Model Browser Window

The Model Browser window is a Visual Studio tool window that is integrated with the ADO.NET Entity Data Model Designer (Entity Designer). It provides a tree view of the Entity Data Model (EDM). The Model Browser groups information into two nodes.

The first node shows you the conceptual model. By expanding the child nodes, you can view all entity types and associations in the model.

The second node shows you the target database model. By expanding the child nodes, you can see what parts of the database tables, views, and stored procedures have been imported to the model.

The Model Browser enables you to do the following:

  • Modify properties and mappings. Clicking an item in the Model Browser makes it active in the Properties window and the Mapping Details window. You can use these windows to modify the properties and entity mappings.

  • Create a function import from a stored procedure. For more information, see How to: Import a Stored Procedure.

  • Update the store schema definition language (SSDL) when changes are made to the underlying database. For more information, see How to: Update an EDM when the Database Changes.

  • Locate an entity type on the design surface. In the Model Browser, right-click the entity name in the tree view of the conceptual model and select Show in Designer. The visual representation of the model will be adjusted so that the entity type is visible on the design surface.

The Model Browser opens when the Entity Designer is opened. If the Model Browser is not visible, right-click the main design surface and select Model Browser.

See Also

Concepts

ADO.NET Entity Data Model Designer Overview

Other Resources

Entity Data Model Tools Tasks