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Posted by CH4:D on 03/01/06 04:10
Shawn Wilson wrote:
> I've got a fairly complex LAMP database and website that have grown,
> I'll say, "organically". That is, without much structure or initial
> planning. I'm finding it hard to keep all the different relationships
> straight as I continue to develop it. With that in mind I would like
> to document the project, but I don't have a lot of experience with
> documenting and charting, etc. (I vaguely remember flowcharts and
> Gantt diagrams from a brief programming course). I would also like
> to do this as a visual aid for potential investors.
>
> Could someone point me to a good resource for learning about this kind
> of thing? It's hard to separate the wheat from the chaff when
> googling. Also, can anyone recommend the types of documents I should
> be considering and any good programs for making them?
>
> Thanks,
> Shawn
Dude,
This may not be a practical approach but at least it gives you
something start with. I also do this kinda thing although that isn't my
job anyomre these days. I usually just put a description on each table
with the following things in its description: What it is, what data is
stored (fields) and how is it stored (data types). Since you grow your
database "organically" it would be a good idea to add to the
description which tables reference it as well. If you're using linker
or lookup table you can just describe the foreign keys there and where
it goes.
For diagramming, we use MS Visio or just Powerpoint will do. I suggest
you research on symbols with entity relationships on tables. There's a
standard set of symbols there. If your main purpose is merely for
presentation, then you can just draw lines and arrows pointing to the
table relationships since non-db folks won't care what these symbols
are. They just want to see how the whole thing fits in.
You don't need a good resource, it's just a matter of developing good
practices. Your people will appreciate it in time as you learn to
develop good documentation skills. It's not something you read but
learn through experience. ;)
Hope this helps.
CH4:D
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