| title | url | category | weight | description | tags | aliases | |||
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Share the Development Database |
/howto/data-models/sharing-the-development-database/ |
Data Models |
9 |
Describes how to open and manage the data stored inside the built-in database that is supplied with Studio Pro. |
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All Mendix applications need a database running in the background. While developing an application it is advised to use the standard built-in database that is supplied with Mendix Studio Pro. This how-to teaches you how to open and manage the data stored inside the built-in database.
{{% alert color="warning" %}} This document is about sharing a database between developers working on the same app. It is not possible to share one database between different apps. If you need to copy data to another app, use the Database Replication module. {{% /alert %}}
To get the most out of the built-in database, make sure you have completed the following prerequisites:
- Have an internet connection (to commit the database)
- Have a Team Server-enabled application (to share the database)
- Have a running application
- Have some data in the database to commit SQL queries to
The built-in database is a flatfile database called HSQLDB (HyperSQL DataBase). This is the leading SQL relational database software written in Java. It offers a small, fast, multithreaded, and transactional database engine with in-memory and disk-based tables and supports embedded and server modes. It includes a powerful command line SQL tool and simple GUI query tools.
HSQLDB has been constantly developed over 12 years and is used as a database and persistence engine. It is known for its small size, ability to execute completely or partly in memory, flexibility, and speed.
Therefore, this type of database is excellent to use while developing and running applications in Mendix Studio Pro on a local machine. Thanks to this built-in functionality, the developer does not have to run a local database engine and management tools.
One application can make use of many different databases. Take the following steps to select the preferred database (if there is more than one configured):
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Double-click Settings in the App Explorer to open the App Settings dialog box.
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On the Configurations tab, select the preferred database configuration in the grid, and click Make active.
{{< figure src="/attachments/howto/data-models/sharing-the-development-database/18580427.png" class="no-border" >}}
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Click OK to confirm your choice.
To start the built-in database viewer, follow these steps:
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Run the application locally (if this is the first time, Studio Pro will ask you to create the new database, click Yes when this occurs):
{{< figure src="/attachments/howto/data-models/sharing-the-development-database/18580426.png" width="150" class="no-border" >}}
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When the application is running, in the Console pane, select Advanced > Start built-in database viewer to open the built-in database viewer:
{{< figure src="/attachments/howto/data-models/sharing-the-development-database/18580425.png" class="no-border" >}}
The Database Manager dialog box will be displayed (depending on the data model of the application):
{{< figure src="/attachments/howto/data-models/sharing-the-development-database/18580424.png" class="no-border" >}}
On the left pane, all tables from all modules in the running application are shown. On the upper-right pane, it is possible to enter SQL queries and on the lower-right pane, the results from the entered SQL query will be shown.
You can execute queries in two ways:
- Directly from the command line on the upper-right pane using SQL script
- Via the database explorer on the left pane
To execute queries from the database explorer, follow these steps:
To execute queries from the explorer (the left pane) in the Database Manager, follow the steps below:
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Right-click a table and select the preferred action:
{{< figure src="/attachments/howto/data-models/sharing-the-development-database/18580423.png" class="no-border" >}}
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To select all customers from the table CUSTOMER, choose the first option. It will automatically fill the SQL command in the upper-right pane:
{{< figure src="/attachments/howto/data-models/sharing-the-development-database/18580422.png" class="no-border" >}}
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Click Execute SQL to execute this query:
{{< figure src="/attachments/howto/data-models/sharing-the-development-database/18580421.png" class="no-border" >}}
On the lower-right pane, the results are shown and a total of 50 rows is retrieved from the database. From the standard actions, it is also possible to delete, update, and insert records. The standard actions can also be customized to retrieve, update, or delete specific data. Advanced knowledge about the SQL language is needed to get the desired results.
The built-in database can easily be shared with other members of the team. It is possible to commit a snapshot of the database to the Team Server. To do this, take the following steps:
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Select Version Control > Add Snapshot of Data:
{{< figure src="/attachments/howto/data-models/sharing-the-development-database/18580420.png" class="no-border" >}}
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Click Yes to commit.
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In the Commit dialog box, add an informational message and click OK.
The data is now committed to the Team Server and can be used by other team members.
To import a data snapshot into the model, the app has to be updated since the last database snapshot has been committed by another team member. To get the data from the committed database snapshot, follow these steps:
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To update the application, click Update on the Changes tab.
{{< figure src="/attachments/howto/data-models/sharing-the-development-database/18580419.png" class="no-border" >}}
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To implement the data snapshot, extract the database from a ZIP file to the deployment directory.
{{< figure src="/attachments/howto/data-models/sharing-the-development-database/18580417.png" class="no-border" >}}
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Copy the data directory to the data directory in the deployment directory.
{{% alert color="warning" %}} Make sure the names of the databases are not the same or make a copy of your own database first so it will not be overwritten. {{% /alert %}}