Which tools do people use to create Data Dictionaries? *

Question

On the project that I am working on I have a couple of databases. Each table and each column in the database has a description set (as an extended property in SQL 2005). As a part of the documentation going to the client we need to produce a data dictionary showing all of the tables and columns along with a collection of meta data (data-type, optionality, constraints).

Is anyone using a tool to automatically create this kind of document? If so, which tools do you use? I have used Data Dictionary Creator which is awesome but it doesn't seem to do data types or optionality (unless you want to add in custom fields and fill them in yourself).

Answer

These are all very SQL Server 2000+ specific

Free / Open source

SQL XML Documentation

DBdoc: automated CHM documentation for a SQL Server 2000 database

SQLDoc Sharp

Commercial

Apex SQL Doc

RedGate SQL Doc

Visio (Only for diagramming ERD's)

Some of these tools are GUI driven which prohibits their usage in continuous integration style development. I hear good things abouts Red Gate and have used Apex SQL once before with success.

The thing that bugs me is when it comes to interpreting comments etc in databases. There appears to be no agreed standard for SQL documentation. I'd love a standard like the XML comments for C#/VB code whereby running a process like sandcastle across your code/comments generates useful documentation. Some of the commercial vendors have their own proprietary approach.

< br > via < a class="StackLink" href=" http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1869/" >Which tools do people use to create Data Dictionaries?< /a>
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