In SQL Server 2019 all the parts of the Master Data Services (MDS) portal that used Silverlight now uses HTML. Now I’m sure this is one piece of news that will certainly make some people happy.
To clarify what Master Data Services is for those who have not heard of it, it’s a service you can use to maintain one version of repeatable data in your database.
For instance, to manage addresses when you have multiple data with the same data in it. You can read about it in detail here.
Previously, if you wanted to use the Master Data Services portal you had to install the Silverlight add-on locally for your web browser first. Otherwise, you got the below error whilst browsing in Master Data Services.
Thus, this was a challenge for locked down computers and non-windows based Operating Systems. People often looked to use the Excel add-in instead or used another offering.
Power View
In fact, Master Data Services is not the only SQL Server related feature which has relied on Silverlight in the past. Many years ago, I used Power View which was developed to work with Silverlight.
Now, I really liked Power View. In fact, at one stage I even had a session based on Power View which used a full demo environment.
However, often I would demonstrate it and then a manager or director would ask if it would work directly on their tablet. Of course, whenever the answer was no they would then be keener on using an alternative product.
Whilst we’re talking about Power View I will clarify one point. I did read from a source online the other day that Power View was only been available in Excel. As a matter of fact, you could also run Power View in SharePoint as well.
Luckily, it’s a different story now with Power BI which has become more adopted and has similar visualizations.
In addition, there is also a version of Power BI that you can install locally, which I think is a lot easier to install than Power View in SharePoint. It’s called Power BI Reporting Services which you can read about in a previous post here.
Further SQL Server 2019 learning resources
For more information about current SQL Server 2019 learning resources you can read my previous post here.
Final words about Master Data Services
As shown above, I for one am glad the Master Data Services portal has moved from Silverlight to HTML. In addition, the announcement brought back some interesting memories.
Of course, if you have any views about this you can always leave a comment.
[…] You can read a previous post of mine about that in detail here. […]
[…] I covered in a post which was part of a series of SQL Server 2019 posts. Which covers the fact that Master Data Services says hello to HTML in SQL Server 2019. Because in SQL Server 2019 you no longer have to install Silverlight to browse the Master Data […]