SQL tool(s) to create ERD and forward engineer into database?

  • No bets there, Grant. 🙂

    Of course it includes a whole lot more than just ER. Which is both a good thing, and a central part of the whole problem with trying to do ER in Visio: it's a half-way done ER solution shoe-horned into a general Graphical diagramming tool.

    [font="Times New Roman"]-- RBarryYoung[/font], [font="Times New Roman"] (302)375-0451[/font] blog: MovingSQL.com, Twitter: @RBarryYoung[font="Arial Black"]
    Proactive Performance Solutions, Inc.
    [/font]
    [font="Verdana"] "Performance is our middle name."[/font]

  • It's especially egregious because it doesn't simply want a copy of VS or even the Team System, or the Database Edition of the Team System, but the ever-lovin ENTERPRISE version. The most expensive of all possible versions of Visual Studio. Yeah, that's a useful tool you've got there Mr. Gates.

    "The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood"
    - Theodore Roosevelt

    Author of:
    SQL Server Execution Plans
    SQL Server Query Performance Tuning

  • How's this for synchronicity. We're having this discussion and I see that Buck Woody has a post up on his blog about ER tools. http://blogs.msdn.com/buckwoody/archive/2008/10/20/erd-designer.aspx.

    I'd like to comment, but I don't see how to log in there.

    This is a link to a free ER tool mentioned there:

    http://ondras.zarovi.cz/sql/%5B/url%5D

    "The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood"
    - Theodore Roosevelt

    Author of:
    SQL Server Execution Plans
    SQL Server Query Performance Tuning

  • Grant Fritchey (10/21/2008)


    I'd like to comment, but I don't see how to log in there.

    I think that you have to go to the root page: blogs.msdn.com

    [font="Times New Roman"]-- RBarryYoung[/font], [font="Times New Roman"] (302)375-0451[/font] blog: MovingSQL.com, Twitter: @RBarryYoung[font="Arial Black"]
    Proactive Performance Solutions, Inc.
    [/font]
    [font="Verdana"] "Performance is our middle name."[/font]

  • I use ERStudio here at work, but at home I have Enterprise Architect from Sparx Systems.

    😎

  • By

    >>>>

    But we've been doing our physical design work more and more without the ER tool and simply plugging it right into code from day one

    >>>>

    do you mean you are coding the t-sql script manually from the get go and bypassing GUI tools entirely?

    Barkingdog

  • >>>

    What I really want is an "Almost Commodity SW Specialty Tool" which would put it in the $200-$400 range.

    >>>

    Agreed.

    Barkingdog.

  • Barkingdog (10/21/2008)


    >>>

    What I really want is an "Almost Commodity SW Specialty Tool" which would put it in the $200-$400 range.

    >>>

    Agreed.

    Barkingdog.

    Check out Enterprise Architect. The reason I purchased it for use at home was because it was inexpensive. I can't afford ER/Studion on my own.

    😎

  • Barkingdog (10/21/2008)


    By

    >>>>

    But we've been doing our physical design work more and more without the ER tool and simply plugging it right into code from day one

    >>>>

    do you mean you are coding the t-sql script manually from the get go and bypassing GUI tools entirely?

    Barkingdog

    Yep.

    Between the syntax checking available from a tool like SQL Prompt and the instant verification that you've built the indexes, fk's, etc., from VSTSDBE, it's close to as fast as it used to be with the GUI tools. Then, when you take into account that VS allows you to build & deploy from the code you just wrote and you don't need to reverse engineer, troubleshoot migration scripts... It's a cost savings overall.

    We still generate ER diagrams, but they're mainly for documentation.

    "The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood"
    - Theodore Roosevelt

    Author of:
    SQL Server Execution Plans
    SQL Server Query Performance Tuning

  • Lynn Pettis (10/21/2008)


    Barkingdog (10/21/2008)


    >>>

    What I really want is an "Almost Commodity SW Specialty Tool" which would put it in the $200-$400 range.

    >>>

    Agreed.

    Barkingdog.

    Check out Enterprise Architect. The reason I purchased it for use at home was because it was inexpensive. I can't afford ER/Studion on my own.

    Lynn: Granted, a good UML tool at that price is impressive and welcome, but does it do ERD & Data Modeling? I do not see that anywhere on the features list?

    [font="Times New Roman"]-- RBarryYoung[/font], [font="Times New Roman"] (302)375-0451[/font] blog: MovingSQL.com, Twitter: @RBarryYoung[font="Arial Black"]
    Proactive Performance Solutions, Inc.
    [/font]
    [font="Verdana"] "Performance is our middle name."[/font]

  • Yes, it does. You can use it to create a Data Model.

    😎

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