Generate documentation for SQL Server database in 5 minutes

This tutorial will teach you how to quickly generate documentation for your SQL Server database with Dataedo tool. It will create and export to PDF or HTML a Data Dictionary of your database.

What you get

Here's a summary of what you can gain using Dataedo to generate documentation of your databases:

  1. Quickly (in minutes) generate documenation of SQL Server, MySQL, Oracle, etc. databases
  2. Share in interactive HTML pages
  3. Include multiple databases in one document

1. Prepare

First you need to download and install Dataedo on your computer.

Get Dataedo for free

2. Create file repository


Welcome form

Next, double click the In a file option.

Welcome form

Choose a location and a file name and click Save.

New file - location and filename


Dataedo editor

3. Connect to your database

Now it is time to connect to your SQL Server database and import schema. On the ribbon click Add documentation and Database connection.

Add documentation button

Now you need to provide connection details. First, choose "SQL Server" from DBMS dropdown, then fill the following details:

  1. Host - name or IP of your host/server
  2. Authentication - choose Windows Authentication if you are logging in as Windows or domain user credentials, choose SQL Server Authentication to log in using SQL Server user credentials
  3. User - username (only for SQL Server Authentication)
  4. Password - password (only for SQL Server Authentication)

Click Connect when ready.

Connection to SQL Server

Here is a comparison with connection details in SQL Server Management Studio.

Connection to SQL Server

Dataedo lists objects found in the database. Click Next.


4. Documentation overview


  1. Table and column descriptions imported from extended properties (MS_Description property set by SSMS).
  2. Table and column relationships (foreign keys)
  3. Table triggers
  4. Object dependencies

5. Export to PDF






Download a sample PDF

6. Export to HTML


Choose HTML in Export documentation option and choose the right template:


This is how HTML export looks like:

See sample HTML
