BimlExpress Account

Why do I need an account for a free product?

Whenever we talk to Microsoft or other potential partners about doing things that would benefit Biml users, the very first question we get is, "How many Biml users are there?" We basically can't tell them. We know how many BimlStudio users we have. We know how many BIDSHelper downloads there are. Neither is a good measure of the Biml user base, though. Some BIDSHelper users don't use Biml. Some BIDSHelper downloads are put on a company share for hundreds of developers and consultants to use. Some users download BIDSHelper many times as they reinstall often. The list goes on and on. We don't want to be nosey, but we do think that there is a middle ground to get better user counts if we include user accounts.

Account Features

BimlExpress creates a toolbar menu in Visual Studio, which allows you to view your account settings by clicking About BimlExpress.

This opens a dialog that allows you to access the following features:

• Change your product key: If you receive a new product key, enter it here. You may need to restart Visual Studio for any additional features to apply.
• Copy your product information: This button copies information about the BimlExpress version and build to your clipboard. This information is often needed when answering support requests. To access this, paste it into an email or text file.
• Copy your machine code: This button copies your unique machine code to your clipboard. To access this information, paste it into an email or text file.

By default, if you already have BIDS Helper installed, BimlExpress removes the Biml-specific menu options from BIDS Helper and replaces them with BimlExpress functionality. To undo this, click Toggle BIDS Helper Menus in the BimlExpress toolbar and restart Visual Studio.