To understand the relational database, you need an er diagram tool to learn it. To create an er diagram, you can use various online tools. These days, there are many open source tools available online. But creating your own schema diagram is also good because you can understand the importance of each table and structure of your database design.
Below, you will find the necessary tools to build an Er diagram regardless of if you need ti make an er diagram from scratch or edit it, the tool I have selected below should meet your needs.
yEd Graph Editor
yEd Graph Editor is quite a popular software to create different types of diagrams, including computer network, flowchart, UML, BPMN, SBGN, etc. You can also use it to draw ER diagram.
To draw ER diagram in yEd Graph Editor:
The symbols used to create ER diagrams can be accessed from Palette window at right. You can add a simple entity, weak entity, entity with attributes, relationship between two entities, weak relationship, attributes, multivalued attributes, primary key attribute, derived attribute, and connectors, to create a desired entity relationship diagram. From the Properties tab at right, you can customize the text font, fill color, line color, label properties, etc. From the same tab, you can add a URL and description too.
Here are some other key features of this ER diagram maker:
- On the main interface, there are various compact windows named Overview (preview of ER diagram), Neighborhood (displays selected part), and Structure View (hierarchical structure of graph).
- From the Layout menu, you can choose the layout of ER diagram as Hierarchal, Organic, Orthogonal, Circular, Tree, Radial, Series Parallel, etc. The layout is customizable, e.g. for radial layout, you can customize minimal circle distance, minimal node distance, maximum child sector size, routing style, etc.
- The Tools menu provides various handy features including: Analyze Graph (to analyze graph structure in terms of node count, visual, topology, etc.), Centrality Measure (determining importance of a node in graph), Colorize Graph (to assign colors to nodes), Create Graph (create new graphs from the scratch like grid, tree, planar, and random), Geometric Transformation, etc. Also, from Grouping menu, you can create a group node.
- You can save the created ERD project as GraphML, YGF, GML, TGF, etc. projects. But, you can export ER diagram in a good range of formats, such as JPEG, BMP, HTML, PDF, PNG, SVG, EPS, etc.
yEd Graph Editor is one of the best er diagram software for Windows.HOME PAGE
Software Ideas Modeler
Software Ideas Modeler is an ER diagram creator which is provided free of cost for non-commercial use only.
After launching the software, go to Project menu and choose Entity Relationship diagram from given types of diagram. As you do that, you will be able to see related symbols (entity, relationship, etc.) at the left side of the interface. Apart from that, there are drawing shapes (connectors, rectangles, ellipse, start, images, etc.), project view (all added components), and preview windows available too. You can insert project description with name, author, modified date, version, etc. To add attributes to an entity, double-click on it and add attributes with ID, name, type (integer, character, string, boolean, etc.), type size, etc. You can also make an attribute primary key, foreign key, nullable, and auto increment.
Some Interesting Features of this ER diagram maker:
- It lets you customize the visibility of an element used in the diagram to Private, Protected, Package, or Public. You can also choose a modifier from abstract, static, active, root, and leaf.
- It lets you add a nested diagram, associate a new or existing diagram, etc. to an ERD project.
- You can add images to ER diagram project in EMF, WMF, PNG, JPG, GIF, BMP, and TIFF formats. Also, URLs can be added to the ER diagram as well.
- To make the ER diagram more appealing, you can customize the layout with desired colors, border, margin, font, etc.
You can save the ERD project as Software Ideas Modeler Project only. Still, you can copy diagram to the clipboard or export ER diagrams in EMF, WMF, PNG, JPG, GIF, BMP, PDF, etc. formats.
Software Ideas Modeler is a great er diagram tool which can be used to create many other diagrams such as structure chart, flowchart, web page diagram, hierarchical task analysis diagram, Venn diagram, mind map, etc.
Note: Many of the features are disabled in this free version. You need to upgrade to premium version to utilize all of its tools.HOME PAGE
ClickCharts
ClickCharts is another ER diagram creator which is free for non-commercial purpose only. As you open a new project in it, you will see different diagram templates including Flowcharts, UML diagrams, Venn diagrams, Brainstorming diagrams, ER diagrams, etc. There are a few ER diagram templates which you can choose to create entity relationship diagram.
From the left side of the interface, you get key elements of an ER diagram which are Entity, Attribute, and Relationship. The other elements that you can add include weak entity, weak relationship, multivalued attributes, straight connector, orthogonal connector, and curve connector. You can add text in desired font, size, alignment, etc. Further, you edit properties of an element by customizing fill and line color/pattern. If you don’t want to make any further changes to a particular element of the ER diagram, simply right-click on it and click on Lock option. It provides page, grid, grid snap, and object snap views to draw ER diagram.
The good part of this software is that the created ER diagram can be exported in a wide range of formats such as PDF, GIF, JPEG, BMP, PCX, PNG, SVG, RAS, TIFF, WMF, etc.
ClickCharts is a nice free software to draw ER diagram. It has a user-friendly GUI.
GitMind (Web)
Pricing: Free
First on the list is GitMind. This is an online mindmapping and ER diagram tool that you can use for free. What makes this tool so great, is the extensive amount of shapes and elements it provides in its library. These shapes are useful when making all kinds of diagrams like ER diagrams. Furthermore, this ER diagram tool can keep your diagrams private or share it with anyone and secure it with a password in case the diagram contains confidential content.
Key features:
- Completely online and free
- Huge library of figures and shapes
- Share projects via a share link
Gliffy (Web, Windows OS)
Pricing: Free trial; Professional- $7.99/month; Team $4.99/month
Another diagraming tool that can help you create ER diagrams is Gliffy. Using this software, it’s possible to work together with colleagues remotely. You can also track the changes of the diagram in conjunction with reverting back to your desired output. Besides collaboration and tracking changes, this ER diagram maker enables you to import images and as well as export diagrams.
Key features:
- Collaborative diagraming
- Access to previous versions
- Import and export diagrams
Visual Paradigm (Web, Windows, Mac OS, Linux)
Pricing: Free online; Standard- $19/month; Professional- $35/month
Visual Paradigm is also a good option for users who are looking for free ER modeling creator. With it, you can access hundreds of templates including ERDs allowing you to instantly create a structure of your database. In addition, you can create as many diagrams are required without even bothering about expiration. On top of that, exporting diagrams to images with no watermark could be done through this ER diagram maker.
Key features:
- Access diagram templates
- No limitation to the number of diagrams
- Export diagram without watermark
Lucidchart (Online, Windows, Mac)
Pricing: Free with limitation; Individual- $7.95/month
Visualize your database structure in a relational and logical way with the help of Lucidchart ER diagram maker. By using its drag-and-drop feature, working with diagrams is a lot easier. You can also create ER diagrams from scratch or generate ERD automatically from your DBMS to upload the database tables. And what makes this a recommended ER diagram creator is that it enables users to export your ERD to database services such as MySQL, Oracle, SQL Server, and so on.
Key features:
- Drag and drop interface
- Generate ERD automatically
- Export diagrams to database service
Dataedo
Dataedo is a database management system that will automatically document any existing database. An ERD is part of the document set that this system produces.
When the Dataedo service reads through a database, it interprets tables into entities, columns into attributes, and constraints/indexes into relationships. This is a reverse engineering strategy that gets you a clear image of a database schema’s layout, which is a great help if you are taking over a badly-managed database. Once the ERD has been compiled, the console allows you to make changes to all objects and implement those changes in the database on demand.
The Dataedo service includes other database documentation systems. The service is a cloud-based system and is available in two plans: Pro and Enterprise. While the Pro version focuses on documenting databases, the Enterprise service includes schema change tracking and data discovery and classification. The data discovery utility is useful for businesses that are implementing a data security standard, such as PCI-DSS because it enables personal information to be located.
Documentation, including entity-relationship diagrams, can be extracted as reports and saved in HTML, Excel, or PDF formats for distribution. It is also possible to extract a part of the ERD into a separate diagram to focus on that subsystem in cases where you want to explain the database to others or create a revamp project. It is also possible to show relationships across databases.
Dataedo is a top-end tool. The quality of its user interface and its database mapping functions are second-to-none. This is a subscription service with a rate per user per month. You can experience the service on a 14-day free trial.
EDITOR’S CHOICE
Dataedo is our top pick for an ER diagram tool because it deftly extracts the current data dictionary of a database schema and represents it as an ERD. This service is very useful for those who need to get a good overview of a database that has no existing documentation. The tool enables the DBA to redesign a database and update objects through the ERD. Dataedo can extract sections of an ERD and also show relationships across databases.
Get a 14-day free trial: dataedo.com/free-trial
OS: Cloud-based
DataGrip
DataGrip is an integrated development environment (IDE) so it is aimed at developers as well as DBAs. The tool is very feature-rich. It gives you a live data dictionary view of a database schema with drill-down views of each object. Clicking on a table, for example, brings up a drawing of that object and all of the relationships it has with other objects.
The console includes an ERD view of a database schema, which is generated automatically. These ER diagrams are just for viewing – you can’t alter the database by changing features on the ERD. However, it is possible to create objects within the data dictionary list view and every change you make in the console will be implemented in the database. In turn, those changes show up on the ERD view. So, DataGrip can be used to create a database as well as view or modify an existing schema.
As it is designed to support SQL creation, this tool also includes an SQL editor that provides access to a command list, and clause prompts assist in the correct formation of a query. Scripts can be created within the IDE through an editor that checks syntax and automatically formats code to make it easy to read. The IDE then saves a completed script to a file and lets you run it on an attached database.
DataGrip can interface to MySQL, Oracle, SQL Server, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, Cassandra, Amazon Redshift, and SQLite DBMSs. Reporting tools in the dashboard enable the ERD to be stored and printed for distribution.
The software for DataGrip installs on Windows and it is available for a 30-day free trial.
SqlDBM
SqlDBM supports the creation of database schemas through E R diagramming. The software is available online, so it can be accessed from anywhere, enabling distributed teams to work on the database.
The SqlDBM system is able to connect to databases run by SQL Server, MySQL, PostgreSQL, Snowflake, Oracle, and Amazon Redshift. The user assembles an ERD with the assistance of prompts from the environment. Once the design has been settled, the service connects to the database and generates all of the described objects.
Rather than creating an ERD from scratch, it is possible to import an existing database and get that interpreted into an ERD for editing.
Each account can be accessed by several users. This enables many people to work together on the creation or alteration of the ERD. All changes generate a new version of the design and it is possible to revert to an earlier version. The created design is held in the account and so can be accessed regularly by team members. It is also possible to create a web page of the ERD to let third parties see the database design without being able to change it.
SqlDBM is a subscription service with three plans. The Basic plan is for access by one user. There are many higher functions that aren’t included in this plan, such as automated database documentation. However, both design and reverse engineering functions for databases are included. The Business plan is for multiple users – you choose how many. That edition includes database assessment and documentation. The Enterprise plan includes extra DBA tools. There is also a free version, which allows only one project to be developed at a time.
dbForge Studio
dbForge Studio is available in flavors for SQL Server, MySQL, Oracle, and PostgreSQL. Each is a full database management suite that includes diagramming utilities for the creation of ERDs. The system will also generate an entire documentation library for an existing database.
ERDs based on existing databases can be altered by adding entities and connecting them with new relationships, identifying foreign keys. ERDs can be annotated and it is possible to create packages of functions and procedures within the database structure. You can zoom in and zoom out on the viewer. The ERD can be printed in part or in its entirety.
Once an ERD has been settled it can be translated into database objects and implemented. The objects of this new database are made available to developers through the IDE interface. This is able to autocomplete statements as they are written in the editor. The development editor also offers a visual query builder from a library of functions and clauses.
There are three versions of each flavor of dbForge Studio: Standard, Professional, and Enterprise. The ER diagram tool is included in all editions. You can try any version of dbForge Studio on a 30-day free trial.
Conclusion
The Er diagram (also known as entity relationship diagram and entity relationship model) is a visual way of representing database related information. The aim of the Er diagram is to hold information that might be present in multiple tables or external data sources and then convert this into a single drawing that highlights relationships between the individual entities.