Frequently asked questions
Contact us with your questions
Why is Database Note Taker free?
It's our gift to developers who don't want to pay for a documentation tool but can still benefit from documentation. We're making the world a more documented place.
Is there any spyware in your installer or software?
Absolutely not. The only network connections made by DNT are to your databases as you specify.
Is Database Note Taker multi-user?
Database Note Taker is designed with a view that multiple developers will work on their own copies of same documentation file (using a concurrent version control system). So it records a history of who changed what, and supports each developer having unique database connection settings and user settings. If you have multiple developers and do not use a concurrent version control system then each developer will need to have the project file open at different times when making changes.
Can Database Note Taker work with source control systems?
Yes. You simply add your Database Note Taker project file to source control. The project file is text (XML) based and designed to be friendly for source control systems. Treat it like a source code file and if there are conflicts they can be manually resolved if necessary. Database Note Taker allows each object to be saved to a separate file, and if you choose this option you would add and commit those files separately to source control. This allows you to use your source control system to know who changed documentation and when.
Which Microsoft SQL Server versions can Database Note Taker connect to?
Sql Server 2005 - 2012
Can Database Note Taker connect to other database platforms?
Yes and we will add support for other platforms in the future. So long as it's a relational database and there are freely available connectors, then Database Note Taker will be able to work with it. Out of the box you can connect to Microsoft Sql Server, and MySql via ODBC.
Can I import my existing Sql Server Database notes stored in MS_Description extended properties?
Yes you can by choosing 'Load comments' from the 'Project' menu.
Can Database Note Taker connect to no-sql database platforms?
Not at this time. And let us know if you would like to see sopport for no-sql in the future.
How do multiple developers work with Database Note Taker projects?
In the same way you would work with source code files. Each developer has their own working copy of a Database Note Taker projectn file. Changes will be committed and merged by your source control system. The xml file format is version control friendly and so in the unlikely event of conflicts you can resolve those easily using your existing processes.
What is 'Markdown' and why are you using it?
You can write comments using the Markdown format, which is a readable plain text format which is easy to write, and is converted to HTML formatting in published documentation. For more information see the Markdown article on Wikipedia
Does Database Note Taker load relationships
No, and although this is a possible future enhancement, it is not the primary focus of this tool. There are plenty of tools which can analyse your
database and generate piles of documentation that describes everything in minute detail for you. That documentation gives you the same information you
can get yourself by opening the database in your varourite database management tool. Database Note Taker provides a way for you to capture your knowledge
about your own database, rather than showing you the details of the database schema. We would appreciate your feedback.
Can I document just a portion of a database?
You can include and/or exclude objects using regular expressions. This is useful if your database has objects with a common prefix or within the same schema.
Does Database Note Taker save it's documentation in the database being documented?
No. Some similar tools do store your annotations in the extended properties of the database and we don't feel this is the best place for your comments or detailed information. Database Note Taker stores documentation separately in a file that you can keep alongside with your source code.