Erwin data modeler license key3/16/2024 Data Dictionary tools Īnother category of tools, that actually is not really crystalized, I called here a Data Dictionary tools. Oracle SQL Developer Data Modeler (Oracle)Įxport from MySQL Workbench 5.Very poor and often risky import of changes from the database (works well for the first time). Clunky editing of data dictionary descriptions (a lot of clicking).Mostly focused on visual modeling with diagrams, rather than data dictionary.More advanced metadata capabilities (e.g.Once you have a list of tables and columns in the model you can provide a descriptions for tables and columns and finally export data dictionary to an HTML page. Those are tools created for data modeling and database design in mind, rather than working with an existing database, but all of them support reverse engineering capabilities that allow you to read the schema of an existing database and import it into the model. Impact database schema, not always desirable (for instance when vendor doesn't allow for alterations of the database)Īnother category of tools is data modeling tools.They also utilize DBMS data dictionary for metadata storage, provide a (more or less) convenient editor of comments, and allow you to export documentation to a usable format, such as HTML or PDF. Those tools are similar to the above combination but are designed for the purpose of the documentation of the database. Database documentation toolsĪnother category of tools you utilize is database documentation tools. Oracle + Oracle SQL Developer + Generate DB Doc optionĮditing table comments in SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)Įditing table comments in Oracle SQL Developerĭata Dictionary export Oracle SQL Developer 3.MySQL + MySQL Workbench + data dictionary plugin.Risk of altering of the schema (updating a comment in MySQL alters entire table schema).Require write access to database schema (no offline work).Impacts database schema, not always desirable (for instance when the vendor doesn't allow for alterations of the database).No global data dictionary, documentation is scattered across databases.Heavy limitations in the scope of metadata, only fields and elements already present in the data dictionary.Metadata with data, directly in the database.So to summarize, the stack looks like this: This can be a feature built into a database GUI or a standalone tool. Then such a data dictionary can be shared with database documentation generator that generates HTML, PDF or another format for easy access. Comments can be edited with many database management tools that are available for all databases. Some teams choose to store their metadata in those structures. Most DBMSs also have the ability to annotate data dictionary elements (called comments, descriptions or extended properties). All database engines (DBMS) have a so-called active data dictionary - an inventory of their data structures. DBMS + GUI tool (+ Generator)Īnother very popular approach is to make use of DBMS built-in data dictionary. Population, and especially maintenance, can be a nightmareĭata Dictionary in Excel spreadsheet 2.But the maintenance is the hard part - making sure it's up to date with the source can be a laborious task. Those are generic tools for creating and collaborating on documents that most people are familiar with.Ĭreating a data dictionary can be as easy as extracting a list of columns from a database using a query and pasting the results into a spreadsheet for people to fill in the details. I think the most obvious tool, perhaps good for a proof of concept, is a spreadsheet software or word processor (preferably the former). In this article, I will present you with different types of tools that you can use to build and share such an inventory. A data dictionary is a definition of tables/files and columns/fields in a data set (database, data warehouse or data lake). Now, when accessing company data held in databases is becoming critical, organizations are looking for tools that will allow them to build and share data dictionary of their data sources.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply.AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |