An entity relationship diagram, ER Diagram, or ERD, is a visual model of your database schema. It shows your tables as boxes, with connecting lines representing the relationships between them. It's a great way to design a new relational database or make sense of and/or modify an existing one.
LucidChart is "the visual workspace for remote teams". It's an incredibly flexible tool, enabling you to model diagrams from scratch using templates, symbols, and notations. You can also import your own database to streamline ERD creation. LucidChart has plenty of collaboration options so you can work on the diagram with your teammates collectively (with features like sticky notes, comments, and mentions).
Er Model Tool
Creately is a tool for drawing diagram, flowcharts, and mindmaps. It has an impressive shape library, complete with smart connectors and preset "handpicked" color palettes and styles, enabling you to build even complicated diagrams. You can also start from a template (see the screenshot above). Collaborating on the same document with teammates is possible and you can also share a read-only version for review. When teammates make updates, you'll receive real-time updates - nice!
ERDPlus is a web-based database modeling tool. You build your diagram by adding shapes and connecting lines, and can then export the generated SQL. ERDPLus has a somewhat dated design, but is held in high regard in the industry.
A simple, well-designed tool to manually build your diagram or import from an existing database. They have a template gallery with over 200 diagrams to choose from. You can annotate tables and columns and also share a read-only version in 'presentation mode' - - super useful for explaining things to your teammates and other stakeholders.
ER Draw Max is a multi-purpose graphics tool that lets you create all sorts of diagrams, including ER Diagrams. It comes with an out of the box option dedicated to Entity Relationship Diagrams (i.e. database diagrams).
First on the list is GitMind. This is an online mindmapping and ER diagram tool that you can use for free. What makes this tool so great, is the extensive amount of shapes and elements it provides in its library. These shapes are useful when making all kinds of diagrams like ER diagrams. Furthermore, this ER diagram tool can keep your diagrams private or share it with anyone and secure it with a password in case the diagram contains confidential content.
Visual Paradigm is also a good option for users who are looking for free ER modeling creator. With it, you can access hundreds of templates including ERDs allowing you to instantly create a structure of your database. In addition, you can create as many diagrams are required without even bothering about expiration. On top of that, exporting diagrams to images with no watermark could be done through this ER diagram maker.
Next on the list is Draw.io. This is a web-based tool that allows you to create entity relationship diagrams without registration required. At first, the tool asks the user to specify the location where to save the diagrams. You may keep your files on Google Drive, Dropbox, or on your computer hard drive. Another key thing to remember about this free ER diagram tool is that you can choose your preferred language when using the tool. Over and above, you may continue editing diagrams to integrated productivity programs like Jira and Confluence.
Create professional ER diagrams with SqlDBM. This tool is an ER diagramming tool that works on popular web browsers allowing you to create diagrams anytime, anywhere. One of the highlights of this program is it provides version history allowing you to compare your revisions and identify discrepancies like nullability, data type, and defaults. Besides, this ER diagram tool grants access to dark and light themes as well as viewing modes that suit different purposes like presentation.
DBDiagram.io is yet another great tool to create ERDs. Unlike the above solutions, this tool produces diagrams by writing codes. In other words, this is favorable for users who enjoy editing using your keyboard. Furthermore, this free ER diagram tool allows you to export diagrams to Image or PDF file and share it in just a click for your convenience. Also, this ER diagram maker gives you the capability to upload your database schema like Django and other web frameworks when updating the database.
If you prefer to use a keyboard to laser-focus when making ER diagrams, then QuickDB is your go-to program. Not only that, but you can also share your diagrams online to work collaboratively and produce a quality database structure. This ER diagram tool also supports importing schema from MySQL, Oracle, and SQL Server allowing you to generate ERD fast and easy.
Creately is a great option if you are looking for an ER diagram tool that lets you do more than just one type of diagram. The tool provides a lot of editing options which are useful for creating various charts and diagrams. As a matter of fact, making an ERD is really simple using this tool since all you need is to drag and drop the elements and arrange them according to your purpose. It also supports online collaboration which lets multiple users work on a single diagram simultaneously.
Last tool on the list is ERDPlus. This is a free application that you can access online. The tool is dedicated to creating ER diagrams which means that all options and elements in it serves only one purpose. As an ER diagram tool, we can say that ERDPlus is a decent one because it is free. Add that to the fact that it is really easy to use, compared with other tools that have confusing interface. Over all, we can say that it is a great alternative for paid tools, especially if you are just a casual user.
These are some of the best and free ER diagram tools to get the job sorted. The first six programs allow you to draw ERD through GUI. In other words, you can sketch ERD using the drag-and-drop interface. On that note, if you prefer to create ERD without leaving your keyboard, the latter solutions are the right fit.
One of the key advantages of using Lucidchart is its extensive list of integrations, which makes ERD sharing a breeze. So, if your main requirement for an ER Model tool is to provide a foundation for discussion, this software is a good choice. It integrates with cloud file storage systems like Dropbox as well as team collaboration systems like Slack.
Visual Paradigm provides you access to hundreds of templates, including ERDs, that can help you quickly create a database structure. Furthermore, you can create as many diagrams as you need without worrying about expiration. This ER Modeling tool allows you to export diagrams to images without a watermark. Visual Paradigm houses a drag-and-drop user interface that allows for seamless ERD creation. The monthly subscription fee for Visual Paradigm starts at $6. Users and teams who want to buy the software outright can do so for as low as $99 for a single user.
Dbdiagram.io is one of the most popular web-based ER Model tools that specializes in ERD creation and distribution. It consists of a Main panel with a design canvas and a Side panel with a coding interface. You can simply create ERDs by commanding objects in the code panel and dragging elements around on the canvas. The user interface and design are noticeably better than those of many other tools.
Users can create ERDs solely with the keyboard, without the use of a mouse. The user interface is simple and intuitive, which is generally appealing to developers and analysts. You can easily share the ERDs created using Dbdiagram.io. This tool is also capable of generating SQL scripts for object creation on demand, which can be simply executed in a database to set up the schema.
However, keep in mind that Dbdiagram.io is a specialised small tool designed solely for ER diagrams and not for other types of diagrams. The basic plan is free, but Dbdiagram.io Pro costs $9 per month if you want to use additional paid features.
Next on this list is Dataedo. It is an on-premise Data Catalog and Metadata Management tool that can help you create ERDs in a seamless fashion. When the Dataedo service reads a database, it interprets tables as entities, columns as attributes, and constraints/indices as relationships. This is a Reverse Engineering strategy that provides you with a clear image of the layout of a database schema, which is extremely useful if you are taking over a poorly managed database.
Navicat Data Modeler is one of the most affordable ER Model tools that assist in the creation of high-quality conceptual, logical, and physical data models. It enables you to visually design database structures, reverse/forward engineer them, import models from ODBC data sources, generate complex SQL/DDL commands, print models to files, and much more. It makes it easier to create complex Entity-Relationship models and generate script SQL with a single click. Navicat Data Modeler is compatible with a wide range of database systems, including MySQL, MariaDB, Oracle, SQL Server, PostgreSQL, and SQLite.
ERDPlus is one of the most efficient ER Model tools that can be used to create Entity Relationship Diagrams, Relational Schema, Star Schema, and SQL DDL statements. It allows you to draw standard ERD components. The notation supports drawing regular and weak entities, various types of attributes (regular, unique, multi-valued, derived, composite, and optional), and all possible cardinality constraints of relationships (mandatory-many, optional-many, mandatory-one, and optional-one).
This article provided you with some deep insights into Data Modeling and ER Model tools. You also learned some of the best ER model tools that you can use. Just make sure to look over the features as well as the available pricing options because this will help to simplify the process even more. It is preferable if you do not struggle with things at the last minute and instead use the ones that best suit your needs. In case you want to export data from a source of your choice into your desired Database/destination then Hevo Data is the right choice for you! 2ff7e9595c
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