I have a current project that uses LINQ to SQL to create a database and then to work with the data.
I also have another database which already exists and I do not need to create it. Do you know any tool that can generate the data model for my existing database?
Note: my database is pretty flat so I don't need to be worried about complex relations
Thanks in advance;
using visual studio, can't you just create a new .dbml file and point it to your database and then generate all the Object Mappers?
Code Generation in LINQ to SQL:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb399400.aspx
Related
I have created a windows form project which is based in vb.net in Visual Studio. This form acts as the front end to the database.
I decided this time round to try use the Dataset Designer in Visual Studio and found it convenient. Using the Wizard I linked up the MS Access database to create the Dataset in the project. This then automatically generated all the relevant table adapters, datasets, bindingsources and so on.
Now, the aim is to transition the same Access database to SQL-server.
The Question is whether it is possible to simply swap the Dataset in Visual Studio to from Access to SQL which have the same table names, structure, relations... I tried modifying the connection string in Settings.settings with no success.
This would save me a lot of time from going through each object and updating the datasource to the new SQL database.
You should be able to establish a separate connection to sql server using ado. You can find typical connection strings easily: try http://www.connectionstrings.com/microsoft-ole-db-provider-for-sql-server-sqloledb/ for example. If the tables exist in sql server, you can SELECT from Access and INSERT into SSvr using 2 different connections, 2 sql command objects. If you have trouble with the SQL (which is very possible, I have not done this with Access), create a dataset from the Access SELECT and use that as an intermediate step. If the tables do not exist yet, get the script for CREATE TABLE in Access or in SSMS, and execute that before doing the SELECT/INSERT operation.
I'm trying to save the whole database to a query in sql server 2008. I have experience with mysql and phpmyadmin, and over there I used to have a simple button to save the database, including constraints and basically everything, to a simple query.
that query basically recreates the database i created just as it was. I think you guys understand what I mean.
is there such an option in ms sql server? thank you in advance.
You can generate scripts to recreate the database structure in SSMS:
Right-click a database, choose Tasks > Generate Scripts... and go through the wizard.
You do not get insert scripts for all the data by default, you need to choose that in the Advanced options in the wizard, Types of data to script choose Schema and data/Data only/Schema only`
For SQL Server, I generally go with a backup/restore point of view. You can backup your entire database to a file, and then choose to restore that database (To another name as I often use for recreating new test databases).
I don't know about creating a query out of the database, but the effect of both seems to be the same result.
I'm new to using SQL Server 2008 DB Project's in VS 2010. I found a good intro to setting them up. It's nice how they create Tables, Stored Proc's etc as objects. But is it also a limitation?
I want to use this project to manage 1 stored procedure (for learning). I do not want to import the entire database because 90% of the database is stuff we do not manage.
I created a new project without doing the import process. I then added a new stored procedure. Now I am having difficulty getting the thing to build. I'm getting various errors saying that I have unresolved references to objects.
How can I add a new stored procedure..build it and deploy it to the database? Is it possible with this kind of SQL project or do I need to drop back to the old, simple type of SQL projects that VS 2008 and below used?
Update
According to another post, support for the Database Project type is gone. Support for my situation appears to have been erased.
UPDATE 2 3/21/2012
I installed MSSCCI which allows me to use SSMS directly with TFS 2010. I no longer needed and found the setup process to be unmanageable for a large database SQL 2008 project. Especially when you only manage a small % of the DB.
You can Partition a Database Project by Using Partial Projects. This allows the database project to know the entire schema of the database, at the same time, you need not maintain the entire schema. You can work with the subset of the database that's under active development, for instance (or the subset which is your responsibility), yet the project knows the entire schema. This permits it to create change scripts at deployment time, by comparing the schema in the project with the schema in the target database.
You must import all schema objects referenced by your new stored procedure. But this can become a large task because every referenced object need all it's references too.
More trouble with linked server objects.
Is there anything built into the Linq to SQL libraries that allow me to create an entire database from a collection of DDL files?
Lets say you have a collection of DDL files, one for each table in the database. Conceptually it would be pretty straight forward to call a create table function for each one and each one that succeeds (does not through SQL exception for example due to a relationship or foreign key error) pop the file name off the stack. For any that failed you could try to call the DDL again until it finally succeeded and all of your tables existed in the database ... however ... if there is something like this that already existed in say Linq to SQL or the Migrations project that would be great. Does anyone know if this exists already without having to combine all of the DDL's into a single script? Thanks in advance.
If you have Visual Studio 2008 or 2010 Professional or Above, it includes the new version of database projects. Which can handle that precisely for you (it will even validate the scripts before execution so you can see what errors exists).
I don't believe so. Linq-to-Sql is not really made for manipulating database schemas. You might have more luck with something like the Microsoft SMO libraries.
Use ADO.NET commands instead for that. That should be able to handle it, depending how complex each file is. As long as each file has on executable statement, ADO.NET commands may work fine for what you want to do.
Just a basic question. Learning Linq to SQL and some nHibernate. I am using the mvc tutorial and they drag and drop tables onto the visual studio designer to create the classes and wire up everything.
When I experimented with nHibernate I had to do lots with xml files. Does nHibernate have anything that is "easy" like Linq to SQL or is this drag and drop for Linq to SQL so basic that when I want to do something "real" it won't matter that Visual Studio does this for me (at this basic level)? In other words, the further I go with Linq to SQL, I'll eventually have to handle config files like I do with nHibernate.
Look at Castle's ActiveRecord framework. It replaces the use of XML config files with the use of Attributes directly on the class/property declaration. Also, a tool called ActiveWriter integrates with Visual Studio and allows connecting to a data source and generating the object model!
There is no "native" support like you see with LINQ to SQL. However, there are third party add-ins that will allow you to do something similar with nHibernate. My favorite is this one:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/nhibernateaddin
To use it:
Create a data connection to a
database that contains the structure
you are going to code against (your
development database).
Add a new NHibernate plug-in item
(via add new item) to your project
that will contain you domain objects.
In the property window add the data
connection string from the data
connection you just created (this
isn't automated yet).
Finally, you drag and drop your tables
from your data connection to the
NHibernate plug-in object and when
saved your mapping files and you
domain objects are generated. To use
it you create a data connection to a
database that contains the structure
you are going to code against (your
development database).