TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Wendy Phillips wrote:
For purposes of designing software, however, a developer would
probably want to use a Computer Aided Engineering (CASE) tool that helps
him/her create Entity Relationship Diagrams (ERDs). (An ERD is a type
of flowchart that specifies the relationships between entities,
attributes, and relationships in a software/business system.) A couple
examples of CASE tools are Oracle's Developer 2000 (non-object oriented)
and Rational Rose (object-oriented). I haven't used any CASE tools
personally (yet) so I'm afraid I can't offer a recommendation on which
is best for what. Are they any Techwhirlers on the list who can make a
recommendation?
One other tool that does ERD diagrams you might what to look at is SELECT
SE. I can't make an honest recommendation as I work for SELECT, but if
anyone is interested I can put them in touch with the appropriate people
(and send them some of it's excellent documenation <grin>)
Chris Betterton
chrisb -at- selectst -dot- com
Technical Author
SELECT Software Tools
London