Installing the SDG 1.0-1.2

Owned by Jason Hoekstra
Last updated: Feb 08, 2022
2 min read

The Sample Data Generator application is published and available for install via the Chocolatey package manager tool for Windows. Chocolatey enables single-command installation, upgrading and uninstallation with some simple commands at the Windows Command Prompt.

Note that ALL commands listed below should be run as an ADMINISTRATOR to ensure successful installation, upgrade, or uninstall.

System Requirements

The following is the minimum required software to successfully install and run the SDG:

  • Windows 7+ / Windows Server 2008+
  • PowerShell v2+
  • .NET Framework 4.5.2 

Installing Chocolatey

Follow Chocolatey's install instructions before trying to install the SDG using the commands below. Be sure to run the install command as an administrator.

Our reference version for installation and testing is Chocolatey v0.10.15, though other versions may work.

Installing the SDG

Once you have Chocolatey installed, installing the SDG runtime is done by using the command below:

choco install edfi.sampledatagenerator --source https://www.myget.org/F/ed-fi/api/v2

Sample data files and configurations files that are distributed with the SDG installation package. By default, these files are installed to C:\Ed-Fi\Samples\SampleDataGenerator. If desired, this path may be modified at install time with the command below. 

choco install edfi.sampledatagenerator --source https://www.myget.org/F/ed-fi/api/v2 --params "'/SampleDataInstallPath:D:\Some\Other\Path'"

If a custom path is provided, it must either point to an empty folder or a folder that does not yet exist. SDG sample configuration and data files are deliberately marked as READ-ONLY by the installation process. These sample files are meant to be a starting point for your own data set and should not be modified directly. 

Working files SHOULD NOT be saved to the samples directory — they may be overwritten during an upgrade!

Once you install the SDG, you're ready to get started. The User Guide has the conceptual and how-to information you'll need to start generating data. 

Upgrading the SDG

To upgrade the SDG from a prior version, use the following command string:

choco upgrade edfi.sampledatagenerator --source https://www.myget.org/F/ed-fi/api/v2

An upgrade will automatically overwrite files in the default sample data install path (C:\Ed-Fi\Samples\SampleDataGenerator). You should always save your own data outside of this path to ensure it does not get overwritten at upgrade time.

Uninstalling the SDG

Removing the SDG from your system is performed by using the single-command below:

choco uninstall edfi.sampledatagenerator

Sample data and configuration files installed by Chocolatey will not be removed at uninstall time. These files can be removed manually.