations to more quickly focus on modeling tasks by reducing the database design and architecture requirements to support the resulting models.
Modeling Services also supplies common domain models that are available to applications and other custom models. For example, the System_Runtime domain models .NET Framework assembly metadata. For a complete discussion of these domains and their benefits, see SQL Server Modeling CTP Domains Overview.
Benefits of a Central Modeling Services Database
With a Modeling Services database, application development teams share a central storage location for the data that is associated with all stages of the application lifecycle. This provides improved communication and an ability to view the application as a whole as well as focus on implementation details when needed.
IT operations also benefit from storing groups of related information together in Modeling Services. This information may include machine configuration data, scripts, and business processes. Storing this information in the same Modeling Services database that contains application models enables the connection between this information and the applications it applies to.
All users and applications that use the Modeling Services database benefit from its design as well as its use of SQL Server 2008. The BDL provides important infrastructure services and features. The Modeling Services database provides open and flexible access to the data it contains, but it also enforces security by using Modeling Services Folders and updatable security views. Rather than requiring a fixed API to implement security, users and applications can use any data access technology to interact with the Modeling Services database. Security is maintained through the updatable security views, and individual rows of data are secured by their association with Folders. In addition to data access and security patterns, the BDL provides many other important services. For more information about Modeling Services scalability, performance, and other design features, see Enterprise-Ready Features.
Developing for Modeling Services
With Modeling Services, you can develop enterprise-ready data-driven applications together with the .NET Framework platform and other SQL Server Modeling CTP tools and technologies. Write models that use Modeling Services patterns by using the text-based language provided by Microsoft code name “M”. Deploy those models to a Modeling Services database in Visual Studio 2010, and then graphically explore the Modeling Services database by using Microsoft code name “Quadrant”. These technologies all integrate with Modeling Services to help you create and manage data-driven applications.
See Also
Concepts
SQL Server Modeling Services Architecture
SQL Server Modeling Services Administration