[MC-EDMX]:
Entity Data Model for Data Services Packaging Format

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Revision Summary

Date	Revision History	Revision Class	Comments
02/27/2009	0.1	Major	First Release.
04/10/2009	0.1.1	Editorial	First Release.
05/22/2009	0.1.2	Editorial	Revised and edited the technical content.
07/02/2009	0.1.3	Editorial	Revised and edited the technical content.
08/14/2009	0.1.4	Editorial	Revised and edited the technical content.
09/25/2009	0.2	Minor	Updated the technical content.
11/06/2009	0.2.1	Editorial	Revised and edited the technical content.
12/18/2009	0.2.2	Editorial	Revised and edited the technical content.

1 Introduction

This document specifies the Entity Data Model for Data Services Packaging Format (EDMX), an XML-based file format that serves as the packaging format for the service metadata of a Data Service.

Data Services are specified in [MC-APDSU]. The Entity Data Model and the Entity Data Model Conceptual Schemas are specified in [MC-CSDL].

1.1 Glossary

The following terms are defined in [MC-CSDL]:

CSDL
Entity Data Model (EDM)
Schema

The following terms are defined in [MC-APDSU]:

Data Service

The following terms are specific to this document:

<edmx:Edmx>: Every EDMX document MUST have a single <edmx:Edmx> element. When used to package the service metadata for a Data Service the <edmx:Edmx> element MUST contain exactly one <edmx:DataServices> element. The <edmx:Edmx> element is fully specified in section 2.1 of this document.

<edmx:DataServices>: The <edmx:DataServices> element MAY contain zero or more Entity Data Model Conceptual Schema (as specified in [MC-CSDL]), which are annotated as described in [MC-APDSU]. The <edmx:DataServices> element is fully specified in section 2.2 of this document.

MAY, SHOULD, MUST, SHOULD NOT, MUST NOT: These terms (in all caps) are used as specified in [RFC2119]. All statements of optional behavior use either MAY, SHOULD, or SHOULD NOT.

1.2 References

1.2.1 Normative References

We conduct frequent surveys of the normative references to assure their continued availability. If you have any issue with finding a normative reference, please contact dochelp@microsoft.com. We will assist you in finding the relevant information. Please check the archive site, http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/E4BD6494-06AD-4aed-9823-445E921C9624, as an additional source.

[MC-APDSU] Microsoft Corporation, "Atom Publishing Protocol: Data Services URI and Payload Extensions", February 2009.

[MC-CSDL] Microsoft Corporation, "Conceptual Schema Definition File Format", February 2009.

[RFC2119] Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate Requirement Levels", BCP 14, RFC 2119, March 1997, http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2119.txt

[XMLSCHEMA1] Thompson, H.S., Ed., Beech, D., Ed., Maloney, M., Ed., and Mendelsohn, N., Ed., "XML Schema Part 1: Structures", W3C Recommendation, May 2001, http://www.w3.org/TR/2001/REC-xmlschema-1-20010502/

1.2.2 Informative References

None.

1.3 Structure Overview (Synopsis)

An Entity Data Model for Data Services Packaging Format (EDMX) document is an XML-based file format that serves as the packaging format for the service metadata of a Data Service.

As specified in [MC-APDSU], clients can obtain the service metadata for a Data Service with a URI of the following signature.

http://<host>/<prefix>/<service path>/$metadata

The Data Service returns service metadata packaged in an EDMX document. The root of an EDMX document is an <edmx:Edmx> element, which contains exactly one <edmx:DataServices> subelement. The <edmx:DataServices> subelement contains zero or more <Schema> subelements, which specify Entity Data Model Conceptual Schemas. These Entity Data Model Conceptual Schemas are annotated as specified in [MC-APDSU].

Conceptually, the structure of an EDMX document resembles the following.

<edmx:Edmx>

<edmx:DataServices>

<!-- Entity Data Model Conceptual Schemas, as specified in

[MC-CSDL] and annotated as specified in [MC-APDSU] -->

</Schema>

<!--

Additional Entity Data Model Conceptual Schemas as

specified in [MC-CSDL] and annotated as specified in [MC-APDSU]

-->

</edmx:DataServices>

</edmx:Edmx>

The contents of an EDMX document are completely determined by the Data Service in question and will vary depending on the Data Service, as specified in [MC-APDSU].

1.4 Relationship to Protocols and Other Structures

EDMX serves as the packaging format of the metadata of a Data Service (as specified in [MC-APDSU]).

1.5 Applicability Statement

An EDMX document is used when clients of a Data Service (as specified in [MC-APDSU]) require the Data Service's metadata.

1.6 Versioning and Localization

This document specifies version 1.0 of EDMX.

1.7 Vendor-Extensible Fields

An EDMX document does not contain any vendor extensible fields, nor does it support extensibility. However, Entity Data Model Conceptual Schemas packaged in an EDMX document support an extension mechanism through the use of Annotations (AnnotationAttribute and AnnotationElement), as specified in [MC-CSDL].

Parsers of EDMX documents ignore content which they do not expect or do not understand.

2 Structures

2.1 <edmx:Edmx>

The <edmx:Edmx> element defines the XML namespace for the EDMX document and contains the <edmx:DataServices> sub-element.

Example

<edmx:Edmx Version="1.0" xmlns:edmx="http://schemas.microsoft.com/ado/2007/06/edmx">

The following rules apply to the <edmx:Edmx> element.

§ An EDMX document MUST have exactly one <edmx:Edmx> element as its root element.

§ The Version attribute MUST be defined on the <edmx:Edmx> element. Version is of type <xs:string>, as specified in the XML Schema [XMLSCHEMA1].

§ The <edmx:Edmx> element MUST contain exactly one <edmx:DataServices> sub-element.

Figure 1: Format of an <edmx:Edmx> element

2.2 <edmx:DataServices>

The <edmx:DataServices> element contains the service metadata of a Data Service. This service metadata contains zero or more Entity Data Model Conceptual Schemas (as specified in [MC-CSDL]), which are annotated as specified in [MC-APDSU].

Example:

<edmx:DataServices>

The following rules apply to the <edmx:DataServices> element:

§ The <edmx:Edmx> element MUST have exactly one <edmx:DataServices> sub-element.

§ The <edmx:DataServices> element may contain zero or more Schema sub-elements.

Figure 2: Format of a <edmx:DataServices> element

3 Structure Examples

The following is an example the service metadata returned by a Data Service. The <edmx:Edmx> and <edmx:DataServices> elements are specified in sections 2.1 and 2.2 of this document; all other XML elements are specified in [MC-CSDL] and [MC-APDSU].

<edmx:Edmx Version="1.0" xmlns:edmx="http://schemas.microsoft.com/ado/2007/06/edmx">

<edmx:DataServices>

<Schema Namespace="NorthwindModel"

xmlns:d="http://schemas.microsoft.com/ado/2007/08/dataservices"

xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/ado/2007/08/dataservices/metadata"

xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/ado/2006/04/edm">

</AssociationSet>

</EntityContainer>

<Key>

</Key>

</EntityType>

<Key>

</Key>

</EntityType>

</Principal>

</Dependent>

</ReferentialConstraint>

</Association>

</Schema>

</edmx:DataServices>

</edmx:Edmx>

4 Security Considerations

None.

5 Appendix A: Product Behavior

The information in this specification is applicable to the following Microsoft products:

§ Microsoft® .Net Framework Version 3.5 Service Pack 1 (SP1)

Exceptions, if any, are noted below. If a service pack number appears with the product version, behavior changed in that service pack. The new behavior also applies to subsequent service packs of the product unless otherwise specified.

Unless otherwise specified, any statement of optional behavior in this specification prescribed using the terms SHOULD or SHOULD NOT implies product behavior in accordance with the SHOULD or SHOULD NOT prescription. Unless otherwise specified, the term MAY implies that product does not follow the prescription.

6 Change Tracking

No table of changes is available. The document is either new or has had no changes since its last release.

7 Index