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How to document Tables/Relationships for Tek-Tips

Tables and Relationships

How to document Tables/Relationships for Tek-Tips

by  MajP  Posted    (Edited  )
Often to get a good answer from Tek-Tips you need to explain your database structure. This can be time consuming. This code contains three procedures that can document all tables, all relations, and all queries.

1. Procedure "DocumentTables" will provide an output like this for all tables. Example:

Code:
Orders
   OrderID   dbLong  PrimaryKey  Indexed
   CustomerID   dbText  ForiegnKey  Indexed
   EmployeeID   dbLong  ForiegnKey  Indexed
   OrderDate   dbDate  Indexed
   RequiredDate   dbDate
   ShippedDate   dbDate  Indexed
   ShipVia   dbLong  ForiegnKey  Indexed
   Freight   dbCurrency
   ShipName   dbText
   ShipAddress   dbText
   ShipCity   dbText
   ShipRegion   dbText
   ShipPostalCode   dbText  Indexed
   ShipCountry   dbText

2. Procedure "DocumentRelations" will provide an output like this for all relationships. Example of a few relations to the Orders table.

Code:
Name: CustomersOrders
  Table: Customers
  Foreign Table: Orders
  PK: CustomerID   FK:CustomerID

Name: EmployeesOrders
  Table: Employees
  Foreign Table: Orders
  PK: EmployeeID   FK:EmployeeID

Name: OrdersOrder Details
  Table: Orders
  Foreign Table: Order Details
  PK: OrderID   FK:OrderID

Name: ProductsOrder Details
  Table: Products
  Foreign Table: Order Details
  PK: ProductID   FK:ProductID

Name: ShippersOrders
  Table: Shippers
  Foreign Table: Orders
  PK: ShipperID   FK:ShipVia

3. The procedure "DocumentQueries" provides an output like this for all queries

Code:
Sales Totals by Amount
   SaleAmount   dbCurrency
   OrderID   dbLong
   CompanyName   dbText
   ShippedDate   dbDate

SELECT DISTINCTROW [Order Subtotals].Subtotal AS SaleAmount, Orders.OrderID, Customers.CompanyName, Orders.ShippedDate
FROM Customers INNER JOIN (Orders INNER JOIN [Order Subtotals] ON Orders.OrderID = [Order Subtotals].OrderID) ON Customers.CustomerID = Orders.CustomerID
WHERE ((([Order Subtotals].Subtotal)>2500) AND ((Orders.ShippedDate) Between #1/1/95# And #12/31/95#));

4. Drop this code into a standard module and use as needed to document your tables. The code contains instructions for use.

Code:
'Module Name: Tek Tips Documenter
'Developed by: MajP
'Special Thanks: Skip Vought for help with query 'documentation
'
'Purpose: This Module provides some utilities to help document your database so you can
'better explain it to the Tek Tips community. Often to get help from Tek Tips you need
'to explain your tables, fields, and relationships. This can be time consuming.  These
'procedures simplify that process

'Procedures:
'1. DocumentTables: This procedure document all tables and field within each table. It lists
' the field type, primary keys, foreign keys, and indices.
'2. DocumentRelations: This procedure documents all relationships in the database and list the
' table, foreign table, primary keys, and foreign keys.

'How to use:
'1. Place this code in a STANDARD MODULE
'2. Run the procedures from the immediate window.
'3. Post the results in Tek Tips
'
'************************ Class Code Start ****************************************************



Option Compare Database
Option Explicit
Public Function fncDocumentTables() As String
  Dim strDocument As String
  Dim tblDef As DAO.TableDef
  Dim fld As DAO.Field
  Dim idx As DAO.Index
  For Each tblDef In CurrentDb.TableDefs
    If Not Left(tblDef.Name, 4) = "MSys" Then
      strDocument = strDocument & vbCrLf & tblDef.Name & vbCrLf
      For Each fld In tblDef.Fields
        strDocument = strDocument & "   " & fld.Name & "   " & fncFldTypeToString(fld.Type)
        If isPK(tblDef, fld.Name) Then
          strDocument = strDocument & "  PrimaryKey"
        End If
        If isFK(tblDef, fld.Name) Then
          strDocument = strDocument & "  ForiegnKey"
        End If
        If isIndex(tblDef, fld.Name) Then
          strDocument = strDocument & "  Indexed"
        End If
        If fld.Required Then
           strDocument = strDocument & "  Required"
        End If
        strDocument = strDocument & vbCrLf
      Next fld
     End If
  Next tblDef
  fncDocumentTables = strDocument
End Function



Public Function fncFldTypeToString(intFieldType As Integer) As String
  Select Case intFieldType
    Case 1
      fncFldTypeToString = "dbBoolean"
    Case 2
      fncFldTypeToString = "dbByte"
    Case 3
      fncFldTypeToString = "dbInteger"
    Case 4
      fncFldTypeToString = "dbLong"
    Case 5
       fncFldTypeToString = "dbCurrency"
    Case 6
      fncFldTypeToString = "dbSingle"
    Case 7
      fncFldTypeToString = "dbDouble"
    Case 8
      fncFldTypeToString = "dbDate"
    Case 9
      fncFldTypeToString = "dbBinary"
    Case 10
      fncFldTypeToString = "dbText"
    Case 11
      fncFldTypeToString = "dbLongBinary"
    Case 12
      fncFldTypeToString = "dbMemo"
    Case 13
      fncFldTypeToString = "Text"
    Case 14
      fncFldTypeToString = "Text"
    Case 15
      fncFldTypeToString = "dbGUID"
    Case 16
      fncFldTypeToString = "dbBigInt"
    Case 17
      fncFldTypeToString = "dbVarBinary"
    Case 18
      fncFldTypeToString = "dbChar"
    Case 19
      fncFldTypeToString = "dbNumeric"
    Case 20
      fncFldTypeToString = "dbDecimal"
    Case 21
      fncFldTypeToString = "dbFloat"
    Case 22
      fncFldTypeToString = "dbTime"
    Case 23
      fncFldTypeToString = "dbTimeStamp"
  End Select
End Function

Public Function isPK(tblDef As DAO.TableDef, strField As String) As Boolean
  Dim idx As DAO.Index
  Dim fld As DAO.Field
  For Each idx In tblDef.Indexes
    If idx.Primary Then
      For Each fld In idx.Fields
        If strField = fld.Name Then
          isPK = True
          Exit Function
        End If
      Next fld
    End If
  Next idx
End Function

Public Function isIndex(tblDef As DAO.TableDef, strField As String) As Boolean
  Dim idx As DAO.Index
  Dim fld As DAO.Field
  For Each idx In tblDef.Indexes
     For Each fld In idx.Fields
        If strField = fld.Name Then
          isIndex = True
          Exit Function
         End If
      Next fld
  Next idx
End Function

Public Function isFK(tblDef As DAO.TableDef, strField As String) As Boolean
  Dim idx As DAO.Index
  Dim fld As DAO.Field
  For Each idx In tblDef.Indexes
    If idx.Foreign Then
      For Each fld In idx.Fields
        If strField = fld.Name Then
          isFK = True
          Exit Function
        End If
      Next fld
    End If
  Next idx
End Function


Public Function fncDocumentRelations() As String
  Dim strDocument As String
  Dim rel As DAO.Relation
  Dim fld As DAO.Field
  Dim idx As DAO.Index
  Dim prop As DAO.Property
  For Each rel In CurrentDb.Relations
      strDocument = strDocument & vbCrLf & "Name: " & rel.Name & vbCrLf
      strDocument = strDocument & "  " & "Table: " & rel.Table & vbCrLf
      strDocument = strDocument & "  " & "Foreign Table: " & rel.ForeignTable & vbCrLf
      For Each fld In rel.Fields
        strDocument = strDocument & "  PK: " & fld.Name & "   FK:" & fld.ForeignName
        strDocument = strDocument & vbCrLf
      Next fld
  Next rel
  fncDocumentRelations = strDocument
  
End Function

Public Function fncDocumentQueries() As String
  Dim strDocument As String
  Dim qryDef As DAO.QueryDef
  Dim fld As DAO.Field
  Dim idx As DAO.Index
  For Each qryDef In CurrentDb.QueryDefs
    If Not (Left(qryDef.Name, 4) = "MSys" Or Left(qryDef.Name, 4) = "~sq_") Then
      strDocument = strDocument & vbCrLf & qryDef.Name & vbCrLf
      For Each fld In qryDef.Fields
        strDocument = strDocument & "   " & fld.Name & "   " & fncFldTypeToString(fld.Type)
        strDocument = strDocument & vbCrLf
      Next fld
        strDocument = strDocument & qryDef.SQL & vbCrLf
     End If
  Next qryDef
  fncDocumentQueries = strDocument
End Function

Public Sub DocumentTables()
  Debug.Print fncDocumentTables
End Sub

Public Sub DocumentRelations()
  Debug.Print fncDocumentRelations
End Sub

Public Sub DocumentQueries()
  Debug.Print fncDocumentQueries
End Sub
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