Database design tools for Informix

List of tools that allow for the design of a database.

Database design is a set of activities aimed at improving the development, implementation, and maintenance of an enterprise data management system. Its main goal is to reflect the outline of the database system into real models: physical and logical. Database designers determine what data is to be stored inside the database, and how objects are to be related to each other.

Dataedo

Dataedo is a metadata management tool with data description language (DDL) export. It reads your schema and lets you easily describe each data element (tables and columns) and other database objects (like triggers, stored procedures, etc.) visually as ER diagrams. Additionally, DDL export allows you to export your database to a set of statements like CREATE and ALTER.

Desktop/Cloud: Desktop
Generate DDL scripts: Yes
Free edition: No
ER Diagram: Yes
Dataedo Data Catalog
DDL Export

RazorSQL

RazorSQL is an SQL query tool, database browser, SQL editor, and database administration tool. It provides visual tools to create, alter, describe, execute, and drop database objects such as tables, views, indexes, stored procedures, functions, triggers, and more.

Desktop/Cloud: Desktop
Generate DDL scripts: Yes
Free edition: No
ER Diagram: No

ER/Studio

ER/Studio Data Architect helps to easily reverse- and forward-engineer, compare and merge, and visually document data assets across multiple platforms and data sources. It enables data professionals to better manage data models and metadata in complex and dynamic enterprise environments.

Desktop/Cloud: Desktop
Generate DDL scripts: Yes
Free edition: No
ER Diagram: Yes

erwin Data Modeler

erwin Data Modeler (erwin DM) is a data modeling tool that lets you create and maintain sound relational database designs.

Desktop/Cloud: Desktop
Generate DDL scripts: Yes
Free edition: No
ER Diagram: Yes

ModelSphere

Open ModelSphere is a complete data modeling tool covering conceptual, logical, and physical modeling. With its reverse engineering functionality, it allows graphical visualization of your relational database's architecture, thus making modifications easy. Open ModelSphere allows the generation of SQL scripts to create a database from your model as well.

Desktop/Cloud: Desktop
Generate DDL scripts: Yes
Free edition: Yes
ER Diagram: Yes

DatabaseSpy

Altova DatabaseSpy is the unique multi-database query, design, and database comparison tool that even generates elegant charts directly from query results.

Desktop/Cloud: Desktop
Generate DDL scripts: Yes
Free edition: No
ER Diagram: Yes

DbVisualizer

DbVisualizer is the universal database tool for developers, DBAs, and analysts. It is aimed to simplify database development and management. It provides tree-based navigation through database objects and let multiple objects to be displayed side-by-side.

Desktop/Cloud: Desktop
Generate DDL scripts: Yes
Free edition: Yes
ER Diagram: Yes

GenMyModel

GenMyModel supports graphical database design based on standard E/R diagramming and documentation as well as DDL generation. with GenMyModel, data architects not only keep glossaries and data models under control, but they can design and reverse engineer data models and link them to other IT and business models, such as UML,
Archimate and BPMN.

Desktop/Cloud: Cloud
Generate DDL scripts: Yes
Free edition: Yes
ER Diagram: Yes

DbSchema

DbSchema is a intuitive designer for complex databases, visual interaction and documentation.

Desktop/Cloud: Desktop
Generate DDL scripts: Yes
Free edition: No
ER Diagram: Yes

Visible Analyst

Visible Analyst is a affordable graphical planning, analysis, and design tool that enables enterprises to build complex client/server applications and databases.

Desktop/Cloud: Desktop
Generate DDL scripts: Yes
Free edition: No
ER Diagram: Yes

DeZign for Databases

DeZign for Databases uses ERD and data models to graphically design databases and automatically generates the most popular databases.

Desktop/Cloud: Desktop
Generate DDL scripts: Yes
Free edition: No
ER Diagram: Yes

Aqua Data Studio Entity Relationship Modeler

Aqua Data Studio Entity Relationship Modeler (ER Modeler) helps in designing database models and uses the Forward Engineer feature to model entities and convert them into SQL Scripts, or Reverse Engineer existing databases to visualize a database model.

Desktop/Cloud: Desktop
Generate DDL scripts: Yes
Free edition: No
ER Diagram: Yes

Gleek.io

Gleek.io diagram maker is freemium text-to-diagram tool for developers and software architects. It enables the visual design of database online, in the cloud and from any browser. Create informal, UML, or entity-relationship diagrams - using just your keyboard.

Desktop/Cloud: Cloud
Generate DDL scripts: No
Free edition: Yes
ER Diagram: Yes

SQL Manager

SQL Manager provides separate tools for different databases which include MySQL, SQL Server, PostgreSQL, InterBase/Firebird, Oracle and DB2. It provides high-performance tools for database administration and development. It has an easy-to-use graphical interface and allows you to create/edit database objects in a simple and direct way.

Desktop/Cloud: Desktop
Generate DDL scripts: Yes
Free edition: Yes
ER Diagram: Yes

IBM InfoSphere Data Architect

Data Architect allows you to create models for DB2, Informix, Oracle, Sybase, Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL, and Teradata source systems. Elements from logical and physical data models can be visually represented in diagrams using Information Engineering (IE) notation.

Desktop/Cloud: Desktop
Generate DDL scripts: Yes
Free edition: No
ER Diagram: Yes

The database design process can be very complicated. The more complex the system, the more sophisticated the tool is needed. Their functionality can vary greatly, however, core features include:
• creating and editing database objects,
• database architecture modeling,
• visualization of a database schema,
• tracking relationships between entities,
• grouping logically related objects into clusters,
• diagrams overview.

Database designer tools enable building graphical models and generating DDL scripts on their basis. The script describes data and relations between entities in the designed database. Furthermore, the tools enable reverse engineering (visualization of the model from the SQL script).

Key factors of creating a reliable and well-organized database are:
• a properly designed data structure,
• establishing what data should be stored in particular objects,
• how objects should be related to each other.

All of them can be improved by using the relevant Database design tool. Additionally, some of them allow the visual representation of data using ERD, makes it easier to visualize even more complex schemas.

Without proper software, development is based on raw code. This increases the risk of errors at the initial stage. The tools allow users to edit the visual layout using simple drag-and-drop functions. With a user-friendly interface, browsing the structure is possible even for non-IT people.

We have created a list of tools that support the process of creating database structure and its content. Our list includes free database design tools as well as advanced, more professional data management tools.