How to document a database

sql

database-documentation

version-control

business-rules

byAnton Shumikhin·Nov 2, 2024

Accommodate a Data Dictionary to crisply recount each database element. Let's get a glimpse:

Table: Orders
- OrderID (INT, PK, non-nullable): Unique order identifier. Order up!
- CustomerID (INT, FK, non-nullable): Links to Customers table. Tie the knot!

Amplify this with ER Diagrams to visually blueprint table relationships—use succinct labels and lucid lines to indicate keys and cardinalities.

Inline annotation (Speak to the future you)

Use COMMENTS for tabletop chit-chat

Get cosy with the COMMENT utility to annotate database objects within your database. It's like footnotes in the margin of your diary, directly available at the source.

COMMENT ON COLUMN public.orders.customerid IS 'This one knows where the party is at. References the primary key in customers table';

Controlling chaos with version control

Slip into the smart practice of version control for your documentation files. Think of it as Database's autobiography, in-sync, and under control.

Explain the mysteries (Unravel the Intricacies)

Deciphering complex junctures

Document your business rules and explain the origins of data. It's like solving a mystery, hint by hint, connecting the confusing dots.

Face-off scenarios with edge cases

Unearth the peculiarities and exceptions in your data model. It's like adding a plot twist to your database's tale!

Flex those tools (No man is an island)

Pick your weapons wisely

As a warrior chooses his weapon, choose your documentation tools wisely. Dataedo for comprehensive docs, SQL Developer and Visio to quench your thirst for visuals, and Enterprise Architect for importing UML diagrams.

Go for tools that allow interactive HTML exports, it's like your database's Instagram, but instead of selfies, it shares interactive and enriching insights.

Readability: clarity over confusion

Clarity: the key to understanding

Writing to clarify, not to add to existing confusion. (Being cryptic might work in the movies, but not here!)

"Everything in order"

Structure your documentation into manageable chunks, create a steady information flow so readers can navigate between the "Chapters" of your documentation journey.

Collaborate, update, repeat!

Little by little: the right approach

Advocate small, incremental additions by team members using a developer wiki. After all, teamwork makes the dream work!

Regular updates: your responsibility

Assign, or indulge yourself in regular review and updates of the documentation. A database that grows without its document is like a genie without its lamp!💡

Colorful tales and naming the unnamed (Filling in the colors 🎨)

Bring color to your story

Incorporate various colors in diagrams to differentiate between table types, like assigning colors to different characters in a comic strip.

Name thy tables!

Ensure column and object names are meaningful enough to add substance to your documentation. "What's in a name"? Shakespeare might not care, but we do!

Reverse engineering and ORM (Turn the clock back!)

Engineer the past

Reverse engineer to generate diagrams and documentation from an existing database. This approach is like deciphering the past and filling gaps in the history books of legacy systems.