Fix default config and improve logging for debuggability

[Aniruddh25]

Why make this change?

• Closes [Bug]: Critical! Default image config is not usable. #3593
• Closes Change SqlMetadataProvider Exception message #3486
• Add default dab-config.json to Docker image #3168 attempted to add a simplified dab config to the docker image build. However, the official image that is built internally picks up the dab-config.json from the binaries built folder.
• That is why the generic dab-config.json should move to src/Service and replace the unusable previous dab-config.json that was specific to Aspire project. This way the generic dab-config gets copied into the publish folder and lands in the official docker image

What is this change?

Configuration and Environment Variable Changes:

• Changed environment variable for database connection strings from ConnectionStrings__Database to DAB_CONNSTRING throughout the codebase, ensuring consistency and aligning with Data API Builder conventions (src/Aspire.AppHost/AppHost.cs, src/Service/dab-config.json). [1] [2] [3]
• Set the database type explicitly to mssql in dab-config.json instead of using an environment variable, simplifying configuration for local development (src/Service/dab-config.json).

Entity Management Simplification:

• Removed explicit entity definitions and relationships in favor of autoentities with a default pattern that includes all schema objects, drastically reducing manual configuration and making the setup more maintainable (dab-config.json, src/Service/dab-config.json). [1] [2]
• Added a pattern in autoentities to automatically include all objects and generate entity names in the format {schema}_{object} (dab-config.json, src/Service/dab-config.json). [1] [2]

Access and Security Relaxations for Development:

• Updated CORS settings to allow all origins by default, making APIs accessible from any client during development (dab-config.json, src/Service/dab-config.json). [1] [2]
• Changed authentication provider to Unauthenticated and allowed all actions for the anonymous role, making the API open by default for easier testing (dab-config.json, src/Service/dab-config.json). [1] [2]

Minor Improvements:

• Improved error messaging for GraphQL name violations by including the entity name in the exception message (src/Core/Services/MetadataProviders/SqlMetadataProvider.cs).
• Disabled strict request body validation for REST endpoints to allow more flexible payloads during development (src/Service/dab-config.json).

How was this tested?

• Used the default config to start dab on a local SQL Server and ensured all endpoints were working. Once merged, will build a test docker image from internal buddy pipeline to verify inclusion.

[Copilot]

Pull request overview

Fixes the unusable default dab-config.json shipped in the official Docker image by replacing the Aspire-specific config at src/Service/dab-config.json (the file actually picked up during the official image build) with a generic, autoentities-based config. Also standardizes the DB connection-string environment variable name and improves a GraphQL name-violation error message.

Changes:

• Replace entity-specific dev config in src/Service/dab-config.json with a generic mssql + autoentities config matching the repo-root dab-config.json.
• Rename ConnectionStrings__Database to DAB_CONNSTRING in Aspire AppHost wiring, and relax the root dab-config.json (CORS *, anonymous *, autoentities pattern).
• Include entity name in the GraphQL column name-violation error message for better debuggability.

Reviewed changes

Copilot reviewed 4 out of 4 changed files in this pull request and generated 1 comment.

File	Description
src/Service/dab-config.json	Replaces Aspire-specific entity config with generic mssql/autoentities config baked into the Docker image.
dab-config.json	Adds autoentities.patterns, opens CORS to *, and broadens anonymous permissions to *.
src/Aspire.AppHost/AppHost.cs	Renames the connection-string env var to DAB_CONNSTRING for both mssql and pg services.
src/Core/Services/MetadataProviders/SqlMetadataProvider.cs	Adds entity name to the GraphQL column name-violation exception message.

[souvikghosh04]

we might need to fix the Docker file and config appropriately

[souvikghosh04]

LGTM. thanks for addressing the comments

[aaronburtle]

Looks good, just a question about the hard coded mssql db-type.