Frequently asked questions¶
A collection of frequently asked questions about MFSQL Connector
Advanced FAQ¶
See Advanced FAQ (Deep Dive Cross-Refs) for deep dive operational, performance, and migration questions.
What is MFSQL Connector¶
MFSQL Connector is a developer platform of tools and capabilities to connect M-Files with SQL Server bidirectionally without having to master the M-Files APIs. Introducing MFSQL Connector
Why use the Connector¶
The Connector liberates M-Files metadata to use the power of SQL to explore it, change it and link it with external applications and systems
Is the Connector compatible with the new M-Files Desktop¶
Release 4 of the connector is not compatible with new-desktop. Release 5 is required to use the new-desktop of M-Files. Release 5 allows for users to use either old or new dekstop to activate the Context Menu functionality. Refer to Upgrade to Release 5 to perform the upgrade to Release 5.
What is the top 5 use cases¶
Extract data from M-Files for reporting and analysis
Exchange M-Files metadata with other systems
Reorganize and reclassify metadata in bulk
Remove objects and object versions
Reprocess complex data to align it with M-Files properties and structure
When to use Data Exchange instead of M-Files External Connectors¶
M-Files External Data Connectors |
MFSQL Connector: Data Exchange |
|---|---|
ODBC connection |
Vault & Database in different locations |
Update timing is set on a schedule |
Update is near immediate and is highly configurable |
No data manipulation |
Encrypted data exchange |
Simple source data structures |
Complex data management with conditional criteria |
Limited Valuelist lookups |
Multiple joins and combinations |
Source and target data is similar |
SQL based data preparation |
Limited triggers for update process |
Alignment of source and target data Batch preparation of data updates Multiple triggers for data update |
Why use MFSQL Connector for reporting¶
The reporting functionality of the Connector does everything the reporting tool of standard M-Files does, plus more. Customers often replace the reporting tool with the Connector when the reporting tool no longer meet their needs.
Exploring the data and its relationships is simpler and exploring available data is much easier to do
The data table structures of the Connector is simpler to use and reduces the complexity and requirement to join multiple tables to obtain a simple extraction of data from M-Files
Changes in M-Files can be included in reports - near real time.
There is no need to replace the entire data set to update data from M-Files to SQL for reporting.
Multiple extracts of data is maintained in a single database, rather that a database for each exported dataset.
Combining the M-Files event log information for other metadata to create more meaningful reports
Learn more about it in Reporting
Why use MFSQL Connector for vault Archiving¶
The functionality of the Connector to export files and save them to a folder allows for you to pick the properties set as the folders (up to 3 levels deep) and either copy, mark as deleted or destroy the files in the vault.
Why use MFSQL Connector for integration¶
One of the core pillars of MFSQL Connector is the capability of using the tool to integrate between M-Files and any third party system using SQL as their backend.
This is particularly relevant when the connection is complex, must be flexible, and the business has skills with SQL capabilities.
Learn more about the it in the Integration whitepaper
What are the rules for licensing¶
MFSQL Connector requires a license to operate. Licenses are issued per vault and per server. Evaluation licenses are available for testing purposes. License activation and management is handled through the Connector’s configuration interface.
See Licensing for the full licensing rules and guidance.
Is it compatible with M-Files Cloud¶
The M-Files Cloud vault can interact with MFSQL Connector database on premise or in another cloud. From the MFSQL database to M-Files is a HTTPS secure connection. Optionally, action SQL operations from M-Files using webservices.
What can the Connector do with the Metadata in M-Files¶
MFSQL Connector allows for working with M-Files metadata by executing SQL procedures and exploring the underlying tables in SQL. It provides full CRUD (Create, Read, Update and Delete) bi-directionally between an M-Files vault and the Connector Database. Metadata Management and data cleansing
Can the Connector remove redundant object versions from an object history¶
The connector allows for the removal of specific object versions from the object history in M-Files. spMFDeleteObjectVersionList
How to get support¶
- To get support send an email to support and include the following:
screenshot of the error
details of the actual error from the MFlog table. Copy and past the result of the query below to your email to show the full text
SELECT TOP 5 ErrorMessage, CreateDate FROM MFlog ORDER BY logid desc
Can the connector change or update the display id of an object in M-Files¶
The column ‘’External_ID’’ in the class table represents the display_id of the object. This column can be updated from SQL to M-Files. This is particularly useful when a external system made changes to the unique identifyer of an object and these changes need to be update into M-Files.
What file operations can be performed¶
Working with files provide more detail on importing and exporting files from M-Files Related procedures and utilities include
spMFExportFiles to handle exports
spMFSynchronizeFilesToMFiles to handle blobs
spMFUpdateExplorerFileToMFiles to handle explorer files
Setup powershell utilities to transfer explorer file data to SQL
How to count the number of objects in the vault¶
Use spMFObjectTypeUpdateClassIndex to get all the object versions in the vault, and view the result with MFvwAuditSummary