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Enhanced E-R Diagram

Enhanced ER Diagram is a relational visualization tool based on the logical layer of databases. It constructs and presents the logical associations between various data tables and their fields within the library by analyzing physical foreign keys, metadata matching, and other information sources, helping users to more intuitively understand the structure and dependency relationships of databases.

Background Information​

In the process of database management, traditional ER diagrams only show physical foreign key relationships and cannot fully cover the actual business logic relationships. NineData's Logical ER Diagram supplements potential dependencies beyond physical foreign keys through intelligent identification, metadata analysis, and manual correction, thus providing a more complete and business logic-proximate relationship view.

Usage Scenarios​

  • Understanding the structure of complex databases: When there are many database tables with complex structures, quickly grasp the logical relationships between data objects through the Logical ER Diagram.

  • Business system transformation and migration: When upgrading systems or migrating across platforms, the Logical ER Diagram helps analyze data dependency chains to reduce omissions and errors.

  • Data quality and lineage management: Used to identify field dependency relationships, track data sources, and support metadata governance and quality improvement.

Precautions​

  • Currently, only MySQL data sources are supported.

  • When the number of database tables is large (e.g., 1000 tables), the initial construction of the Logical ER Diagram may take a long time.

  • The sources of logical relationships include automatic identification and manual correction, which need to be verified in combination with actual business.

  • Only the libraries and tables authorized under the current data source are displayed to avoid unauthorized access.

Operation Steps​

  1. Open the MySQL data source in the SQL Console.

  2. Click on the er icon. If no target database is selected in the SQL Console, a database selection window will pop up. Select the database you need to view the Logical ER Diagram, and then click on .

  3. On the page, choose whether to upload an SQL file containing business association queries. If you need to upload, please upload the file and click on . The system will automatically parse the multi-table relationships inside to improve the accuracy of model construction. If no upload is needed, please directly click on .

  4. When entering the Logical ER Diagram for the first time, the system will perform relationship mining. After waiting for a moment and refreshing the page, you can view the Logical ER Diagram.

    tip

    The construction time depends on the number of tables in the current library and the complexity of relationships, please wait patiently.

  5. Operate according to the following table.

    Functional Module
    		Operation Description
    Canvas Operation
    • Zoom Canvas: Hover the mouse over the blank area of the canvas, and use the mouse wheel to zoom in or out. You can also click on the zoomin Zoom In, zoomout Zoom Out, autofit Auto Fit icons in the upper left corner of the page to zoom the canvas.
    • Drag Canvas: Click and hold the blank area of the canvas to drag the canvas.
    • Full Screen Display: The Logical ER Diagram interface is displayed in full screen by default. Click on the in the upper right corner of the page to switch the Logical ER Diagram interface to drawer mode display.
    Search and Highlight LocationEnter the table name in the search box in the upper left corner of the Logical ER Diagram interface to search for the target table. The searched table name will be highlighted, and fuzzy search is also supported.
    View Table and Field Details
    • Mouse hover over the table object: Display table name and comments.
    • Mouse hover over the field object: Display field name, comments, type, length, default value, and non-null attribute.
    Table ModeClick on the table_mode icon in the upper right corner to switch to table mode. Table mode displays field dependencies in the form of a table. In table mode, you can correct or remove field dependencies.
    • View Data Dependencies: Default to display fields with dependencies, you can click on to switch to all fields.
    • Search Dependency Relationships: Enter the table or field name in , , , , and then click on for quick search. Fuzzy matching and exact matching (select Exact Match) are supported.
    RebuildClick on the in the upper left corner of the page to reconstruct the logical relationships of the entire target library. During the reconstruction process, the current progress will be displayed in percentage form in the upper left corner of the page. Click on to cancel the current reconstruction and close the Logical ER Diagram window.