What Are CASE and Data Modeling Tools?
The primary problem solved by CASE and data modeling tools is managing complexity. Most of the databases in this book are fairly simple. Even the more complex databases I’ve presented, such as the ones for kdAdds or Music, are fairly easy to grasp. Problems arise, however, when you have huge databases consisting of 30 or more tables that are related in a maze of complex links. If you’re wrestling with that kind of complexity, or if you’re considering taking on a project of that size, then you will find some kind of data modeling tool to be a necessity. Good tools of this kind will reverse-engineer a database and show you a diagram depicting the relationship between tables. An example of this kind of diagram, as drawn by SDesigner, is shown in Figure 18.1. While you’re studying this screen shot, understand that sometimes pictures shown in books look best when shot in 640×480 screen mode but that tools such as SDesigner were made to be run in much higher resolutions. If you increase the
