reverse engineer a data model from CREATE TABLE statements

metaperl

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Aug 13, 2009, 9:27:44 AM8/13/09

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I have become enamoured of SQL*Power Architect, but to reverse
engineer a data model, it needs to connect to the database. In my
case, this is not possible, but I can dump the statements used to
create the database.

Is there a (free/cheap) tool that can reverse engineer a database from
the create table statements.?

These statements will be coming from a mySQL database (unfortunately.
I hate MySQL. MyISAM tables dont honor REFERENCES statements).

toby

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Aug 13, 2009, 8:48:54 PM8/13/09

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On Aug 13, 9:27 am, metaperl <metap...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I have become enamoured of SQL*Power Architect, but to reverse
> engineer a data model, it needs to connect to the database. In my
> case, this is not possible, but I can dump the statements used to
> create the database.
>
> Is there a (free/cheap) tool that can reverse engineer a database from
> the create table statements.?

What do you mean? You want to diagram it?

> These statements will be coming from a mySQL database (unfortunately.
> I hate MySQL. MyISAM tables dont honor REFERENCES statements).

InnoDB supports foreign key constraints (and a lot more besides), so
you will have to come up with a better reason to 'hate MySQL'.

Thomas Kellerer

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Aug 14, 2009, 1:43:34 AM8/14/09

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metaperl wrote on 13.08.2009 15:27:
> I have become enamoured of SQL*Power Architect, but to reverse
> engineer a data model, it needs to connect to the database. In my
> case, this is not possible, but I can dump the statements used to
> create the database.
>
> Is there a (free/cheap) tool that can reverse engineer a database from
> the create table statements.?

If you can start Power*Architect you can also connect to one of the embedded Java database engines. Why not run the script against e.g. H2 or HSQLDB and then connect to that "database". That will not required any "installation" of a database server and should work on any computer that has Java installed (which you have, otherwise you wouldn't be able to run Power*Architect)

> These statements will be coming from a mySQL database (unfortunately.
> I hate MySQL. MyISAM tables dont honor REFERENCES statements).

I do not "hate" MySQL but I don't like it as well.
There are better and *really* free alternatives out there

Thomas

Terrence Brannon

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Aug 14, 2009, 4:51:39 AM8/14/09

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On Aug 13, 8:48 pm, toby <t...@telegraphics.com.au> wrote:

> InnoDB supports foreign key constraints (and a lot more besides), so
> you will have to come up with a better reason to 'hate MySQL'.

Yes but it lacks the full-text indexing of MyISAM tables ... you have
some features in 1 table type and other features in the other.

Not to mention replication is harder under InnoDB.

Jasen Betts

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Aug 14, 2009, 6:43:27 AM8/14/09

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On 2009-08-14, Terrence Brannon <meta...@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Aug 13, 8:48 pm, toby <t...@telegraphics.com.au> wrote:
>
>> InnoDB supports foreign key constraints (and a lot more besides), so
>> you will have to come up with a better reason to 'hate MySQL'.
>
> Yes but it lacks the full-text indexing of MyISAM tables ... you have
> some features in 1 table type and other features in the other.

that's why there are different types, if they all had the same
features they would be the same type :)

Terrence Brannon

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Aug 14, 2009, 8:38:18 AM8/14/09

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On Aug 14, 6:43 am, Jasen Betts <ja...@xnet.co.nz> wrote:

Well, MS-SQL has both features in one type...