modeling tools useful for Access

[robert.waters]

Does anyone use modeling tools to determine the layout of a database
before implementing it?
If so, does the tool you use have the ability to generate the modeled
tables (or at least generate create table SQL statements)?
I have seen a few utilities, but they are pretty expensive and/or do
not support access.

Thanks.

[Allen Browne]

Robert, someone may be able to point you to some utilities, but I would just
like to point out that DDL is rather limited in Access, as there are basic
properties you cannot set that way.

Quick summary in the 5th paragraph of this article:
http://allenbrowne.com/func-DDL.html

--
Allen Browne - Microsoft MVP. Perth, Western Australia
Tips for Access users - http://allenbrowne.com/tips.html
Reply to group, rather than allenbrowne at mvps dot org.

"robert.waters" <ro***********@gmail.comwrote in message
news:11**********************@q40g2000cwq.googlegr oups.com...

Does anyone use modeling tools to determine the layout of a database
before implementing it?
If so, does the tool you use have the ability to generate the modeled
tables (or at least generate create table SQL statements)?
I have seen a few utilities, but they are pretty expensive and/or do
not support access.

Thanks.

[robert.waters]

On Mar 12, 8:31 pm, "Allen Browne" <[e-mail]:

Robert, someone may be able to point you to some utilities, but I would just
like to point out that DDL is rather limited in Access, as there are basic
properties you cannot set that way.

Quick summary in the 5th paragraph of this article:
http://allenbrowne.com/func-DDL.html

--
Allen Browne - Microsoft MVP. Perth, Western Australia
Tips for Access users -http://allenbrowne.com/tips.html
Reply to group, rather than allenbrowne at mvps dot org.

"robert.waters" <[e-mail] in message

news:11**********************@q40g2000cwq.googlegr oups.com...

Does anyone use modeling tools to determine the layout of a database
before implementing it?
If so, does the tool you use have the ability to generate the modeled
tables (or at least generate create table SQL statements)?
I have seen a few utilities, but they are pretty expensive and/or do
not support access.

Thanks.

I had no idea; funny, I just bookmarked that page on your site earlier
this evening ('to read soon'); you have loads of goodness there, thank
you.

For the moment, I am fine with typical SQL properties that you might
find in a CREATE TABLE query ('not null', specify foreign keys etc.);
I've inherited a rather large database created by a non-developer, and
I just need some way to visualize the monstrosity so's I can go about
fixing it. And it would very be nice to be able to make changes and
have them spit out into nice SQL that I can use to quickly build
"Version 2".

Thanks for your contribution.

[Allen Browne]

Makes sense. Sounds like you have experience doing that kind of thing in
other databases. :-)

In Access, the relationship diagram is the best overview. What I do
personally is to customise the Relationships Report so it displays more
detailed field information, and use that as the basis for staying on top of
the database. Using an A3 printer and collapsing non-crucial info, I can
stay on top of an 80-table database okay that way. The utility to add the
extra field info is here:
http://allenbrowne.com/AppRelReport.html

For more tables, Stephen Lebans has a utility that lets you save and restore
multiple relationship views:
http://www.lebans.com/saverelationshipview.htm

For duplicating a database, we just create a new database and import the
parts you want, with or without the relations and data:
File | Get External | Import.

I am not aware of TSQL type tools for Access, but if someone else is,
hopefully they will contribute.

Oh, and to find out what might be wrong with an existing database:
http://allenbrowne.com/AppIssueChecker.html

--
Allen Browne - Microsoft MVP. Perth, Western Australia
Tips for Access users - http://allenbrowne.com/tips.html
Reply to group, rather than allenbrowne at mvps dot org.

"robert.waters" <ro***********@gmail.comwrote in message
news:11**********************@v33g2000cwv.googlegr oups.com...

On Mar 12, 8:31 pm, "Allen Browne" <[e-mail]:

>Robert, someone may be able to point you to some utilities, but I would
just
like to point out that DDL is rather limited in Access, as there are
basic
properties you cannot set that way.

Quick summary in the 5th paragraph of this article:
http://allenbrowne.com/func-DDL.html

--
Allen Browne - Microsoft MVP. Perth, Western Australia
Tips for Access users -http://allenbrowne.com/tips.html
Reply to group, rather than allenbrowne at mvps dot org.

"robert.waters" <[e-mail] in message

news:11**********************@q40g2000cwq.googleg roups.com...

Does anyone use modeling tools to determine the layout of a database
before implementing it?
If so, does the tool you use have the ability to generate the modeled
tables (or at least generate create table SQL statements)?
I have seen a few utilities, but they are pretty expensive and/or do
not support access.

Thanks.

I had no idea; funny, I just bookmarked that page on your site earlier
this evening ('to read soon'); you have loads of goodness there, thank
you.

For the moment, I am fine with typical SQL properties that you might
find in a CREATE TABLE query ('not null', specify foreign keys etc.);
I've inherited a rather large database created by a non-developer, and
I just need some way to visualize the monstrosity so's I can go about
fixing it. And it would very be nice to be able to make changes and
have them spit out into nice SQL that I can use to quickly build
"Version 2".

Thanks for your contribution.

[Tom]

On Mar 12, 6:58 pm, "robert.waters" <[e-mail]:

Does anyone use modeling tools to determine the layout of a database
before implementing it?
If so, does the tool you use have the ability to generate the modeled
tables (or at least generate create table SQL statements)?
I have seen a few utilities, but they are pretty expensive and/or do
not support access.

Thanks.

If you are paying for this yourself, I suggest "dezign for
databases"...see datanamic.com

If someone else is buying, very good one is "ERwin Data
Modeler" ....see ca.com

Good luck