How do I switch from external datasource to LS datasource and keep the same data entities? Need to edit design.

Question

Hi all,
I have a LightSwitch desk top application that I wrote back in 2011 right after LightSwitch was available using VS2010 and the necessary extensions.  I am now in the process of trying to upgrade that application using Visual Studio 2013 Version 12.0.30501.00
Update 2.  The first thing that I do to make my life easier so that I am not re-inventing the wheel is connect to a copy of the original database.  This makes things a bit easier in that I now don't have to re-create my data entities.  However it
appears that even though this is a copy I cannot edit the design. Are there any flags or properties that I can flip to make the entities editable?
I need to change the database design.
Thanks, -ja

Answer 1

I think you answered your question here. You can edit any part of the database with your SQL skills once you are familiar with Microsoft SQL Server. AND Lightswitch is a Rapid Application Developer tool specially tailored to people who want a simple
way to visually create some basic databases. That's why I first asked what you wanted to change in your original Database to focus your question on the tool Yann Duram books says you can use to make further edits if you have access to the server. As Dave says
you can reverse engineer it all I mean its just text files and folders but its a lot of work as well and you have to reprogram each part of the file structure including the .lsml's which hold the basic Entity framework it looks like an XML indented format
like the following. I only mess with it when I know what to add were because it is a native code to lightswitch.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<ModelFragment xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/LightSwitch/2010/xaml/model">
<ServiceApplication
Name="LightSwitchServiceApplication"
Version="1.0.0.0">
<ServiceApplication.Attributes>
<ModuleNamespace
Namespace="LightSwitchApplication" />
</ServiceApplication.Attributes>
</ServiceApplication>
<DataService
DataProvider="EntityFrameworkDataProvider"
EntityContainer="LightSwitchCommonModule:ApplicationData"
Name="ApplicationDataMapping">
<EntitySetMapping
EntitySet="LabPart" />
<EntitySetMapping
EntitySet="LabRBCDetail" />
<EntitySetMapping
EntitySet="LabOrderDetailsSet">
<EntitySetMapping.Attributes>
<SsdlForeignKeyProperty
Name="LabOrderDetails_LabNames"
Nullable="False"
Type="int" />
<SsdlForeignKeyProperty
Name="LabOrderDetails_PPIsheet"
Nullable="False"
Type="int" />
<SsdlForeignKeyProperty
Name="LabOrderDetails_DiagnosisItem"
Nullable="False"