Introduction to repository

What is Dataedo repository

Dataedo repository is a data storage that keeps all your database schemas and documentations.

It can take two forms:

1. Server repository
2. File repository

Server repository

This is a server based repository that supports concurrent work and requires an instance of SQL Server. This is actually a regular SQL Server database (no other software is installed) with a predefined schema to keep all Dataedo data.

File repository

This is a .dataedo file that stored on any disk.

This is actually a SQL Server Compact database that is stored as a file on your disk. This database has the same schema as server based.

Working with multiple repositories

It is advised to limit the number of repositories. However, you can have as many repositories as you like.

Create one repository for each group of users - this could be a team, department, project or product.

If you are software development or consulting company you may choose to have a separate repository for each customer. Those repositories can be located physically at your customers' premises.

What is a database documentation

In Dataedo, a documentation is a document describing single database or schema. It holds a schema definition of documented database along with user-generated descriptions - text descriptions, images, modules and ER diagrams. It enables fully offline work - after import of schema, no access to documented database is required (except in a case of update of the schema that changed in a database).

No actual data is read, imported and held in the repository.

A documentation holds connection details to the documented database (host, database/schema and login details).

You can have an unlimited number of documentations in every repository (limited in Free editions to just one).

What documentation consists of

Documentation consists of following components:

• Database schema [imported/edited] - a database schema that was imported with Import/Update wizard from documented database. This consists of tables, views, columns, relations (foreign keys), unique keys. Dataedo enables a slight extension of the schema in a repository - you can add primary/unique keys and relations (foreign keys) that are not defined in your database.
• Programmability objects [imported] - programmability elements stored in database that were imported with Import/Update wizard. Those consist of stored procedures, functions, their parameters and triggers.
• Dependencies [imported] - object dependencies imported from the server.
• Descriptions [imported/edited] - descriptions of each element. Those were initially imported from documented database and then edited in the repository with Dataedo documentation editor.
• Modules [edited] - logical elements defined solely in Dataedo documentation for grouping purposes.
• ER diagrams [edited] - diagrams created with Dataedo editor based on schema imported from the database.