Design MDM projects in Visual Studio Code

This page introduces granular declarative design and outlines the benefits of using the Visual Studio Code (VS Code) environment for designing data projects.

Granular declarative design

To simplify the overall process of designing data projects, provide a unified and advanced design environment, and future-proof our Unified Data Platform, Semarchy introduces an innovative design method based on granular declarative design.

Declarative design is an approach where you define what you want to achieve rather then how to achieve it, without delving into the intricacies of coding. In the context of an MDM project, this means expressing your desired data model, business rules, and interactions in a high-level, human-readable format.

Semarchy aims to elevate this approach with granular design capabilities. Going beyond traditional design methods, this concept enables agile deployment and collaborative model management. It allows designers to deploy parts of the data model independently, facilitates branching and merging for concurrent development, and includes tools to simplify complex model integration.

Notably, even though the design occurs within an integrated development environment (IDE), there is no actual code involved; designers work entirely through configuration. Semarchy has opted to integrate with VS Code through a proprietary extension specifically developed to streamline and enhance the design and management of data projects within this IDE.

Benefits of using VS Code

VS Code’s versatility, extensibility, and widespread adoption make it an ideal platform for implementing granular declarative design principles. In essence, this environment supports efficient collaboration and iteration, ensuring that data projects are not only well-designed, but also adaptable to evolving business requirements and scalable for future growth.

Here are the key benefits of using VS Code:

  • A unified environment: VS Code offers a single, cohesive environment where you can manage all aspects of your project. This eliminates the need to switch between different interfaces like the Application Builder and Workflow Builder.

  • Advanced editing features: features such as IntelliSense and autocomplete improve design speed and accuracy, making it easier to develop complex configurations.

  • Built-in version control: with built-in Git support, VS Code makes it easy to manage version control directly within the editor. This includes tracking changes, managing branches, and collaborating with team members.

  • Customization and extensibility: VS Code’s extensive customization options, robust debugging and testing capabilities, and seamless integration with CI/CD pipelines ensure that your Semarchy projects are developed efficiently, reliably, and in line with state-of-the-art design practices.