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Database documentation tools for SQL Server
List of tools that allow the documentation (e.g. with descriptions) of schema of your databases.
Database documentation is a set of descriptions of the data, that facilitate management, maintenance, and retrieval of resources. Documentation can take many forms, however, it usually acts as a data catalog that holds detailed information about the table schema, all relationships, data types, etc. Description of datasets as well as single data objects also is referred to as metadata (data about the data).
Database Note Taker
Database Note Taker is free, making it easy to capture and share knowledge about your databases and simplify database documentation. It provides developers, support staff and even customers with quick and easy access to documentation.
| Data Lineage: | - |
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| Runs on: (for desktop): | - |
| Commercial: | Free |
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| Allows editing: |
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| Metadata stored in: | External repository |
| Export: | HTML |
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SchemaSpy
Free and open source tool that generates interactive entity relationship diagrams to HTML from database schema. Requires Java 5 or higher.
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| Runs on: (for desktop): | - |
| Commercial: | Free |
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| Metadata stored in: | External repository |
| Export: | HTML |
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Data Dictionary Creator (discontinued)
Data Dictionary Creator (DDC) is a simple application which helps you document SQL Server databases. It stores all the information in Extended Properties, so it's easier to keep the documentation in sync with the database as it changes.
| Data Lineage: | - |
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| Runs on: (for desktop): | - |
| Commercial: | Free |
| Free edition: |
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| Allows editing: |
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| Metadata stored in: | Database comments/extended properties |
| Export: | HTML,MS Excel,MS Word |
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DBDocumenter (discontinued)
DBDocumenter is an interactive free and open source tool designed to generate SQL Server (2000, 2005, 2008) documentation.
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| Runs on: (for desktop): | - |
| Commercial: | Free |
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| Metadata stored in: | - |
| Export: | HTML |
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ERDesigner NG
Mogwai ERDesigner is a free and open source entity relationship modeling/design tool and also generates schema documentation in different formats. It was designed to make database modeling as easy as it can be and to support the developer in the whole development process, from database design to schema and code generation and documentation.
| Data Lineage: | - |
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| Runs on: (for desktop): | - |
| Commercial: | Free |
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| Allows editing: |
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| Metadata stored in: | External repository |
| Export: | HTML,PDF,RTF |
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SchemaCrawler
SchemaCrawler is a free database schema discovery and comprehension tool. Using the tool, you can search for database schema objects using regular expressions, and output the schema and data in a readable text format. The output serves for database documentation and is designed to be diff-ed against other database schemas.
| Data Lineage: | - |
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| Runs on: (for desktop): | - |
| Commercial: | Free |
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| Allows editing: |
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| Metadata stored in: | External repository |
| Export: | CSV,HTML,JSON,Plain text |
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Turtle SQL (discontinued)
Turtle SQL is a free and open source tool designed to generate the SQL Server (2005, 2008, 2012) documentation.
| Data Lineage: | - |
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| Runs on: (for desktop): | - |
| Commercial: | Free |
| Free edition: |
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| Allows editing: |
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| Metadata stored in: | Database comments/extended properties |
| Export: | MS Excel,PDF,XML |
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SQL Schema Explorer (discontinued)
SQL Schema Explorer is a open-source tool that creates a dynamic website visible only to you that gives you effortless access to the tables, relationships and data in your database.
| Data Lineage: | - |
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| Runs on: (for desktop): | - |
| Commercial: | Free |
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| Metadata stored in: | - |
| Export: | HTML |
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ExPEditor
ExPEditor is a tool that facilitates the management of extended properties of objects of a SQL Server database and generates a database description in Word format.
| Data Lineage: | - |
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| Runs on: (for desktop): | - |
| Commercial: | Free |
| Free edition: |
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| Allows editing: |
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| Metadata stored in: | Database comments/extended properties |
| Export: | MS Word |
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Apricot DB
Exports the detailed report in the Excel format.
Exports diagrams in PNG and PDF format.
| Data Lineage: | - |
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| Runs on: (for desktop): | - |
| Commercial: | Free |
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| Metadata stored in: | Database comments/extended properties |
| Export: | MS Excel,PDF,PNG |
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SQLDoc Sharp (discontinued)
SQLDoc Sharp is a free and open-source tool designed to generate the SQL Server (2005, 2008) documentation.
| Data Lineage: | - |
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| Runs on: (for desktop): | - |
| Commercial: | Free |
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| Allows editing: |
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| Metadata stored in: | Database comments/extended properties |
| Export: | CHM,XML |
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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.
| Data Lineage: | - |
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| Runs on: (for desktop): | - |
| Commercial: | Free |
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| Allows editing: |
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| Metadata stored in: | Database comments/extended properties |
| Export: | CSV,XML |
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Database documentation tools support data management by creating helpful descriptions, meaningful aliases, and annotating data assets with additional elements. The tools capture all the relevant information about the metadata and make it available to the users in a convenient way (tabular or graphical). The features of documentation tools can vary widely. The tools allow users to:
• Facilitate datasets with meaningful descriptions/aliases,
• Create relational diagrams,
• Advance search of resources,
• Track schema changes,
• Document repositories from various sources, through compatibility with many database engines,
• Automatic documentation export to user-friendly formats and easy-to-share formats (HTML, PDF, Excell )
Developers (especially those working on the backend) are constantly faced with questions from non-IT teams or customers about what a given object means. This is because creating and maintaining documentation is not a top priority. However, using documentation tools has many benefits such as:
• Help Data stewards quickly discover database schema,
• Data becomes understandable for non-IT members,
• Documentation as a single source of truth about the data is available to everyone
• Easier implementation for new people working on the repository,
We have selected database documenters that, we believe, are truly noteworthy. We have included both, open-source tools and advanced, professional software (offering trial versions).