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Data dictionary tools
List of tools that enable design and building of data dictionaries .
Data Dictionary is a set of important information about data used within an organization (metadata). This information includes names, definitions, and attributes about data, owners, and creators of assets. Data Dictionary tools provide insights into meaning and purposes of data elements. They add useful aliases about the scope and characteristics of data elements, as well as the rules for their usage and application.
DBDocumentor
DBDocumentor produces database documentation for the SQL objects in your database project. It generates a fully cross-referenced view of the SQL database, including where data is sourced from and what objects are modifying data in what other objects.
| Desktop/Cloud: | Desktop |
|---|---|
| ER Diagram: |
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| Export: | CHM,Help,XML |
| Metadata stored in: | SQL Server extended properties |
| Commercial: | Commercial |
| Free edition: |
|
| Notable features: | Documentation of SQL Server Reporting Services RDL files |
| Runs on: (for desktop): | Windows |
EZ Data Dictionary
EZ Data Dictionary is a user-friendly data dictionary tool for business and technical end users. Documenting database through EZ Data Dictionary provides better results as compared with Excel. It allows users to review database elements and definitions in a friendly environment and provides better communication between systems professionals and end-users.
| Desktop/Cloud: | Desktop |
|---|---|
| ER Diagram: |
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| Export: | HTML,PDF |
| Metadata stored in: | Documentation repository |
| Commercial: | Commercial |
| Free edition: | - |
| Notable features: | Compare two schemas |
| Runs on: (for desktop): | Windows |
Oracle SQL Developer
Oracle SQL Developer is a free, integrated development environment that simplifies the development and management of Oracle Database in both traditional and Cloud deployments. Besides database development, it is a handy-tool for database documentation and data dictionary.
| Desktop/Cloud: | Desktop |
|---|---|
| ER Diagram: |
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| Export: | HTML,PDF,RTF |
| Metadata stored in: | Program repository |
| Commercial: | Free |
| Free edition: |
|
| Notable features: | Entity relationship diagrams |
| Runs on: (for desktop): | Linux,Mac OS,Windows |
Turtle SQL (discontinued)
Turtle SQL is a free and open source tool designed to generate the SQL Server (2005, 2008, 2012) documentation.
| Desktop/Cloud: | Desktop |
|---|---|
| ER Diagram: |
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| Export: | MS Excel,PDF,XML |
| Metadata stored in: | Database metadata |
| Commercial: | Free |
| Free edition: |
|
| Notable features: | SQL Server 2005/2008 and 2012 documentation |
| Runs on: (for desktop): | Windows |
Ataccama Metadata Management & Data Catalog
Ataccama Data Catalog & Business Glossary tool provides automatic mapping of terms to real data sources in the Data Catalog during profiling, ensuring the Data Catalog is always up-to-date and synced with the Business Glossary.
| Desktop/Cloud: | Desktop |
|---|---|
| ER Diagram: |
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| Export: | CSV,MS Excel,XML |
| Metadata stored in: | Program respository |
| Commercial: | Commercial |
| Free edition: |
|
| Notable features: | Automated Mapping of Business Terms, Up-to-date Business Glossary, Data Discovery on Multiple Sources |
| Runs on: (for desktop): | Windows |
Vertabelo
Vertabelo is a database modeler that gives you the power of visual design of databases online. It allows the user to generate metadata of the database and write comments for the database objects.
| Desktop/Cloud: | Cloud |
|---|---|
| ER Diagram: |
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| Export: | HTML,MS Word,PDF |
| Metadata stored in: | Database metadata |
| Commercial: | Commercial |
| Free edition: |
|
| Notable features: | Cloud database design, reverse engineering, document sharing |
| Runs on: (for desktop): | - |
Visual Paradigm
Visual Paradigm provides a tool to create and communicate visual database design with professional ERD tool. It allows the user to create customize template to generate a data dictionary for the class models and its attributes in your project.
| Desktop/Cloud: | Desktop |
|---|---|
| ER Diagram: |
|
| Export: | HTML,MS Word,PDF |
| Metadata stored in: | Database metadata |
| Commercial: | Commercial |
| Free edition: |
|
| Notable features: | Entity relationship diagram, Reverse engineering, SQL script |
| Runs on: (for desktop): | Linux,Mac OS,Windows |
Toad Data Modeler
Toad Data Modeler enables developers, DBAs, and designers to create, edit, maintain, and document quality database designs and structures across various database platforms.
| Desktop/Cloud: | Desktop |
|---|---|
| ER Diagram: |
|
| Export: | HTML,PDF,RTF |
| Metadata stored in: | Database metadata |
| Commercial: | Commercial |
| Free edition: |
|
| Notable features: | Entity relationship diagram, Model customization, Easy migration |
| Runs on: (for desktop): | Windows |
MySQL Workbench
MySQL Workbench is a visual tool for database architects, developers and DBAs. MySQL Workbench provides data modeling, development, administration and documentation tools for MySQL. With the help of HTML Shema Report plugin, user can generate data dictionary from existing MySQL database.
| Desktop/Cloud: | Desktop |
|---|---|
| ER Diagram: |
|
| Export: | HTML |
| Metadata stored in: | Database metadata |
| Commercial: | Commercial |
| Free edition: |
|
| Notable features: | Visual database design, SQL Editor, Data documentation and migration |
| Runs on: (for desktop): | Linux,Mac OS,Windows |
erwin Data Modeler
erwin Data Modeler (erwin DM) is a data modeling tool used to find, visualize, design, deploy and standardize high-quality enterprise data assets. It helps to create & maintain sound relational database designs and data dictionary of those models.
| Desktop/Cloud: | Desktop |
|---|---|
| ER Diagram: |
|
| Export: | |
| Metadata stored in: | Database metadata |
| Commercial: | Commercial |
| Free edition: |
|
| Notable features: | Data modeling, Entity relation diagram, Forward & Reverse Engineering |
| Runs on: (for desktop): | Linux,Mac OS,Windows |
DbWrench
DbWrench helps in creating and modifying databases quicker and easier. It streamlines many common database tasks such as editing database items directly in the diagram or in SQL script, etc.
| Desktop/Cloud: | Desktop |
|---|---|
| ER Diagram: |
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| Export: | HTML |
| Metadata stored in: | Database metadata |
| Commercial: | Commercial |
| Free edition: |
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| Notable features: | Diagram database editing, Entity relation diagram, Column templates, HTML documentation |
| Runs on: (for desktop): | Linux,Mac OS,Windows |
Base One Data Dictionary
The BFC Database Library is built on a Data Dictionary, which provides a complete description of record layouts and indexes of the database, for validation and efficient data access. You can use the data dictionary for automated database creation, including building tables, indexes, and referential constraints, and granting access rights to individual users and groups.
| Desktop/Cloud: | Desktop |
|---|---|
| ER Diagram: |
|
| Export: | HTML |
| Metadata stored in: | Documentation repository/file |
| Commercial: | Commercial |
| Free edition: |
|
| Notable features: | Detailed Database Description |
| Runs on: (for desktop): | Windows |
Data Dictionary Generator
Data Dictionary Generator can be used to generate data dictionary, compare database schema and spell check schema.
| Desktop/Cloud: | Desktop |
|---|---|
| ER Diagram: |
|
| Export: | HTML |
| Metadata stored in: | - |
| Commercial: | Free |
| Free edition: |
|
| Notable features: | Free data dictionary tool |
| Runs on: (for desktop): | Windows |
CSVReader SQL Server Data Dictionary
CSVReader SQL Server Data Dictionary is a SQL script that will generate a data dictionary for all tables in a SQL Server database. It includes schemas, foreign keys, primary keys, nulls, identities, data types, lengths, default values, and descriptions.
| Desktop/Cloud: | Desktop |
|---|---|
| ER Diagram: |
|
| Export: | CSV,XML |
| Metadata stored in: | Database metadata |
| Commercial: | Free |
| Free edition: |
|
| Notable features: | Full data dictionary for all tables in a SQL Server database |
| Runs on: (for desktop): | Windows |
Metalicious
Metalicious is an open-source, web-based data dictionary that is designed to capture and display metadata from databases, tables, and fields for platforms with one or more databases.
| Desktop/Cloud: | Cloud |
|---|---|
| ER Diagram: |
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| Export: | CSV |
| Metadata stored in: | Database metadata |
| Commercial: | Free |
| Free edition: |
|
| Notable features: | Web-based data dictionary tool |
| Runs on: (for desktop): | - |
Key functionality of Data Dictionary tools is to give users the ability to document data. Moreover, very important is the possibility to create a collection of multiple repositories, based on different system engines. For a better understanding of the data, some tools allow visualization of the data structure using ERD (Entity-Relationship Diagrams).
From the organization's point of view, a community module within a data dictionary tool proves to be useful. It facilitates the proper information flow, as well as provides sharing opinions on specific objects among the members of an organization.
Nowadays, data discovery and understanding becomes crucial for proper organization performance. There are many benefits to using Data Dictionaries, such as:
• helps avoid data inconsistencies problems,
• it allows introducing unified nomenclature used in the project,
• Make data searchable, and understandable,
• Create a single source of truth about the data from different repositories,
The prepared list includes simple, open-source data dictionaries as well as more advanced software.