Troubleshooting Business Data Clients and Metadata
Following are tips to help simplify debugging and troubleshooting of metadata-related errors and run-time exceptions.
Tip #1: Understand the Metadata Model
You must read the Business Data Catalog: Metadata Model section and understand how to write each metadata element. The topics also list supported children and properties, and their limits and accepted values. In addition, review the topics and comments in the AdventureWorks SQL Server 2000 Sample and the comments in SampleWebService Metadata.
Tip #2: Use Incremental Imports
When you author metadata, try to import one entity at a time so that you can identify and debug problems more easily.
Tip #3: Use Line Number Information to Identify Metadata Import Errors
When you try to import invalid metadata, the Business Data Catalog displays an error message explaining the problem, and provides the line number where the error occurred. It is helpful to open the XML in Microsoft Visual Studio 2005, use the Go command (Edit menu) to locate the line where the error occurred, and then review the XML statements near that line.
Tip #4: Look at the Server Event Log and the ULS Server Log Files for Business Data Client (Run-time) Errors
If you get an error when you try to use a Business Data Web Part, a Business Data column, or the object model, enable diagnostic logging in Central Administration and check the Windows Event Viewer, or the Unified Logging Service (ULS) server log files. The Business Data Catalog writes messages and run-time exceptions to the event Log and in ULS log files.
The ULS log files contain a copy of the event log information and the stack trace. As a result, you may find the event logs are friendlier to use and understand than the ULS log files. However, if you need detailed information to debug the error, ULS log files may come in handy.
The Business Data Catalog creates a ULS log file every 30 minutes. You can find the log files in the following path: <drive>\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\web server extensions\12\LOGS. ULS log files contain useful information about all the run-time exceptions and can help you identify problems. In the ULS log files, messages are categorized and contain the following fields:
Timestamp
PID: Web client errors appear under the w3wp.exe PID. Search and user profile import errors appear under mssdmin.exe PID.
TID
Product
Category: (the Category field is Business Data for Business Data Catalog–related errors)
EventID
Level
Message
Correlation
An easy way to find Business Data Catalog–related messages is to search for "metadataexception", "ApplicationRegistry", or "Exception" in the Message field, and then look under the Business Data category.
Tip #5: Check out the Error Message Documentation in the SDK
See Warnings and Error Messages