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eDict: An HTML-Based Data Dictionary

eDict is currently in development for Sybase Adaptive Server Enterprise 11.5 and Sybase SQL Anywhere 5.5, and Oracle 8 support is planned.

A demo dictionary may be seen in psDemoDB (Powersoft Demo DB V5).

For more information about Alpha and Beta testing, send me an email or find me at the Powersoft Conference in Los Angeles from August 9 to 13, 1998.

Principles, Objectives and Success Criteria

• Keep it simple.



• Easy to publish, easy to browse.



• Easy to see...
  • ...all the tables in alphabetic order
  • ...all the columns in each table
  • ...all the descriptions in a separate scrolling frame
  • ...all the physical details for each column...
    • Data type (integer, varchar ( 255 ), etc.)
    • NULL versus NOT NULL
    • DEFAULT value
    • Participation in primary key, foreign keys and indexes


• Easy to jump...
  • ...to the descriptions for each table and column
  • ...back to the table and column definitions from the descriptions
  • ...to related tables (parents, children, etc.)
  • ...to columns in related tables (foreign key columns, etc.)


• Easy to trust...
  • ...the dictionary is generated from the database itself.


• Easy to update the table and column comments.



• The main audience is application programmers and power users.



• Architects and administrators may or may not find it helpful.



• Formatting of the descriptive text is under user control.



• Links to external documentation may be embedded within descriptions.



• Cooperates with design tools like PowerDesigner and ERwin but not dependent on them.



• Supports some DBMS-specific features, but it's a documentation rather than design tool.

Some Technical Decisions

• HTML is used rather than Windows Help or a proprietary format.



• Static HTML files are generated for speed and archiving of old dictionaries.



• The dictionary is generated from the actual database, not a design tool.



• Descriptions are stored for each table and each column:
  • COMMENT ON commands for SQL Anywhere 5.5
  • ZCOMS table provided for Adaptive Server Enterprise 11.5


• 3-frame design:
  • Table of Contents jump list
  • CREATE TABLE commands
  • Descriptions of the tables and columns


• Inter- and intra-frame links displayed differently:
  • Inter-frame links shown in normal font
  • Intra-frame links shown in italics


• HTML formatting and link tags may be embedded within descriptions.



• Options available:
  • Generate separate HTML pages for faster loading with very large designs.
  • Generate single HTML pages for faster navigation with smaller designs.
  • Load descriptions from an external source.

For more information about Alpha and Beta testing, send me an email or find me at the Powersoft Conference in Los Angeles from August 9 to 13, 1998.