1.2 Importing Xomega model from a database

First thing you need to do in order to import the Xomega model from a database is to set up the connection properties for the corresponding generator. Expand the Generators node in the AdventureWorks.Model project, and find the "Import from Database" generator under the Model Enhancement folder, which groups generators that enhance the model with additional information. Double-click on the generator to open its properties, and click on the editor for the Database Connection property, which will pop up a Database Connection Configuration dialog.

You will need to provide the connection string, which you can also specify in a separate dialog by clicking the Configure button. We will select the SQL Native Client provider, and the sample AdventureWorks database on the local SQL server instance using windows authentication, as shown below.

Once you set up the connection string and click Next, you will be prompted to exclude any tables from the import. You can exclude the demo and specialty tables of the AdventureWorks sample database that demonstrate certain SQL Server features, but are not needed for the application per se, as follows.

Next, verify the database information, select the option to save it as a project default configuration, and then click Finish.

Finally, right click on the Import from Database generator, and select the Generate option from the context menu.

Once the generator is finished running, you should see the imported model files under the Import folder, which is specified in the generator's Output Path property by default. The imported files are organized to have each object in its own file, which roughly maps to the database tables, and grouped by module, which is derived from the database schema of the table. Here's how it will look.

The model objects were imported from the database using the database structure, as well as any model setup that existed before the import, such as the logical types defined. This is a good start, but it is not enough to build a fully fledged application beyond just a “database table editor”. To model our application and describe different services and views that it will have, we need to further enhance our model with all that information, which is what we're going to do next.

Next: 1.3 Adding CRUD operations and views >