Hi all. I have a database which has almost 300 tables, I've just come across with a problem that I've added almost 60 tables into my diagram. I can only view the entire page if I set the page zoom to %10 and it's not really useful. Anyone has any suggestions for the problem? I need to view the diagram which is able to view more useful way. If the suggestion will be one of the SQL Server 2008 built-in features I'd appreciate. Thanks.
+4
A:
For this situation I build several diagrams, each with logical subsets of tables. It is going to be easier to understand the schema with that many tables if you break it up.
On the other hand, if you are looking for the "wall of schema" and just want to make a big poster to impress people, I would use Visio to reverse engineer the schema. It provides a lot more options in terms of how the tables get layed out.
RedFilter
2010-09-21 15:16:42
Visio suggestion is really useful.
Denis Valeev
2010-09-21 15:19:55
"...and just want to make a big poster impress people". Really? I personally think these are very helpful. Almost like having a 3rd monitor if you're doing something that requires you to see the db diagram...
Abe Miessler
2010-09-21 15:22:22
I'll try MS Visio, thanks so much for the suggestions.
Fırat Tuncer
2010-09-21 15:35:55
I'm with red filter on this ... trying to put 300 tables into a single ERD looks like a wiring diagram with all the cross overs. Break out the diagrams into logical groupings.
nonnb
2010-09-21 15:38:40
@Firat: I believe this requires the Professional edition (at least for the 2007 version).
RedFilter
2010-09-21 15:41:54
I would suggest Erwin, Embarcadero or Sparks Enterprise Architect instead of MS Visio.
juur
2010-09-21 17:15:59
@juur: can you qualify how those options are better?
RedFilter
2010-09-21 17:31:12
Those are real modeling tools, much more versatile compared to MS Visio. I use Sparks EA and MS Visio constantly, but prefer the former.
juur
2010-09-21 17:44:38
@juur: How are they better specifically with regards to diagram layout, which is the OP's question?
RedFilter
2010-09-21 17:53:07
Its better, believe me, e.g. Sparks EA can reveal cardinalities much more visually and show Primary and foreign keys much more clearer that Visio.
juur
2010-09-21 18:06:09
@juur: thanks, I will check it out!
RedFilter
2010-09-21 18:10:19
+1
A:
You can copy the whole diagram at zoom 100% and paste it as bitmap in any of your favorite image editors for further perusal. :)
Denis Valeev
2010-09-21 15:17:59
I've tried it before but during the paste step an error occured, I think it was a kind of memory problem which my laptop can not handle with it.
Fırat Tuncer
2010-09-21 15:44:48
@Firat Tuncer don't try to paste it to MS Paint, though. :) Try to use http://www.paint.net/ for example.
Denis Valeev
2010-09-21 15:50:36
A:
create your diagrams that focus on a certain portion of your database.
create a new diagram, add only the existing tables to it for a certain area: orders, patients, etc. don't try to have an all inclusive diagram, unless you want to view small portions of it at one time.
KM
2010-09-21 15:18:50