I am creating a database diagram in SQL management studio 2012. In the picture for example these tables are linked by Subscriber_id, but if you move the table diagram the line is also moved. So you don't know see the joining key.
How can I make the line statically connected to both keys no matter where you move the table diagram. Please see example.
The link represents the join between the tables, not the fields. If you inspect the link you should see the actual join details.
If you right click on one of the tables you can select to view the relationships. You can also show the relationship names which indicates the nature of the relationship.
I'm not aware of anything in SSMS to print the detail you require, but if you have access to VS and Entity Framework you can generate an entity diagram that shows the navigation properties. This can be printed.
Related
I am trying to export 3 database (DB) diagrams from one DB to another using SSMS 17. I have tried the solution suggested here:
How to export a SQL Server 2008 Database Diagram to another DB?
This solution is also recommended in several other websites I have found so far, to copy the content of the table "sysdiagrams" from the source DB to the destination DB (3 rows in my case).
After doing this I can confirm that both "sysdiagrams" tables have the same content and the diagrams are imported in the destination DB. Nevertheless in each imported diagram I see only the tables but not the relationships. What I find strange is that the relationships are shortly visible while the tables in the diagram are being loaded. After all tables are loaded they just dissappear.
Does anyone know what the issue could be? It is my understanding, that this solution is successful for early versions of SSMS.
Any help is highly appreciated :) !
Check that the relations (Foreign Key constraints) actually exist in the target database, because if they don't then the diagram editor will behave exactly as you describe: initially it will draw all lines, then it starts looking for each FK relation that each line represents, and it will one by one remove lines for which relations are not found.
To clarify, you can create FK relations using the Diagram Editor by drawing a line between to tables (the editor then creates both a line in the diagram and the actual FK constraint). But with a 'copy diagram' action like yours, you copy only the line data but not the actual relations.
To add the missing relations in the target database you could write ALTER TABLE ... ADD CONSTRAINT ... statements, or use the Diagram Editor again on the target database, or you can try using a database diff tool.
I currently have the database diagram window open in Microsoft Server Management Studio 2014. Is there a way to "refresh" the view so that I can see a newly added foreign key constraint?
Close the diagram. Right click on the diagram name under the "Database Diagrams" node on the tree to the left and select "Refresh", then re-open the diagram. That worked for me when I was trying to get the new fields, updated field names, and updated "nullable" values to display. It also didn't scramble the custom layout I did in the diagram, which I was afraid might happen. If your diagram is missing entire tables, then open the diagram, right click in the diagram's blank space, and select "Add Table" to add missing tables.
This was the first result that came up when I was trying to figure out how to refresh the tables to reflect new fields and such. I was hoping I wouldn't have to delete/re-add each table one-by-one!
It looks like the best way is to right click on the diagram and choose "remove table from diagram". Then right click in the white space and choose "Add Table". It will then show newly created relationships.
I created a SQL Server diagram in SSMS. This feature looks really great, but what can I do with it? :)
It's nice to have some kind of documentation, and it's nice that you can change a field within the diagram and this will have an effect on the actual table. But what are other reasons to create a diagram?
Is it possible for example to import a full diagram in any reporting tool? I noticed that the diagram is stored in a table which has a binary column in it with a long string. Can I copy/paste this in any other diagram tools?
Thanks in advance
I have never succeeded in importing into other tools. I tried pasting it into Visio (2007) but I could not edit the object in Visio, Notice you can control how the pages are printed (Right click on the surface area and select show page breaks - you can drag the page breaks) so that each printed page contains one or more complete tables. You can use the diagram to creating indexes and foreign key relationships. I have printed out the main tables and taped it to my desk while working on a project.
When creating a SSMS database diagram, I can click and drag to link two columns together. I can also move the connectors along the edges of the diagram.
The problem is that SSMS places the connectors table-to-table instead of column-to-column. This makes it hard to indicate at-a-glance exactly which columns are being linked, and if I place the connectors manually, they all get rearranged if I move the table. Is there any way to "snap" the connector to a column, or even any location on the table diagram?
I do not believe the database diagram connectors in SSMS work this way, but you can request/suggest new features here: https://connect.microsoft.com/SQLServer/Feedback
Can anyone give me an idea about database flow diagram in my SqlServer Server Management Studio? I have a database (ERBIA) in my server; I want to know about the database relationship among different tables.
You can simply click on this:
And then select the tables for which you wish to create diagrams (graphs)
By database flow diagram I think you mean an Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD). There are a number of 3rd party tools that exist to create ERDs. ERWin, Visio, ER/Studio are some examples.
These tools can read the database schema information and create a diagram and draw relationship lines based on the Foreign Key constraints. You can edit the diagrams and depending on the tool update the database or generate a DDL script for the database changes.
SQL Server also includes a database designer, but it should be noted there is no separation from a logical model and the physical model. This means if you draw a line from one table to another indicating a relationship a FK will actually be created when you save the diagram. For some scenarios this would be a problem.