Documenting SQL Server 2000 Databases

The power of TechWriter comes from its ability to leverage information from your database. In this topic we will show you how to document SQL Server 2000 Databases using SQL Server Enterprise Manager to include comments directly within the database itself. Comments can include simple text descriptions or richly formatted content depending on the comment model you wish to use.

Documenting Tables

To create table comments in a SQL Server database, open the database using SQL Server Enterprise Manager, right click on the table and select 'Design Table' from the pop-up menu, and finally, click on the 'Table and Index Properties' button on the main toolbar. This will display a dialog similar to the following:

Table Properties

Creating table comments is as simple as entering text in the description box.

To document columns in a SQL Server database, open the database using SQL Server Enterprise Manager, right click on the table and select 'Design Table' from the pop-up menu. This will display a dialog similar to the following:

Table Design

Documenting your columns is as simple as selecting the column and entering text in the description box.

Documenting Views

To create view comments in a SQL Server database, open the database using SQL Server Enterprise Manager, right click on the table and select 'Design View' from the pop-up menu, and finally, click on the 'Properties' button on the main toolbar. This will display a dialog similar to the following:

View Properties

Creating view comments is as simple as entering text in the SQL Comment box.

Documenting View Columns

TechWriter will automatically use the description for the underlying table column as a description provided the view column is not a computed column. However, SQL Server Enterprise Manager does not provide a mechanism for creating a comment for computed view columns. To workaround this limitation, TechWriter supports the use of comment tags for documenting columns within the view comments. In order to use comment tags, you must select the proper comment model for your database from the Database Settings dialog that is displayed when you add or edit a database for the project.

Documenting Other Database Objects

SQL Server Enterprise Manager does not currently provide a method for documenting the following database objects:

Indexes
Foreign Key Relationships
Check Constraints
Functions
Stored Procedures
Databases

If you have SQL Server Management Studio 2005 or later, see the topic Documenting SQL Server 2005 and 2008 Databases for how to document these database objects. Otherwise, you will need to use TechWriter annotations to document these database objects.

Formatting Options

In some instances, you may want to format your descriptions with multiple paragraphs, lists, links and other formatting options that are available when using TechWriter's Annotation editor. While Enterprise Manager does not provide a WYSIWYG editor, you can still apply formatting to the text using the syntax defined by the comment model. TechWriter supports several different comment models, including HTML, that can be used within Enterprise Manager to format your descriptions. See Supported Comment Models for more information.