Master Data Services Team

How to Install Master Data Services (MDS) Service Pack 1 (for SQL Server 2008 R2)

2011-08-16T21:47:00Z

[This post was created by Jason Howell, Senior Escalation Engineer in the SQL Server Support team specializing in MDS] SQL Server 2008 R2 Service pack 1 was released in July 2011, as well as CU#1 for Service Pack 1 a few days afterwards, and CU #2 just yesterday August 15 th , 2011. The purpose of this blog is to call out the difference in finding and running the download specifically for Service Pack 1, since it is packaged and extracted differently that Cumulative Updates. Other than the download...(read more)

New Master Data Services Book Available

2011-04-18T17:45:00Z

A new Master Data Services book is now available on amazon.com. This book was written by two members of the Microsoft MDS team and is a resource and reference for using the SQL Server 2008 R2 version of Master Data Services. A Kindle version is also available....(read more)

New Master Data Services Training Available

2011-01-11T17:34:00Z

[posted by Suzanne Selhorn, Technical Writer on the MDS team] Some new self-paced training is now available on the Microsoft Download Center. To take advantage of this training, you should have a working installation of MDS with sample data already loaded. 01 Introduction http://download.microsoft.com/download/5/9/F/59F1639E-EF57-4915-8848-EF1DC2157EBB/01 Introduction.pdf This lesson provides an overview of MDS. 02 MDS Environment http://download.microsoft.com/download/5/9/F/59F1639E-EF57-4915-8848-EF1DC2157EBB/02...(read more)

Reserved Words

2010-11-03T18:11:00Z

(This was posted by Suzanne Selhorn, Technical Writer on the MDS team) People often ask about which words are reserved—which words they shouldn’t use when creating model objects or words they shouldn't use for members. Here is a list of words you should not use. Model object reserved words Don't use these for names of objects (models, entities, attributes, version flags, subscription views, etc). ID LastChgUserName Code LastChgVersionID Name LastChgVersionNumber EDMWeight MDMMemberStatus EDMMemberStatus...(read more)

Downloading and Installing SQL Server 2008 R2 Master Data Services (MDS) Cumulative Updates

2010-08-26T00:13:55Z

(This post was contributed by Reagan Templin, Lead Technical Writer for the MDS Team) Recently, we released the first cumulative update (CU) for Master Data Services (MDS) . This blog entry explains how to download and install that CU, as well as subsequent CUs for MDS. Each Master Data Services (MDS) cumulative update is released as a stand-alone installer for SQL Server 2008 R2 Master Data Services. An update can be installed on a server without a previous installation of MDS, or it can be applied...(read more)

New Resource for Master Data Services Information

2010-08-19T19:00:00Z

(This post was contributed by Reagan Templin, Lead Technical Writer for the MDS Team) We’ve launched a new Web page on MSDN to consolidate information about Master Data Services (MDS) from many different sources: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/sqlserver/ff943581.aspx . It is a portal to refer to, whether you’re just starting with MDS or are already implementing MDS in an environment. Over time it will grow and develop into an even richer source of information as more content becomes available and...(read more)

Creating Web sites and applications in Master Data Services Configuration Manager

2010-08-13T19:12:00Z

(This post was contributed by Reagan Templin, Lead Technical Writer for the MDS Team) Lately, I've been seeing some confusion about creating and configuring the Master Data Manager Web application in Master Data Services (MDS) Configuration Manager. In this blog entry, I'm going to walk through the process in a bit more depth to help everyone understand more about the Web Configuration page with a focus on the Web Application area. Though I'll go over some prerequisites here, I urge everyone to read...(read more)

Recorded MDS Presentations Available at Tech-Ed Online

2010-08-02T17:55:00Z

We had great interest for our MDS presentations at the 2010 Tech-Ed / BI North America Conferences. Thanks to all who attended. If you didn’t get a chance to attend the MDS sessions, you can view the recorded presentations at Tech-Ed Online. Introducing Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Master Data Services [BIE203] This session introduces Master Data Services (MDS) and describes typical solutions. Product demonstrations illustrate how Master Data Services can help synchronize operational systems and...(read more)

Master Data Services first cumulative update is now available!

2010-06-28T22:41:15Z

We have assembled a new release that addresses a number (30+) of issues that we could not address before the SQL Server 2008 R2 RTM release. Everyone who is seriously considering Master Data Services or even kicking the tires is encouraged to take this update. Anyone actively using the product is encouraged to take this release as well. Here is the location of the KB Article: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2143880 Note: This is a full installation msi. You can install this MSI...(read more)

New Samples on MSDN Code Gallery

2010-05-12T18:40:00Z

(This post was contributed by John Burrows, Lead Program Manager for the MDS Team) A couple of new samples have been posted to the MSDN Code Gallery; two sample models that illustrate recursive and explicit cap hierarchies and a Visual Studio solution that contains an example of calling the Model Deployment API via code. Sample Models Employees The Employee sample model contains the employees of a fictitious Winery “Coho Winery” that has a legal structure in the form of three subsidiaries and an...(read more)

Updated Master Data Services Documentation and Resources

2010-04-21T22:09:00Z

(This post was contributed by Reagan Templin, Lead Technical Writer for the MDS Team) With the release of SQL Server 2008 R2, it’s a great time to check out the updated documentation and resources for the release, and for SQL Server 2008 R2 Master Data Services ("MDS") in particular. As you saw in the last post ( New White Papers Available ), there are some great white papers available on MSDN to get you going with MDS. Below you’ll find more information about other updated and newly published content....(read more)

New White Papers Available

2010-04-15T18:10:00Z

(This post was contributed by Reagan Templin, Lead Technical Writer for the MDS Team) New SQL Server 2008 R2 Master Data Services ("MDS") white papers are now available on MSDN. For an application-agnostic overview of master data management, see Organizational Approaches to Master Data Management . For the steps needed to configure Master Data Services to work with a SharePoint workflow, see SharePoint Workflow Integration with Master Data Services ....(read more)

Subscription Views - Part 3: Padding Level-Based Views

2010-03-03T21:36:00Z

(this post was contributed by Val Lovicz, Principal Program Manager on the MDS Team) Background This post is the third in a series on Subscription Views in SQL Server 2008 R2 Master Data Services (“MDS”). In the first post , I described how to create standard subscription views. In this post I will describe how to fill in the null columns in a level-based view of a ragged hierarchy. This post gives SQL examples that assume you have already created the “_ProductHierarchyLevels” view as described in...(read more)

Subscription Views - Part 2: Combining and Customizing Views

2010-03-03T21:10:00Z

(this post was contributed by Val Lovicz, Principal Program Manager on the MDS Team) Background This post is the second in a series on Subscription Views in SQL Server 2008 R2 Master Data Services (“MDS”). In the first post , I described how to create standard subscription views. In this post I will describe how to create your own custom views that build upon the standard views. This post gives SQL examples that assume you have already created the “_ProductHierarchyLevels” view and the “_ProductLeafAttributes”...(read more)

Publishing Master Data with Subscription Views - Part 1: The Basics

2010-03-03T20:45:00Z

(this post was contributed by Val Lovicz, Principal Program Manager on the MDS Team) Background This post is the first in a series on Subscription Views in SQL Server 2008 R2 Master Data Services (“MDS”). In this first post I will describe this feature and then provide step by step instructions for creating example views using the sample Product model delivered with MDS. Subscription views provide a simple way to extract and publish master data from MDS using Integration Services, SQL scripts or...(read more)