xml-dev - Re: SQL Schema to XML Schema generator [any out there?]

[tpassin@home.com]

Len Bullard wrote -

> How would it get foreign key information?  While
> one does declare primary keys, foreign keys aren't
> declared AFAICT in many schema design tools.  One
> does usually find a description field and if the
> designer does a professional job, they may include
> the role of the field value in the overall design,
> eg, a key to a table named nnnnn.

What can I say? ERWin gets the schema, including foreign keys, from the
database, using ODBC.  At least, it can do it for the databases I use the
most.  Of course, if the database doesn't really use foreign keys, like
xBase, you're out of luck, that's true.

> In any event, how far do people propose a schema
> generator can get reverse engineering out of an
> instance?  It appears to me that critical information
> is missing, so while it is an excellent place to
> start, I think one still has to tighten up afterwards.
> That makes me think that an ideal toolkit provides
> both a means to reverse engineer, then an editor for
> cleanup and restructuring.  BTW, I'm not looking
> for ads here because I can find the tools, just noting
> some generic features I think one should consider
> when making recommendations to companies or individuals
> who want to build up their kits.
>
Yup, reverse engineering can only go so far.  It can even be misleading.  In
large part this is because you have to guess at the intentions and models
behind the design or instance.

Cheers,

Tom Passin



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