[thelist] Database Documentation

gabriel rivera evolt at protocol0.com
Fri Feb 21 13:08:01 CST 2003


> Gabriel, you mention SQL Server Enterprise Manager's Diagramming tool...
> We're using SQL Server here so that could be useful. Is it bundled with
> the installation or is it sold separately? I suspect I already know the
> answer to that! ;-)

(I am the farthest thing from an ms-centric developer)

Fear not, its actually part of the install.  In general, I find sql server
to be a pretty meaty value, and generally non-ms like.  You can even use a
demo version of enterprise manager forever, as long as you have someone
else's db to connect to.

The full-text indexing will make you look smart when you write a search
engine.

In enterprise manager, right-click on Diagrams in the exploded tree of the
database you want to visualize.  Then there's a dialog where you add tables
to the diagram, and boom, theres your er diagram with cute little keys and
FK relationships snaking around your tables.  Yaay...then when you save the
db schema is overwritten with your changes.

You can use it to design for other dbs as well, just export the .sql and
hand-edit to remove the ms-specific code.

Anyone seen a comparable tool?

-gabriel




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