Star79
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ER Diagram Tool
Is there any free tool that can produce the ER diagram from an existing database without me having to go through creating through visio or others.
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David is referring to the 'create diagram' function of the SQL Server manager. Yes, it does diagram the relationships but since you say it is not for you, your tables probably don't have enforced foreign key relationships already defined. You can drag and drop between the tables in the diagram tool to make the relationships, save your diagram as an image, and then not save the changes to the database. This is about your best choice I can think of. Otherwise how would any other program know the relationships? Do you have a test/development server where you can make an alternate copy of the database and put in the relationships for diagram purposes?
But it does not put the relationship on its own.
You are right. No tool will add relationships that do not exist.
You are right. No tool will add relationships that do not exist.
I beleive Oracle's (yes irony) Data Modeler will do this via it's Import->Data Dictionary feature along with a jdbc connection to sql server.
http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/developer-tools/datamodeler/overview/index.html
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/15267532/create-connection-to-sql-server-db-from-oracle-data-modeler
http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/developer-tools/datamodeler/overview/index.html
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/15267532/create-connection-to-sql-server-db-from-oracle-data-modeler
Sure, Oracle's data model will get foreign keys IF they're already defined. The problem appears to be that they're not actually defined as constraints.
@magarity - I didn't see the ops comment relating to automatically creating relationships. For that I refer him to your answer ;) (how would it know?). I can't think of ANY modeling tool that would create relationships based on naming alone
For that I refer him to your answer ;) (how would it know?).
Exactly.
I can't think of ANY modeling tool that would create relationships based on naming alone
Nor I and more importantly would you even trust that tool if it existed.
Exactly.
I can't think of ANY modeling tool that would create relationships based on naming alone
Nor I and more importantly would you even trust that tool if it existed.
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Not sure whom to award the points as its clear that there is no tool which puts a diagram based on the naming. But yes SQL diagram will give me if there is FK constraints.
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But it does not put the relationship on its own.