Working with Contents in Meta Data Browser

You can use Meta Data Browser to discover facts about objects already implemented in, designed for, or defined by an application. If you are an application developer, browsing the contents of a repository can help you identify the best object to choose when building a new application. You can also browse the contents to view details about an existing Data Transformation Services (DTS) package or application component.

The kind of content that you can view varies depending on how you run the browser and the options you select. For more information, see Using Meta Data Browser and Viewing Meta Data in Meta Data Browser.

Inside the Contents Folder

The Contents folder shows object instance data in a repository database. You can view objects, object properties, collections, and relationships. Your browse mode selection determines how you interact with the Contents folder. Your display option selections determine what is visible. Except for sequenced relationship collections, the order in which objects appear is undefined. If a database does not show a Contents folder, it is probably not a repository database.

Note  The browser does not track workspace or repository object version data. Object properties do not indicate the workspace to which an object belongs. However, some version information is surfaced through property information. Version labeling can be particularly helpful in identifying how a specific object version is deployed.

Objects

Objects can contain collections and other objects. If you choose not to display collections, you can more easily view object relationships. In the browser, object relationships are rendered hierarchically. Expanding an object brings its related objects into view. For example, expanding a Car object can show additional objects for Engine, Body, and Tires. Expanding Engine can show an additional object for Parts.

The following figure shows a generic object icon.

For each object, you can view properties that tell you a great deal about each object. Properties are listed in alphabetical order. For more information about properties, see Working with Object Properties in Meta Data Browser.

If you are a repository Administrator, you can delete, rename, and remove objects from collections. For more information, see Deleting, Renaming, and Removing Objects from Collections.

Collections

Collections can contain objects or be empty. When you display collections, you can see how objects are grouped. For example, because Engine, Body, and Tires are elements of Car, displaying collection information can reveal that Engine, Body, and Tires are members of an Elements collection under Car.

The following figure shows a generic collection icon.

See Also

Selecting Browse Mode in Meta Data Browser

Setting Display Options in Meta Data Browser