Visualization of databases with the help of ConceptDraw
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Use it for:
- database design
- ORM-diagrams
- ER-diagrams
- Relational diagrams
- reengineering of databases
- vizual presentation of data in the form of diagrams and charts
- vizualization of any other data
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Working with databases one often faces a task of visualizon of structure or
data. As in many other cases visual presentation of information helps a specialist
in making decisions.
Creation of diagrams, be it ORM, ER - diagrams, relational
diagram or whatever, has become a traditional method in database design.
Preliminary design process makes you document business rules, and determines the
way the database will reflect your rules of business. It allows in advance to
reveal narrow places and simplifies maintenance, as the database structure and
all accepted compromises turn documented. Some client applications of relational
MDBS allow creating relations between tables only with the use of database model
diagram. Documenting in diagrams also makes easier the information exchange
between developers or between developers and clients (depending on the chosen
abstraction level). So diagrams are not least important in creation of databases.
Benefits:
- support of ODBC-compatible databases
- wizard for building a database model
- a set of templates and libraries with ready-to-use objects
- powerful graphic capabilities (2D-graphics)
- smart connectors for displaying links
- numerous export formats
- scripting programming language ConceptDraw Basic
- possibility to use external shared libraries
- 4 open text formats
- XML support
- multilateral parametrization of objects
- crossplatform (Mac, PC)
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Everything in the world is changeable including business-requirements to informational
systems. As a result, such systems are enlarged, extended and integrated. Their
number is increased, they become more and more functional. Sooner or later it
becomes clear that time for fundamental changes has come, reengineering is vital.
No matter what is the reason for reengineering: the leading developer's leave,
worsened relationships with the platform supplier, the changed level of technical
support, the contractor's financial status or the morally aged system. In any
case your database needs migration or modernization. For a variant, the new
developer needs to get to know the system he has to work with now. It is good
if its structure is well documented. And what if no documentation has initially
been kept? And what if chaotic changes has been made ever since? And finally,
if you just need a visual start document for making changes in the database
structure? In all these cases you need to solve reverse problem: build a database
model (on any abstraction level) on a pre-ready basis.
Problem three. Databases are created for storage and use of large informationl
massives. Due to this visual presentation of data in the form of various diagrams
and charts is more convenient.
It is good if you have a convenient and visual client for your MDBS. But it
is not always so, especially as for Macintosh platform. Besides, MDBS clients
do not normally solve the problem of data graphic representation.
All the spectrum of the above mentioned question can be solved using ConceptDraw.
In the ConceptDraw V Professional package there are included
a number of libraries with ready-to-use objects that are intended to simplify
drawing of database diagrams of various kinds: ORM, Chen ERD
and Martin ERD, Express-G and relational diagrams. These libraries
allow to simplify drawing of diagrams in a ConceptDraw-document up
to just dragging the needed images out of the library and entering of the corresponding
text.
Connectors make easier a displaying of interconnections among the diagram elements:
once you interconnected two table fields, they will remain connected even if
you shift either of them.
Rich possibilities on setting the text properties and ready-to-use objects
for creation of a background allow to beautifully design diagrams; and the set
of export supported formats (various vector and raster graphic formats, PDF,
Power Point, Flash, HTML (with hyperlinks)) simplify
the process of information exchange with your colleagues and business partners.
With the appearance of the scripting programming languageConceptDraw Basic
in ConceptDraw the spectrum of tasks that
can attract developers who work with databases has greatly increased. ConceptDraw
Basic supports work with ODBC-compatible databases. It allows to receive
and change information on the structure and the data of any DB, only if you
have the appropriate ODBC-driver and DSN installed.
In the ConceptDraw V Professional package there is included
Database Model Diagram wizard (it can be found among the templates
in the section ERD & Database). This wizard uses ConceptDraw
Basic, to solve the reverse engineering problem: building of a model of
arbitrary database which the user represented by DSN.

Another example - building of a diagram on the data taken from the DB table.
This will help vizualize any statistics.

If due to any reason you intend to process the information received by means
of ConceptDraw Basic in some other applications, you can save it in
a voluntary text format. And vice versa, in case the information on a database
you need is stored in some text format it can
be read by means of ConceptDraw Basic. The power of the script language
iteratively increase if you use the functions exported by the
external shared libraries libraries. ConceptDraw Basic features such
possibility.
If you prefer to use only graphic possibilities of ConceptDraw,
an alternative variant can be used then: data is processed by some third-party application and is saved in one of the open ConceptDraw
formats . The program supports the four following formats: Flow Data Format,
Outline, XML for ConceptDraw and XML for Visio.
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