MySQL Workbench symbol reference

Question

I'm looking at a database diagram generated by MySQL Workbench (actually, DBDesigner4), but I'm not familiar with it so I couldn't figure out some of the symbols it uses for relationships and fields. Does anyone know a good legend?

Answer 1

According to Wikipedia, MySQL Workbench uses the Crows's Foot notation. These are (incomplete) references, but together they paint the whole picture:

• http://college.yukondude.com/2003_09_comp210/html/note-container.php?file=02^Handout^Crow~s_Foot_Entity-Relationship_Diagram_Notation.html (covers entities a little better);
• http://www.scribd.com/doc/464379/Crows-Foot-Notation-ER-Diagrams (better job at explaining cardinality notation);
• https://web.archive.org/web/20090724165001/http://www.gc.maricopa.edu/business/sylvester/cis164/er2b.htm (covers solid and dashed lines -- identifying and non-identifying relationships--, which are missing from the first two references).

Answer 2

I don't know DBDesigner4, but I'm sometimes using MySQL Workbench.

It allows you to do modelisations using UML diagrams ; so, I suppose the symbols are quite close to those generally used with UML.

Searching about UML might get you some helpful answers ; for instance, taking a look at those pages :

• Unified Modeling Language
• Entity-relationship model
• Class diagram

Those will probably not get you all the answers you seek ; but they will most likely at least answer some of them :-)

And reading those can only be good for you, considering you are using UML ;-)