ComplexProperty Element (MSL)
A ComplexProperty element in mapping specification language (MSL) defines the mapping between a complex type property on a conceptual model entity type and table columns in the underlying database. The property-column mappings are specified in child ScalarProperty elements.
The ComplexType property element can have the following child elements:
ScalarProperty (zero or more)
ComplexProperty (zero or more)
ComplextTypeMapping (zero or more)
Condition (zero or more)
Applicable Attributes
The following table describes the attributes that are applicable to the ComplexProperty element:
| Attribute Name | Is Required | Value |
|---|---|---|
Name |
Yes |
The name of the complex property of an entity type in the conceptual model that is being mapped. |
TypeName |
No |
The namespace-qualified name of the conceptual model property type. |
Example
The following example is based on the School model. The following complex type has been added to the conceptual model:
<ComplexType Name="FullName">
<Property Type="String" Name="LastName"
Nullable="false" MaxLength="50"
FixedLength="false" Unicode="true" />
<Property Type="String" Name="FirstName"
Nullable="false" MaxLength="50"
FixedLength="false" Unicode="true" />
</ComplexType>
The LastName and FirstName properties of the Person entity type have been replaced with one complex property, Name:
<EntityType Name="Person">
<Key>
<PropertyRef Name="PersonID" />
</Key>
<Property Name="PersonID" Type="Int32" Nullable="false"
annotation:StoreGeneratedPattern="Identity" />
<Property Name="HireDate" Type="DateTime" />
<Property Name="EnrollmentDate" Type="DateTime" />
<Property Name="Name" Type="SchoolModel.FullName" Nullable="false" />
</EntityType>
The following MSL shows the ComplexProperty element used to map the Name property to columns in the underlying database:
<EntitySetMapping Name="People">
<EntityTypeMapping TypeName="SchoolModel.Person">
<MappingFragment StoreEntitySet="Person">
<ScalarProperty Name="PersonID" ColumnName="PersonID" />
<ScalarProperty Name="HireDate" ColumnName="HireDate" />
<ScalarProperty Name="EnrollmentDate" ColumnName="EnrollmentDate" />
<ComplexProperty Name="Name" TypeName="SchoolModel.FullName">
<ScalarProperty Name="FirstName" ColumnName="FirstName" />
<ScalarProperty Name="LastName" ColumnName="LastName" />
</ComplexProperty>
</MappingFragment>
</EntityTypeMapping>
</EntitySetMapping>