To create an empty VDB launch Eclipse's New wizard, open the Teiid Designer category folder and select Teiid VDB. You can also select one or more models in a model project, right-click and select New > Teiid VDB action.>

Launching this wizard will open the New VDB dialog. If you launched with one or more models selected the dialog will contain the pre-selected models for inclusion in the new VDB.

Figure 9.1. New VDB Dialog

To Edit an existing VDB, select the VDB in the explorer and right-click select Open action or simply double-click the VDB. The VDB will be opened in a VDB Editor. (See the Section D.3.2, “VDB Editor” section)

For details on how to test your VDB, see Section 10.3, “Testing With Your VDB” section

Teiid Designer now supports the Teiid feature of defining relational source models and binding them to multiple data sources.

Multi-source models can be used to quickly access data in multiple sources with homogeneous metadata. When you have multiple instances using identical schema, Teiid can help you gather data across all the instances, using "multi-source" models. In this scenario, instead of creating/importing a model for every data source, one source model is defined to represents the schema and is configured with multiple data "sources" underneath it. During runtime when a query issued against this model, the query engine analyzes the information and gathers the required data from all sources configured and gathers the results and provides in a single result. Since all sources utilize the same physical metadata, this feature is most appropriate for accessing the same source type with multiple instances

The VDB editor's Models tab now contains a simplified model table on the left and a new tabbed panel on the right containing Model Details and Source Binding Definition tabs. Click the Multi-source check box if you wish to add additional source bindings. Note that each binding must be defined with a unique Source Name as well as unique JNDI Name representing a deployed data source you your server.

Figure 9.2. VDB Editor's Source Binding Definition

In Teiid Designer you can create, manage and use User Defined Functions (UDFs). These functions allow you to perform simple or complex java operations on your data during runtime. This is accomplished by deploying your custom UDF jars on your server and creating a scalar function representation of your function method to use in your view transformation. In the VDB Editor, you have the option of including your UDF jars as part of the VDB artifact. If included in the VDB, the jars will automatically be deployed to the server for you when the VDB is deployed.

The figure below illustrates a sample project setup which includes a UDF jar in a lib folder under a project.

Figure 9.3. UDF Jar In Project

This figure shows a VDB containing the several models including the user's Function model.

Figure 9.4. VDB Models

When a UDF model is added to a VDB, each scalar function is interrogated and it's referenced UDF jar (if available) is added to the VDB as well as shown in the UDF Jars tab in the editor as shown below.

Figure 9.5. UDF Jars in VDB

Teiid 8.1 introduced the ability to treat your deployed VDB as just another database where the database category is your VDB name and each visible model in your VDB is treated as a schema. This is accomplished via a new <import-vdb> element in the vdb.xml definition. (see Teiid VDB Reuse section). By allowing VDB's to referenced other VDBs, users can create reusable database components and reduce the amount of modeling required to create complex transformations.

The sample vdb.xml file below highlights the <import-vdb> element and the corresponding import-vdb-reference within the view model's <model> element.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?>
<vdb version="1" name="PartssupplierViewsVDB">
    <property value="false" name="preview"/>
    <import-vdb import-data-policies="false" version="1" name="PartssupplierSourcesVDB"/>
    <model visible="true" type="VIRTUAL" name="PartsViewModel" path="/PartssupplierProject/PartsViewModel.xmi">
        <property value="1623826484" name="checksum"/>
        <property value="Relational" name="modelClass"/>
        <property value="false" name="builtIn"/>
        <property value="655076658.INDEX" name="indexName"/>
        <property value="PartssupplierSourcesVDB" name="import-vdb-reference"/>
    </model>
</vdb>

Teiid Designer exposes this capability by allowing users to import metadata from deployed VDBs via the JDBC Import option. Through this import, relational VDB source models are created which structurally represent the Catalog (VDB), Schema (Model) and Tables in Virtual DataBase.

When dealing with the these VDB source models there are some limitations or rules, namely:

To create a VDB source model:

You can use your VDB source model like any other source model in your project. VDB source model tables can be used in your transformation queries and the view models will contain model imports to your VDB source models. However, when your view model is added to a VDB, any referenced VDB source models do NOT get added to your VDB. Instead, an <import-vdb> element (described above) reference is added in it's place.

If VDB imports exist for a VDB, the Show Import VDBs button will be enabled and allow viewing the names of the imported VDBs as shown below.

You have some options on defining your data access security for your VDB via the VDB Editor (See the Section D.3.2, “VDB Editor” section).

The first level is provided by the model visibility check-box in the Models section (Spyglass column). If unchecked, that model and it's contents will not be returned by the Teiid runtime with the standard JDBC metadata.

The next level of security is provided defining permissions for your data roles which can be managed via the lower panel in the VDB Editor. For a unique data role, each model and most objects within that model can have specific values of data access including:

The image below is an example of the Permissions defined for a data role.

Figure 9.6. Permissions Section

Figure 9.7. Security Definition Dialog

Figure 9.8. Row-based Security Tab

Figure 9.9. Column Basking Tab