data dictionary tool

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data dictionary tool

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Matt Miller (4) SSC Guru Points: 124210 More actions · Answer 1

Right - there are lots of tools/resources to pull in the basic info/metadata. What doesn't make it in there is the WHAT/WHY/HOW (WHAT should be in the field, WHY things are laid out the way the are, HOW the data should look).

I haven't had the opportunity to try the RedGate Software tools, although I hear they're quite good.

There was also a great tool by FMS for Access, which was one of the best documenters I had, and had all of the right touches to faciltate someone going through and filling that stuff in. I haven't had occasion to use it in a while, but I'm remembering it was expanded with a SQL Server version. If you want to take a gander at it - go check out http://www.fmsinc.com/free/demos/index.html

Finding the tool is the easy part.

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Your lack of planning does not constitute an emergency on my part...unless you're my manager...or a director and above...or a really loud-spoken end-user..All right - what was my emergency again?

Jeff Moden SSC Guru Points: 1004356 More actions · Answer 2

Quick show of hands... how many require that table and column comments be included in table definitions? Next question... How many require that they be done correctly? 😉

--Jeff Moden

RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
First step towards the paradigm shift of writing Set Based code:
________Stop thinking about what you want to do to a ROW... think, instead, of what you want to do to a COLUMN.

Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.

Helpful Links:
How to post code problems
How to Post Performance Problems
Create a Tally Function (fnTally)

Steve Jones - SSC Editor SSC Guru Points: 736255 More actions · Answer 3

Hands down here. Never been a good way to keep track of this and have the developers find it easily. Maybe it's better with 2005, but I haven't really developed with it.

Jeff Moden SSC Guru Points: 1004356 More actions · Answer 4

Guess the next questions would be...

How many of you make the mistake of letting developers create their own tables? How many of you allow that to occur without doing a code review? How many of you have NOT created SQL Standards to follow? 😉 If you raised your hand to any of those questions, next question would be how many of you don't really give a damn what happens to the data? 😉

--Jeff Moden

RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
First step towards the paradigm shift of writing Set Based code:
________Stop thinking about what you want to do to a ROW... think, instead, of what you want to do to a COLUMN.

Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.

Helpful Links:
How to post code problems
How to Post Performance Problems
Create a Tally Function (fnTally)

Joe Clifford SSCrazy Eights Points: 8739 More actions · Answer 5

Funny that this thread would pop up today. Just saw a presentation by the developer of sqltac at the Denver SQL Server Users Group this evening and one of the features of the tool was easy access to the extended properties of all of the objects in the database/and the ability to easily edit those comments. Does some other interesting things (e.g. evaluate database schema for "correctness") as well...

The tool is in beta/60 day demo through the end of February and available at www.sqltac.com.

No commercial relationship...

Joe

Jeff Moden SSC Guru Points: 1004356 More actions · Answer 6

Nice one, Joe...

Even at that, the problem still remains... if a human doesn't take the time to establish a proper naming convention, proper DRI, and proper table/column commenting, although the result still works, it cannot be used by those who don't already know everything about the system or have good solid documentation available to them.

--Jeff Moden

RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
First step towards the paradigm shift of writing Set Based code:
________Stop thinking about what you want to do to a ROW... think, instead, of what you want to do to a COLUMN.

Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.

Helpful Links:
How to post code problems
How to Post Performance Problems
Create a Tally Function (fnTally)

Matt Miller (4) SSC Guru Points: 124210 More actions · Answer 7

I saw your questions last night, and...I washed my own mouth out with soap. Table commenting has been a weakness here (actually - that's a misnomer, because that would presume there consistently was any).

The documentation we have is within the application area. Over there, yes - there is a schema, the naming convention's been vetted, the data model reviewed, the DRI set up... But all that isn't with you when the maintenance job blows up at 3AM and starts jettisoning data in all directions.

I will now put the dunce cap back on and return to the corner....

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Your lack of planning does not constitute an emergency on my part...unless you're my manager...or a director and above...or a really loud-spoken end-user..All right - what was my emergency again?

Jeff Moden SSC Guru Points: 1004356 More actions · Answer 8

I laughed out loud when I saw your post above, Matt... I do understand that you have to use 20 or 30 pound porkchops to convince people of the right thing to do... it's like a lot of other things... they understand the cost of doing everything and they understand the value of nothing because, mostly, they never take their turn in the barrel. 😀

Heh... by the way... sounds like you've been having a really bad week, so here's a tip... When I'm in the corner, it helps a lot if I put my index finger over my nose so my thumb doesn't slip out of my mouth when I fall asleep. 😛

--Jeff Moden

RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
First step towards the paradigm shift of writing Set Based code:
________Stop thinking about what you want to do to a ROW... think, instead, of what you want to do to a COLUMN.

Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.

Helpful Links:
How to post code problems
How to Post Performance Problems
Create a Tally Function (fnTally)

smccabe-596458 Grasshopper Points: 14 More actions · Answer 9

SqlTac(www.SqlTac.com) can build a help file for end user viewing.

Additionally for .NET developer it can build a fully commented data access layer, so developers see your comments in Visual Studio via IntelliSense.