Extract meta-schema information from database

The New Meta-schema dialog assists in extracting schema information from a database.

To extract a database meta-schema file from a database, you must have access and permissions for the database. If you have trouble connecting to a database, make sure the database and the corresponding database client software are installed and configured properly.

When you extract the meta-schema information from the database, you overwrite the existing schema. Any user changes that had been made to the schema are lost when using the extract schema option. If you wish to keep user changes, you must update the schema. See Update a meta-schema from database.

Select Database>>Extract Schema. The first step is specifying the name and location of the meta-schema file.

Figure 1. New Schema dialog

Meta-schema file path

Browse for a destination directory. Enter the name and path for the new database meta-schema file. Select a 4db meta-schema file for standard projects. Select a 4dbx file if you are working with a Business Application Modeling managed project.

Insert the file in the project

Check this box to add the meta-schema file in the project. Select the node where the file should be added.
Click the Next button to continue to Connection information. This connection information is only used to extract the information for the database meta-schema file from the referenced database.

Figure 2. Connection information
1. In the Database Connection Information section, select either Use explicit settings or Use external settings.
  
  Use explicit settings, previous connection
  
  You can use a previous connection that was created for the same database. The drop down list provides a list of the existing connections.
  
  Use explicit settings, database type
  
  You can enter the Database Type by selecting the desired type from the drop down list, and the corresponding information for that type. The Database driver for the database type is automatically entered. If other drivers exist, they are available in the drop down list.
  
  Use external settings
  
  Information in the FGLPROFILE configuration file is used to extract the corresponding connection information for the specified database. Genero Studio will use the schema name that you entered to check for any related entry in the FGLPROFILE configuration file, and will use those values to define the connection. See information on the FGLPROFILE file in the BDL User Guide.
2. In the Database User Information section, provide the necessary database user details. The required information varies based on the database type selected. See Database server/user information.
3. Click Test Connection to verify that the information is correct and that you are able to access the database.
Click the Next button to continue to Extraction Options. Select the options for the meta-schema file.

Figure 3. Extraction options

Case sensitivity

Specify how case in database object names should be handled.Case sensitive: case won't be changed on database objects, Lower case: database object names will be converted to lower case, Upper case : database object names will be converted to upper case.

Import system tables

Check this box to include system tables in the schema.

Ignore errors

Specify that conversion errors should be ignored. If this option is unchecked, the extraction will stop as soon as an error occurs (for example, if a table column has an unsupported type.)

Conversion method

Select the type of conversion you wish for the specific data types; the default choice is Type A.
Click Finish to begin the extraction process. If you didn't already do so, save the database meta-schema file in a node in the project; the database meta-schema will be added to the DB Schemas tab and made available to other modules.
Any application that uses the meta-schema file must have a dependency to the node where the meta-schema file was added. See Add a meta-schema to a project.