Entity Object (Model Designer)

  • Article

Defines an entity in the model. This object inherits properties from the ModelItem object.

Properties

Name Cardinality Type Description

CollectionName

0-1

String

The name of a collection of instances of the entity. If the string is not specified, the value defaults to the same string as Name. This value cannot be an empty string.

IdentifyingAttributes

1-N

Object

Specifies the attributes that client applications should use to identify an instance of the entity to the user.

DefaultDetailAttributes

0-1

Object

Specifies the attributes that client applications should show when this entity is displayed.

DefaultAggregateAttributes

0-1

Object

Specifies the aggregate attributes client applications should show when this entity is displayed as an aggregate.

SortAttributes

0-1

Object

Specifies the attributes used to sort when a sort is requested by this entity.

InstanceSelection

1

Enum

Determines the client application behavior for selecting instances of the entity, based on the expected number of total instances. There are four options:

  • Dropdown: Use when the number of instances is small enough to fit in a simple drop-down list.
  • List: Use when the number of instances is too large for a simple drop-down list but does not require pre-filtering.
  • FilteredList: Use when the number of instances is large enough to require that the user filter the values before the user can select instances.
  • MandatoryFilter: Use when the number of instances is so large that users are prevented from building queries on this entity without filtering.

IsLookup

0-1

Boolean

Indicates that the client application should treat the entity as a lookup table instead of a full-fledged entity.

Inheritance

0-1

Object

Defines how this entity inherits attributes and roles from other entities.

DisjointInheritance

0-1

Boolean

Indicates that entities that inherit from this entity are mutually exclusive sets.

Fields

0-1

Object

The fields, either attributes or roles, of the entity.

Binding

1

Object

The database object that represents this entity.

SecurityFilters

0-1

Object

Attributes to use as filters for this entity.

DefaultSecurityFilter

0-1

Object

Attribute to use as a filter for this entity if SecurityFilters are not available, for example, when the user does not have sufficient permissions.

Remarks

  • Selecting the MandatoryFilter option for InstanceSelection causes the Filter List dialog box to open in Report Builder when users select an instance of the entity.

See Also

Concepts

Model Designer
Model Designer Object Properties
Ad Hoc Reporting with Report Models
Working with Model Designer
Model Designer Data Types

Other Resources

Filter List Dialog Box [Model Designer]

Help and Information

Getting SQL Server 2005 Assistance

Change History

Release History

14 April 2006
New content:
  • Added Remarks section.