This session was about Master Data Services and what it also could be used as - the client wanted an application to validate and submit warehouse inventories.

1. A big thanks to our sponsors
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2. A big thanks to our sponsors
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3. MDS – Used for more than just
Master Data Management

4. About me
Kenneth M. Nielsen
Managing Consultant at Rehfeld
kmn@rehfeld.dk
@doktorkermit
Linkedin.com/in/KennethMNielsen
www.funkylab.com
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5. Program
 MDS – brief history
 Scenario
 Solutions
 MDS as an application
 Demo
 MDS API
 MDS Datamodel
 Code Examples
 ?
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6. MDS – Brief history
 Microsoft acquired Stratature MDM product
titled +EDM in 2007
 Shipped with SQL Server 2008 R2
 Almost useless, in that state
 Major improvements in SQL Server 2012
release
 No improvements in MDS for SQL Server
2014
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7. Scenario
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Approve or Dismiss

8. Scenario
 Have to be able to calculate stockvalue after
provision and excess
 Have to be able to generate import file to
Navision after calculation
 Have to be easy to use, for controllers
 MUST use data from Datawarehouse
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9. Solutions
 Develop an application solely for this purpose
 Look for standard software from Microsoft,
that we already paid for
 Small changes / custom development is allowed
 Keep the manual process
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10. We chose
 We chose Master Data Services from
Microsoft
 Comes out of the box with SQL Server
2008r2/12/14 (Enterprise and BI)
 Fairly easy to use
 Add-in for Excel
 Fairly easy to implement business rules
 Custom workflows and Custom Business rules
can be implemented
 SQL Server already bought and paid for
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11. Solution implemented
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MDS

12. Solution implemented
 Data read daily from datawarehouse
 Until freezedate is hit, the load stops
 At freezedate, data is moved to separate
MDS entities (lists)
 When freezeperiod is over data, is loaded
again.
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13. Solution implemented
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1. Check if Version exists in MDS
1. Yes - Then delete (to empty)
2. No – Then copy from template
2. Truncate MDS staging
3. Move data into MDS staging
4. Load data MDS staging to Model
5. Validate Model

14. MDS API
 Most operations can be started by T-sql or by
stored procedures in SSIS
 Open API, not like in Data Quality Service,
where everything is encrypted
 Not that much documentation at hand
 A few blogposts so far, community is building
 Use Profiler to listen and catch T-SQL and
Stored procedure calls from MDS manager
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15. Profiler Demo
 Set up profiler
 Navigate MDS manager
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16. MDS Automation
 Housekeeping packages
 Create subscriptionviews
 Lock Version
 Unlock Version
 Copy Version
 Import Data to Model
 Truncate Model
 Disable Business Rules
 Enable Business Rules
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17. MDS Automation
 Create Subscriptionviews via MDS
 Slow process
 Manuel process
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18. MDS Automation
 Create Subscriptionviews via SSIS or stored
procedures
 Fast
 Automation
 Meta data driven
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19. MDS as application
 Either in Browser (silverlight)

20. MDS as application
 Or in Excel
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21. MDS List
 The controller can only see and
edit his own data
 And only the columns that need
information from him
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22. Custom Workflow i MDS
 Almost no documentation – one article on
technet http://tinyurl.com/nhaknla
 Must be installed by hand
 No good debugging
 Blogpost on the way describing this in details
on www.funkylab.com
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23. Workflow DLL – C#
 Remember to add references to the MDS workflow
 Microsoft.MasterDataServices.Workflow;
 Microsoft.MasterDataServices.WorkflowTypeExtender;
 XmlNode xmlBusinessRule =
dataElement.SelectSingleNode("//ExternalAction/Server_URL");
 string BusinessRule = xmlBusinessRule.InnerText;
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24. Workflow DLL – C#
using Microsoft.MasterDataServices.Workflow;
using Microsoft.MasterDataServices.WorkflowTypeExtender;
namespace EaOBusinessRule
{
public class GNCustomWorkFlow : IWorkflowTypeExtender
{
public void StartWorkflow(string workflowType, System.Xml.XmlElement dataElement)
{
XmlNode xmlBusinessRule = dataElement.SelectSingleNode("//ExternalAction/Server_URL");
string BusinessRule = xmlBusinessRule.InnerText;
switch (BusinessRule)
{
case "CalculateTotals":
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ExecuteBusinessRule_CalculateAfterAdj(workflowType, dataElement);
break;
//case "do something else
//ExecuteBusinessRule_CalculateSomethingElse(workflowType, dataElement);
default:
break;
}
}

25. Workflow DLL – C#
 Attribute names in XML
 Blanks will be replaced by _x0020_
 dataElement.GetElementsByTagName
("Adjustment_x0020_Obsolete")[0].InnerText;
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26. Workflow DLL – C#
 Look up attributeID’s in MDS datamodel
 EntityID is read from MDS XML
 dataElement.GetElementsByTagName("Entity_ID")[0].InnerText;
SELECT CAST([ID] AS VARCHAR(100)) AS [ID]
FROM [mdm].[tblAttribute] AS attributes
WHERE attributes.[Entity_ID] = " + EntityID.ToString() + "
AND attributes.[Name] = 'Total Provision'
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27. Custom Workflow i MDS
 Configured by XML
<applicationSettings>
<Microsoft.MasterDataServices.Workflow.Properties.Settings>
<setting name="ConnectionString" serializeAs="String">
<value>Server=10.200.10.160;Database=MDS;Integrated Security=SSPI</value>
</setting>
<setting name="WorkflowTypeExtenders" serializeAs="String">
<value>MDSWFS=EaOBusinessRule.GNCustomWorkFlow, EaOBusinessRule, ….</value>
</setting>
</Microsoft.MasterDataServices.Workflow.Properties.Settings>
</applicationSettings>
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28. Debugging Custom Workflow
 Easiest way to debug is writeing to the
console
 Start workflow service in ”console mode” on
the server where MDS is running
 Microsoft.MasterDataServices.Workflow.exe
–console
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29. Debugging Custom Workflow
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30. MDS Workflow Service
 Manually install MDS Workflow service
 Set up an Service Account
 Change it to Automatically startup
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31. 26-11-2014