From: forbrich@yahoo.net   
      
   mACKnIFE wrote:   
   >   
   > Hi list!   
   >   
   > I've just finished reading the nice book: "Data Modeling and   
   > Relational Database Design Volume 1 - Student Guide", by Jan   
   > Speelpenning, Patrice Daux and Jeff Gallus, published by Oracle   
   > University. I really like the way they do their drawings for their   
   > conceptual models (see below for the features of Oracle's book's   
   > conceptual models). In fact, it's a notation that could apply to any   
   > RDBMS and that'S what I'd like to do. But I searched, and searched,   
   > and searched but found no software doing exactly it. I found many   
   > variations of it but not the plain and simple one we can find in that   
   > book.   
   >   
   > Is there anybody of you that found drawing softwares actually able to   
   > to do this specific kind of notation? I've looked at Visio, SmartDraw,   
   > DBDesigner, Visible Analyst, ERWin, Database Design Studio (DDS),   
   > dbViz, XCase with no success. None of 'em seems to have a function for   
   > that specific purpose.   
   >   
   > Any help would be greatly apreciated.   
   >   
   > Thank you!!   
   >   
   > mACHnIFE   
   >   
   > Nice features of the models in the book:   
   > Crowsfoot (or tripod) illustrating the many end of a relationship;   
   > -The part of a relashionship that is mandatory drawn as a solid line;   
   > -The part that is optional drawn as a dotted line;   
   > -The verb (ie: "has/held by", "split into/part of", etc) on the each   
   > of the relationships;   
   > -Diamond across a relationship line to represent nontransferability;   
   > -Subtype, represented as an entity within the boundary of another   
   > entity;   
   > -Unique identifier, represented as # in front of an attribute or as a   
   > bar across a relationship line;   
   > -Arcs across two or more relationship lines indicating that any   
   > instance of an entity can have only one valid relationship of the   
   > relationships in the arc at any one time.   
   > -Attributes: * for Mandatory; o for optional;(# for unique identifyer)   
      
      
      
   Have you checked Oracle's CASE  tool (Designer) which is part of the   
   Developer Suite?   
      
   This stuff sounds familiar.  If I understood your description, this   
   model 'style' has been around since the mid '80s. If so, Oracle Designer   
   has been doing this since 1988 or earlier!   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)