Database design tools make it easy to design database schema, define table structure, specify relationships and constraints. They also provide a graphical view of your database to allow you to easily understand your data. Here are the top 5 free database design tools that you can try for database development.
Top 5 Free Database Design Tools
Here are the top 5 free database design tools to help you with website/database development.
1. DbSchema
DbSchema is a popular free database diagram designer that allows you to not only create database schema diagrams, UML, entity-relationships and network diagrams.
It provides a drag & drop interface that allows you to quickly create database schema using pre-built blocks.
DBSchema supports MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, Oracle, SQL Lite. It allows you to design databases with up to 10,000 tables. It allows you to save schema diagrams as XML that can be used from other workstations, or as GIT files that others can modify and commit back in GIT.
It even generates migration scripts to help you compare databases and make changes quickly.
2. DB Designer
DB Designer is a free database schema designer and modeling tool that allows you to visually design your database, tables, and columns, and automatically generates SQL queries that you can run to actually create/modify your database.
DB Designer supports MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, Oracle, SQL Lite. You can create a UML diagram from scratch, or import your database. It even allows you to collaborate with multiple team members.
DB Designer provides various types of layouts, and customizations to help you design database schema diagram as per your requirement. It also allows you to export database schema as PNG, PDF, JPG and XML.
3. SQL Database Modeler
SQL Database Modeler is a feature-rich database schema designer and modeler that allows you to easily design database schema using a web browser.
It provides a drag & drop UI to help you create tables, columns, constraints, relationships, database keys, and indexes.
SQL Database Modeler allows you to import existing database and create schema, or build one from scratch. However, it supports only MySQL and MS SQL at this point.
One good thing about SQL database modeler is that it supports version history, allowing you to track changes and revert mistakes easily.
4. Draw.io
Draw.io is a useful diagramming tool that allows you to easily design database schema diagrams, process flows, UML, entity-relationship diagrams, network diagrams, and even organization chart using drag & drop interface.
You can easily store these diagrams in cloud storage services such as Dropbox, GDrive and One Drive. It is an easy to use and free diagramming tool.
However, it will not automatically create SQL statements based on your database schema diagram. As a result, it is quite light-weight, easy to install and use.
5. Creately
Creately is also a feature-rich diagram tool that allows you to easily create various types of diagrams such as flowcharts, process diagrams, network diagrams, as well as database schema designs.
It has a template library that allows you to easily design different types of diagrams as per your requirement.
Like draw.io, creately also does not support automated SQL generation.
Conclusion
All the above tools make it easy to design database schema using drag & drop interface. However, if you also want to automatically generate SQL statements to execute your schema, go for DB designer or DB Schema. If you only want to create database diagrams and nothing else, then try draw.io, creately or lucidchart.
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