[ciapug] Database documentation

[Dave J. Hala Jr.]

I'm looking and I find a reference to an INFORMATION_SCHEMA db in Mysql
5. That db contains a table called "tables" that has a comment field
that describes each field.

I don't see this in  4.1.  However, there's nothing stoping me from 
creating something similiar, and then just doing a join with this table
when looking up the "schema"  However, custom code like that generally
gets me in trouble later on.

I'll have to kick the idea around some more.

:) Dave


On Thu, 2006-07-13 at 06:32, Carl Olsen wrote:
> I'm using MySQL 5.x and I see a comment field in the schema after each of
> the field information rows.  I've never used it, so I certainly don't know
> how to query it.  However, I do know you can access a schema just like a
> database table.  I've seen the code for it, but don't remember where I saw
> it.  I also see a comment field in Access, SQL Server, and PostgreSQL, so I
> imagine every database has one.  Since they all seem to have one, it must be
> something that gets used frequently.  I've just never spent a lot of time
> building database tables with code.  I usually do all of the database work
> with some kind of specialized database tool. 
> 
> Carl
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: ciapug-bounces at cialug.org [mailto:ciapug-bounces at cialug.org] On Behalf
> Of Dave J. Hala Jr.
> Sent: Thursday, July 13, 2006 6:08 AM
> To: PHP List
> Subject: [ciapug] Database documentation
> 
> I have a ton of data dictionaries and just general db documention all
> over the place. My clients go to a password proctected area on a website
> to look  for this information.
> 
> Its getting to be a real chore to  keep the info up to  date. Since I
> can query each table for its fields, I was wondering, is there some way
> to  store a field description with each field? If there was I could have
> a page that dynamically generates a field list and description and save
> myself a ton of time.
> 
> I'm using mysql 4.1.x
> 
> :) Dave
-- 

Open Source Information Systems, Inc. (OSIS)
Dave J. Hala Jr., President <dave at osis.us>
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