Documenting Your Database - SQL Doc from Red Gate Software and Data Dictionary Creator on CodePlex
by David Hayden ( Florida ASP.NET Web Developer ), Filed: .NET Developer Tools, SQL Server
I haven't had a chance to play with either of these tools to help create documentation for a SQL Server 2000 or SQL Server 2005 database, but they are on my list of things to do.
Red Gate Software has released a public beta of a new tool, SQL Doc, to help document SQL Server 2000 and SQL Server 2005 Databases. The current beta release of SQL Doc includes the following features:
- Document one or many databases
- Produce documentation in HTML, with or without frames
- Includes all cross-database dependencies
- Live preview pane
- Command line access version
You can learn more and download it from here.
A project, called Data Dictionary Creator (DDC), has recently started on CodePlex that is for documenting SQL Server 2000 and SQL Server 2005 Databases using one of my favorite technologies - SQL Server Management Objects. It is free and comes with full source code as all projects on CodePlex. Some of the features include:
NEW Version 1.2 (11/14/06)
- Added documentation of tables as well as columns
- Changed Excel export from HTML based to XMLSpreadsheet to support separate worksheets for Table and Column documentation
- Improved error handling - detection of non-DBO logins, etc.
- (UI) - tab reorganization to fit workflow a little better
- (UI) - moved feedback and progress bars to statusbar for consistency
- Support for SQL 2000 and 2005 export scripts (there were several breaking changes from 2000 to 2005)
- Limited import functionality (SQL and XML)
- Added Installer
Version 1.1 (9/29/06)
- T-SQL export to allow copying documentation between database instances (thanks, Tyler!)
- Loads previously used additional properties from database on connection
- User interface enhancements
- Bug fixes
You can learn more about Data Dictionary Creator here.
Source: David Hayden ( Florida ASP.NET Web Developer )
Filed: .NET Developer Tools, SQL Server