Using Meta Data Browser

Microsoft® SQL Server™ 2000 Meta Data Services supports browsing of registered repository databases through Meta Data Browser. You can use Meta Data Browser in the following ways:

• From within SQL Server 2000 using SQL Server Enterprise Manager
  
  
• As a stand-alone snap-in that you add through Microsoft Management Console (MMC) and run separately from SQL Server Enterprise Manager

The way you use the browser determines the set of features and functionality that you can work with.

Using Meta Data Browser in SQL Server Enterprise Manager

To run the browser from within SQL Server Enterprise Manager, click Meta Data Services.

In SQL Server, Meta Data Services provides storage service for SQL Server meta data, including meta data associated with specific Data Transformation Services (DTS) packages and all online analytical processing (OLAP) meta data. Repository tables are included in the SQL Server msdb system database to support management and storage of SQL Server meta data.

In SQL Server Enterprise Manager, Meta Data Browser enables you to view meta data that you create and store in msdb. You can view this data in the Contents folder.

When you use Meta Data Browser in SQL Server Enterprise Manager, you function in End User mode. End User Mode provides read-only access to the repository database. You can view information about any meta data that you store in the repository.

SQL Server Enterprise Manager purposely restricts the functionality of Meta Data Browser to protect the meta data that it uses. Modifying or deleting native meta data can corrupt your SQL Server installation. For this reason, actions that put your meta data at risk are not supported in this mode.

Running Meta Data Browser Separately

Meta Data Services can be run separately from SQL Server Enterprise Manager as a stand-alone MMC snap-in. You can add Meta Data Services to a console to work with other SQL Server repository databases, using a wider range of functionality.

After you add Meta Data Services to the MMC, you can run the Meta Data Browser to register the repository databases you want to work with. You can work with any SQL Server repository database created in SQL Server version 6.5 or 7.0, or in SQL Server 2000. However, you must use version 3.0 of the repository engine that is distributed with SQL Server 2000.

To run the browser in stand-alone mode, click Meta Data Services.

See Also

Viewing Meta Data in Meta Data Browser

Working with Contents in Meta Data Browser

Working with Information Models in Meta Data Browser

Working with Repository Databases in Meta Data Browser

Meta Data Fundamentals

Repository Databases

Storage Strategy in a Repository Database