Viewing or Changing Data Source View, DataTable and DataColumn Properties in a Data Source View
New: 14 April 2006
After defining a data source view using the Data Source View Wizard and adding tables, views, named calculations, and named queries to the data source view, you may want to change properties related to:
- Data source view matching criteria
- Advanced data source view options
- Object names
- Object metadata
You can also view object metadata retrieved from the data source that you cannot modify.
Viewing or Changing Data Source View Properties
Data source view properties, other than a description of the data source view, are set by the Data Source View Wizard when you initially define the data source view. The following table lists and describes the properties of a data source view.
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
Data Source |
Specifies the data source within the data source view whose properties you are viewing |
Description |
Specifies a description of the data source view |
Name |
Specifies the name of the data source view that appears in Solution Explorer or the Analysis Services database. You can change the data source view name here or in Solution Explorer. |
NameMatchingCriteria |
The name matching criteria for the data source. The default is (none) if primary key - foreign key relationships were detected by the Data Source View Wizard. Regardless of whether this property was set by the Data Source View Wizard, you can specify a value here. If database relationships exist and you specify name matching criteria, both will be used to infer relationships between existing tables and newly added tables. |
RetrieveRelationships |
Specifies whether relationships are retrieved from the database. Default is True. |
SchemaRestriction |
Specifies the restrictions, if any, on the schemas retrieved from a data source. By default, no schema restrictions exist. |
How To
To view instructions about how to view or change data source view properties, see How to: View or Change the Properties of a Data Source View Using Data Source View Designer.
Viewing or Changing DataTable Properties
DataTable properties are the properties of tables, views, and named queries in a data source view. These properties are set when any of these objects is added to the data source view. The following table lists and describes the properties of DataTable objects in a data source view.
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
AllowChangesDuringGeneration |
Specifies whether the Schema Generation Wizard has permission to overwrite a data source view table during regeneration. This property will only exist on tables initially generated by the Schema Generation Wizard. For more information, see Understanding Incremental Generation. |
DataSource |
Specifies the data source for the object. You cannot edit this property. |
Description |
Specifies the description for the table, view or named query. If the underlying database table or view had a description stored as an extended property, this value appears. You can edit this property. |
FriendlyName |
Specifies a name for the table or view that is easier for users to understand or more relevant to the subject area. By default, the FriendlyName property of a table or view is the same as the Name property of the table or view. The FriendlyName property is used by OLAP and data mining objects when defining object names based on tables or views. You can edit this property. |
Name |
Specifies the name of the underlying table or view, or the name of the named query. The Name property is used by OLAP and data mining objects when defining object names based on named queries. This property is only editable for named queries. |
QueryDefinition |
Specifies the named query definition. This property is only applicable to named queries and is not directly editable. To edit this property, you edit the named query itself. |
Schema |
Specify the database schema applicable to the table, view or named query. This property is not editable. |
TableType |
Specifies the type of table for the table, view or named query. This property is not editable. |
How To
To view instructions about how to view or change DataTable properties, see How to: Change Table, View and Column Names in a Data Source View using Data Source View Designer, How to: Add, View, Modify, or Delete a Named Query Using Data Source View Designer.
Viewing or Changing DataColumn Properties
DataColumn properties are the properties of columns in tables, views, and named queries in a data source view. These properties are set when any of these objects is added to the data source view, either from the underlying table or view, from a named query, or as defined by a named calculation. The following table lists and describes the properties of DataColumn objects in a data source view.
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
AllowNull |
Specifies the nullability property of the column based on the column in the underlying table, value or named query. This property is not editable. |
DataType |
Specifies the data type of the column based on the column in the underlying table, value or named query. This property is not directly editable. However, if you need to change the data type of a column from a table or view, replace the table with a named query that converts the column to the desired data type. |
DateTimeMode |
Specifies the date serialization format for DateTime columns. The default value is UnspecifiedLocal. This property is editable. |
Description |
Specifies the description for the column. If the underlying database column had a description stored as an extended property, this value appears. You can edit this property. |
FriendlyName |
Specifies the name for a column from a table or view that is easier for users to understand or more relevant to the subject area. By default, the FriendlyName property of a column from a table or view is the same as the Name property of the column. The FriendlyName property is used by OLAP and data mining objects when defining attributes based on columns from tables or views. You can edit this property. |
Length |
Specifies the maximum length of the column, based on the data in the column in the underlying table or view. |
Name |
Specifies the name of the underlying column, or the name of the named calculation. The Name property is used by OLAP and data mining objects when defining attributes based on named calculations. This property is only editable for named calculations. |
How To
To view instructions about how to view or change DataColumn properties, see How to: Change Table, View and Column Names in a Data Source View using Data Source View Designer, How to: Add, View, Modify, or Delete a Named Query Using Data Source View Designer, How to: Add, View, Modify, or Delete a Named Calculation to a Table Using Data Source View Designer.
See Also
Concepts
Working with Data Source Views (Analysis Services)
Working with Diagrams in a Data Source View (Analysis Services)
Other Resources
Working with Data Source Views How-to Topics (SSAS)