Last Updated: November 2009
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Questions and Answers for:
Q. So what happened
to “Oslo”?
A. The technologies referred to as Microsoft code name
“Oslo”, which have been released in several Community Technology Previews
(CTPs), are alive and well, and Microsoft is still committed to their
development. As of PDC 2009, the “Oslo” name has been retired. The technologies
are being referred to as the SQL Server
Modeling CTP.
Q. Why change the
name from “Oslo” to SQL Server Modeling CTP at this time?
A. When “Oslo” was first introduced in 2007, it included a
wide range of technologies and initiatives. Over time, different pieces of this
original “Oslo” found ship vehicles in specific products, or found new homes as
part of other efforts going on within Microsoft. As of PDC 2008, what remained
under the name of “Oslo” were specific technologies related to modeling and to
Microsoft SQL Server. As a result, there has been ongoing confusion as to what
“Oslo” is and what it isn’t. To clarify the purpose of the modeling
technologies, then, the collection is being called the SQL Server Modeling CTP
and we’re working on specific names for its various components.
Q. What names have
you settled on for the specific “Oslo” technologies, namely code name “M”, code
name “Quadrant”, and the “Repository”?
A. We’re still working on new names for “M” and “Quadrant”.
We’ve settled on SQL Server Modeling
Services to describe what was called the “Oslo” repository along with the
built-in “Oslo” domains such as the Common Language Runtime (CLR) domain, the
Unified Modeling Language (UML) domain, the Identity domain, and others.
Q. What are the
technical components of the SQL Server Modeling CTP?
A. The SQL Server Modeling CTP has three core technical
components:
- SQL Server
Modeling Services
These services include the Repository, a SQL Server database enhanced with
capabilities for the storage of model schemas and instances. These
capabilities include patterns for the consistent partitioning, versioning,
securing, relating, and localization of models. The SQL Server Modeling
Services also include a number of built-in domains such as the Common
Language Runtime (CLR), Unified Modeling Language (UML), and
System.Identity. - "M"
modeling language
"M" is a highly productive, developer friendly, textual language
for defining model schema and instances. Models created with "M"
lend themselves to progressive refinement and relational linking to each
other. - "Quadrant"
modeling tool
"Quadrant" is a customizable tool for visualizing and
interacting with relational data stored in SQL Server databases.
"Quadrant" helps developers quickly navigate large datasets and
get answers to questions that require understanding the relationships
between models.
Q. Who are the
intended users of the SQL Server Modeling CTP?
These technologies are initially focused on architects and
developers building customizable frameworks and database applications. Over
time we expect our partners to broaden the set of role specific scenarios by
applying SQL Server Modeling CTP technologies to their specific domains. Some
potential examples include: conceptual modeling with UML, building web sites
with ASP.NET, and managing services with Microsoft System Center.
Q. When will the SQL
Server Modeling CTP ship?
A. The technologies included in this CTP will become part of
a future major version of Microsoft SQL Server.
Q. Where can I learn
more about the SQL Server Modeling CTP?
A. The latest Community Technology Preview release, samples
and documentation can be found on the MSDN Data Developer Center http://msdn.microsoft.com/data.
Q. Where can I learn
more about the “M” language and the “M” Specification Community?
A. Please refer to the ”M” Questions and Answers.
Q. How does the SQL
Server Modeling CTP relate to Visual Studio?
The SQL Server Modeling CTP will provide additional
capabilities to the Visual Studio family to support the authoring,
manipulation, and sharing of models and development of model-driven
applications.
- Developers will be able to author models using the
"M" language in Visual Studio.
- Models stored in the SQL Server Modeling Services can be
queried and analyzed using standard Visual Studio database tools.
- We expect partners to provide a number of different domain
specific experiences in Visual Studio over the SQL Server Modeling
Services.
Q. How does the SQL
Server Modeling CTP relate to the Azure Services Platform?
The Azure Services Platform uses models in many areas
including solution architecture, deployment, management, and access control. The
SQL Server Modeling CTP team is working with the teams building cloud
infrastructure and services to identify opportunities to best leverage these
technologies.
Q. How does the SQL
Server Modeling CTP relate to the SQL Azure Platform?
If you’ve created and/or populated a database using “M” or
“Quadrant”, that database can be deployed to the cloud just like any other. The
SQL Server Modeling CTP team is working with the teams building SQL Azure to
identify opportunities to better leverage these technologies.
Q. How does the SQL
Server Modeling CTP relate to the Entity Framework (EF)?
The SQL Server Modeling technologies fully embrace EF as a
primary mechanism for applications to access databases.
Q. How does the SQL
Server Modeling CTP relate to the Entity Data Model (EDM)?
The SQL Server Modeling technologies fully embrace EDM as a
primary mechanism for applications to model data. We’re also working on deeper
alignment between the “M” language and EDM, such as allowing direct expression
of EDM concepts like associations and navigation properties in “M”.
Q. How does the SQL
Server Modeling CTP relate to .NET?
The CTP is related to the .NET Framework in two principal
ways:
- The SQL Server Modeling CTP is providing capabilities into
the .NET Framework to make it easier for developers to create model-driven
applications.
- Many parts of the .NET Framework itself are already
model-driven. The SQL Server Modeling CTP will drive consistency in how .NET Framework components implement a
model-driven approach in the future.