MDS 2016 User Interface receives a long overdue upgrade

As Microsoft progresses with SQL Server 2016 CTP updates, Master Data Services has been getting a long overdue face lift to the user interface.  And not just cosmetic changes.  Usability changes that make managing Entities and attributes much more intuitive. 

Main Page - MDS 2016

Main Page - MDS 2016

MDS - System Administration

Perhaps one of the biggest issues with Master Data Services (MDS) has been the user interface for System Administration.  Navigate to the Entity Maintenance section of MDS, and you are greeted with a sparse screen, with two simple buttons, without any text.  Highlight an entity, and you are presented with a few more cryptic buttons.  Intuitive it was not.

Compare that to the same section in SQL Server 2016 CTP 3.2.  Not only are you presented with the list of entities, but also a full listing of the meta data for each of the entities. No need to drill into the entity to discover its details.

Manage Entities - Main Page

Manage Entities in SQL Server 2016 - MDS

Manage Entities in SQL Server 2014 - MDS

Editing Entities 

MDS 2016 lets you easily add or edit entities directly on the main Manage Entities page.

Edit Entities in SQL Server 2016 - MDS

Unlike MDS 2014 and earlier versions, where you had to drill down into a new page. Made painful by the generally slow response time.

Edit Entities in SQL Server 2014 - MDS

Adding or editing attributes

Adding or editing attributes is another area that has vastly improved. Simply highlight an entity on the main Manage Entities page, and click on the Attributes button. This opens up a new, and flexible tool to manage an entity's attributes.  At the top are drop-down combo boxes to change to a different entity, or even a different model. At least in theory.  In our CTP3.2 version, making a change to drop-down boxes in the Manage Attributes page did not have an effect.  But, the layout is clear, so it can only be a matter of time before they get this working. And they have it working on other pages. We can only hope.

Manage Attributes in SQL Server 2016 - MDS

Edit Attributes in SQL Server 2016 - MDS

Edit Attributes in SQL Server 2014 - MDS

If Microsoft continues with the MDS enhancements, MDS just might start to make some headway in the master data management world.

Looking for an overview of the mechanics of Master Data Services.  Check out this posting on Simple-Talk: Master Data Services – The Basics.