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Finding a free MySQL database schema tool

May 29th, 2008 by Stephen Blake

MySQL Workbench

I was recently looking a a free database schema tool to produce a technical specification for a MySQL database. I downloaded and installed a number of freeware software tools, but most of them didn’t quite offer the functionality that I needed. Also, some of them were extremely “clunky” and need quite a lot of refining - not sure of the names of the software I tried, but thats not really the point of this post.

After awhile I came across MySQL workbench. I think its a great piece of software, especially since its free ;) The most useful feature I found was to be able to import a db schema from a .sql file and then the application gives a great representation of the schema. The one thing I didn’t find was how to show foreign key links between tables - If anyone can tell me how to do this I would be grateful.

So, if you’re on the lookout for a free tool to give a good representation of a database schema, then do go ahead and try MySQL workbench.

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 29th, 2008 at 11:53 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

4 Responses to “Finding a free MySQL database schema tool”

  1. Mike Lischke Says:
    May 30th, 2008 at 8:23 am

    Hey Stephen, MySQL Workbench shows connections for all foreign keys you have in your schema and should display them automatically when you import your SQL. However, keep in mind, FKs are only supported for certain engine types, so make sure you have the right engine set.

  2. Stephen Blake Says:
    May 30th, 2008 at 11:41 am

    Cool! Thanks for the feedback Mike - really useful. It seems that Workbench does exactly what I wanted after all. Great software!

  3. mysql Says:
    May 31st, 2008 at 8:16 pm

    Have you tried ModelRight (the free community edition?) - http://www.modelright.com. It is easily the best MySQL freeware (or not) you can find. Easy to use, lots of features, stable, fast… a pleasure to use. Just excellent.

  4. Stephen Blake Says:
    June 2nd, 2008 at 11:16 am

    No I havn’t tried ModelRight, but I have just downloaded it and I will have a look at how it compares to Workbench. From the looks of things it has similar functionality to Workbench though. Thanks for letting me know about it ;), I will be sure to report back!

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