Generating and viewing documentation

This worked example demonstrates how to generate database documentation for a schema in an Oracle database.

The example has six steps:

1. Setting up the example schema
2. Setting up the documention project
3. Viewing the schema objects
4. Selecting the schemas and objects to document
5. Generating the documentation
6. Viewing the documentation

1. Setting up the example schema

The worked example uses the WIDGETDEV schema. To create the schema on your Oracle server:

1. Click here to view the SQL creation script for the schema.
2. Copy this script, paste it into your SQL editor, and run it on any database you choose.

   The schema is created.

2. Setting up the documentation project

1. If you have not yet started Schema Doc for Oracle, select it from your Start menu; if it is already running, click New Project to open the Project Configuration dialog box.
2. On the Connection tab, enter connection details for the database on which you set up the WIDGETDEV schema.
3. in the User name box, type WIDGETDEV, and in the Password box, type password.

   In this example we set up the schema on the DEVELOPMENT database:

   

4. Under Schemas, click Refresh list, and select the schema you want to document from the list.

   In this example we will document the WIDGETDEV schema:

   

5. Click OK.

3. Viewing the schema objects

To view the objects in the WIDGETDEV schema, click to expand the schema.

Click an object to see a preview the documentation for that object.

For example, if you click the WIDGETPRICES table, the preview pane displays the table's properties, column details, and its SQL creation script:

4. Selecting the schemas and objects to document

To include objects in the documentation, you select the objects using the check boxes.

In this example, we will select all the tables and the PRCACTIVATEPRICES stored procedure.

1. Select the Tables check box; all the tables in the database are selected.
2. Under Procedures, select the check box for the PRCACTIVATEPRICES procedure.

   

5. Generating the documentation

Now that we have selected the objects we want to document, we can generate the documentation:

1. Click Generate Documentation.

   

2. On the Generate Documentation dialog box, in the Save in box, specify the location where you want Schema Doc for Oracle to create the documentation.
3. Select an Output style. For this example, we will generate a HTML web page.
4. Select the Open documentation on completion check box.
5. Click Generate Documentation to start generating the documentation.
6. Click OK to close the message box.
7. Click Save Project on the Schema Doc for Oracle toolbar to save the project. The project configuration, object-selection, and generation settings are stored so they are available next time you open the project.

6. Viewing the documentation

Schema Doc for Oracle opens the database documentation in your default web browser:

If JavaScript is not enabled by your web browser, a message is displayed to inform you that you cannot use the navigation on the left of the window.