If describing your databases to your end users is your primary goal Ooluk Data Dictionary Manager can prove useful. It is a web-based multi-user software that allows you to attach descriptions to tables and columns and allows full text searches on those descriptions. It also allows you to logically group tables using labels and browse tables using those labels. Tables as well as columns can be tagged to find similar data items across your database/databases.
The software allows you to import metadata information such as table name, column name, column data type, foreign keys into its internal repository using an API. Support for JDBC data sources comes built-in and can be extended further as the API source is distributed under ASL 2.0. It is coded to read the COMMENTS/REMARKS from many RDBMSs.You can always manually override the imported information. The information you can store about tables and columns can be extended using custom fields.
The Data Dictionary Manager uses the "data object" and "attribute" terminology instead of table and column because it isn't designed specifically for relational databases.
Notes
- If describing technical aspects of your database such as triggers,
indexes, statistics is important this software isn't the best option.
It is however possible to combine a technical solution with this
software using hyperlink custom fields.
- The software doesn't produce an ERD
Disclosure: I work at the company that develops this product.
