Is it the size or quantity that matters, when it comes to creating a good database diagram? I prefer both. That may be a little bit of ego, age, and efficiency all rolled into one.
I really like the big screen. With the recent Ultra HD 4 TVs that are now available, you can get a reasonable resolution that looks pretty good when connected to a computer as a monitor. This is the screen I like to use for the drawing part of a database diagram.
I have two other 20” monitors and my laptop monitor. On one 20” monitor I put all of the database dialogs. It hosts the list of database objects, macros, properties, etc. The second monitor hosts a window for navigation. It has a small image of the whole drawing. I can move to a location quickly, or even change the magnification.
Then, on my laptop, I keep a query window open, and a database project, where I create and manage my master scripts, conversion scripts, etc.
So, why the big monitor? It is less important if you utilize subject areas when you create your diagrams. When a diagram grows too big, subject areas are a great way to focus on specific aspects of a database. When you define a subject area, you include the tables/views significant to that subject. When you don’t use subject areas, your diagram gets messy with lots of lines crossing each other, resulting in less clarity.
A good example about why to use subject areas are those databases that track the user making modification to data in multiple tables. If all of the tables are on the same diagram, the difficulty of keeping a clear diagram grows with each table associated to a user. The user table looks like a pin cushion, with lines going all over the place. Using subject areas you can often reduce the number of tables connecting to the user table, resulting in clarity of purpose.
That’s some of the things I like to do when creating a database diagram. How about you? What is you dream or preferred configuration. Share your experience in our comments, or by email to btaylor@sswug.org.
Cheers,
Ben