Visio database

[JayKon]

I don't know if this is the right group or not, so please direct me if I'm
wrong.

I have reverse engineered a database (with very few PK/FK's) into Visio and
am facing multiple usability issues. If someone has written a set of
instructions usable by experienced ER/win user, I would be most grateful.

First, I would like to do a two-page view as I move tables from the "lump"
created by the reverse engineer to something I can print and distribute. All
I can do is open two windows.

When I do copy/cut-paste it is changing the table name from "Table" to
"Table1". Very annoying!

Sometimes when I select multiple tables, the links go away on the paste. I
don't think always, but defiantly sometimes.

The initial diagram has about 122 tables on one page; sometimes a copy will
change the size of the table to something larger than the new page.

Thanks,
Jay

 

[Barb Way]

For general guidance on the use of the DB Modeling solution, there's a good
set of assistance topics on the Office Online site here :
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/visio/CH100648911033.aspx

The key concept that will help you to understand how to manipulate DB model
drawings is this: The drawing is a visualization of the objects. The
objects are presented to you in the Tables and Views window. If that
window is not visible, you can open it from the Database menu by selecting
View > Tables and Views.

With this window open, you can start your new page, and drop an instance of
your existing objects onto the new page from the Tables and Views window.
This preserves the identity of the objects. By contrast, when you copy a
table using the standard Edit > Copy (or Ctrl-C) function, this creates a
*new* object, which is why the name is shown as Table1. It is not related
to the original object - it is a completely new object in the model, which
you probably do not want.

In your case - since all of the objects are presented on Page 1 after
performing the Reverse Engineer, you would generally follow these steps:
1. Delete the table objects from the drawing page (but NOT from the model)
on page 1.
This should also remove the Relationships which connected the
affected tables to the objects still on the page (and to each other).
2. Create a new drawing page, and highlight the objects in the Tables and
Views window that you want to place on the new page.
You can use standard Windows conventions : Shift-Click highlights
all items from previous selected, which Ctrl-Click adds to the existing
selection.
3. Once all of the items you want are highlighted, drag out the selection
to the drawing page and release.
This will place the objects, and automatically add Relationship
connectors between objects as appropriate.

At no time should your existing objects be removed from the Tables and
Views window. If you are prompted to "Remove selected item from underlying
Model" when deleting objects, select NO to remove the shape from the page,
but leave the object in your model. (You may want to check the options
under Database > Options > Modeling to ensure that the setting "Ask user
what to do" is selected.)

Also - if you drop one table on a page, and later drop another table which
has a defined relationship to the existing item, you should see the
Relationship connector added as well. But you can also right-click on a
Table shape, and select "Show Related Tables" to force the display of
relationships - as long as the related tables are present on the page. (No
relationships between tables on two different pages can be created)

Hope that helps!


Barb Way
Product Support - Visio
Microsoft Corporation
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.