BruceM
BruceM

Reputation: 1719

Graphical utility for defining a relational database structure for Java

I am using eclipse to develop a java ee web app with Hibernate to provide persistence and an SQL-type interface. Are there any recommended tools for drawing up the relational database model graphically, that can then go on to generate the necessary classes and entities etc for it? Something like the core data tools in Xcode...

Upvotes: 1

Views: 456

Answers (1)

atrain
atrain

Reputation: 9255

There are open source tools, but they are scattershot at best, and the commercial ones can be quite pricey.

I've actually never needed one, except for documentation. Work out the entity relationships in some other fashion (I've used Visio, for instance) and then start setting up your Java code. I've architected systems with dozens of tables with all kinds of relationships, and was never hindered by the fact that I didn't have a GUI tool.

To be honest, some of these tools lock you in, and additionally, you can end up wrestling with their restrictions and quirks as much as with your real work.

One last point: if you need to produce documentation of the DB model, you can use SchemaSpy to generate diagrams of your DB.

Upvotes: 1

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