ER Diagram Tool: Draw Database Diagrams from Any Schema

ER Diagram Tool
for Database Schema Diagrams

DbSchema draws the tables of a database and the relationships between them as an interactive ER diagram. Connect to a database you already run and DbSchema reverse-engineers it into a diagram, or start on an empty canvas and design the schema first.

Runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, over 100 SQL and NoSQL databases. The free Community edition draws diagrams with no table limit and no expiry.

Many Diagrams, One Schema

A DbSchema project holds as many diagrams as you need over the same schema definition, each with its own layout and its own visible tables. A database with 400 tables becomes one diagram per subsystem rather than one unreadable sheet.

Auto Arrange

After reverse engineering a large schema the tables overlap. Select them and choose Diagram, then Auto Arrange, and DbSchema lays them out with a graph algorithm. Snap guides handle the tables you want to place yourself.

Grouping Tables

Cluster related tables into a named, colored group and move it as a unit. Right-click the canvas and choose New Group, or select the tables first and create the group from the selection.

Crow-Foot, Barker or Simple

Foreign key lines carry the cardinality, and the notation is switchable from the Diagram menu: Default draws crow-foot symbols, Barker draws classic Barker notation, and Simple draws plain lines.

Virtual Foreign Keys

Where the database declares no foreign key, or where you want to link views, add a virtual foreign key that lives in the project file alone. It draws and behaves like a real relationship without changing the database.

Browse Data from the Diagram

Hold Shift and Ctrl, click a table header, and the Relational Data Editor opens inline so you can read rows without leaving the diagram. Filtering, sorting and editing happen in place. Included in DbSchema Pro.

Export the Diagram

Share the diagram from the File menu, then Export: as an image, as vector-quality PDF, as interactive HTML5 with searchable tables and column tooltips, or as Markdown for a documentation site. Included in DbSchema Pro.

Show Column Types

The diagram shows column names and primary key markers by default. Open the Diagram menu and enable Show Column Types to put the data types beside each column.

Notes and Callouts

Add floating notes anywhere on the canvas from the Insert menu. They save into the project file and carry through to the generated HTML5 documentation, so the reasoning travels with the diagram.

DbSchema Community: A Free ER Diagram Tool
& Where Pro Starts

Free diagram tools usually cap the number of tables, expire, or draw a picture that has no connection to a database. The DbSchema Community edition reads a live schema, draws it, and keeps working at no cost. The table below shows which side of the line each capability sits on before you install anything.

DbSchema edition comparison, as listed on the pricing page.
Capability	Community	Pro	Architect
All supported databases	Yes	Yes	Yes
Connect and reverse engineer	Yes	Yes	Yes
Interactive ER diagrams	Yes	Yes	Yes
Create tables and columns	Yes	Yes	Yes
SQL editor	Yes	Yes	Yes
HTML5, PDF and Markdown documentation	No	Yes	Yes
Visual query builder	No	Yes	Yes
Design offline and save to file	No	Yes	Yes
Schema synchronization	No	Yes	Yes
Relational data browse	No	Yes	Yes
Data generator and data importer	No	Yes	Yes
Logical and conceptual design	No	No	Yes

DbSchema edition comparison, as listed on the pricing page.

Capability

Community

Pro

Architect

All supported databases

Yes

Connect and reverse engineer

Yes

Interactive ER diagrams

Yes

Create tables and columns

Yes

SQL editor

Yes

HTML5, PDF and Markdown documentation

Yes

Visual query builder

Yes

Design offline and save to file

Yes

Schema synchronization

Yes

Relational data browse

Yes

Data generator and data importer

Yes

Logical and conceptual design

Yes

Diagram Any Database
You Already Run

DbSchema reads over 100 SQL and NoSQL engines through their JDBC drivers, which it downloads on the first connection. For a document store such as MongoDB, DbSchema infers the structure from a sample of documents and draws collections and their fields the same way it draws tables.

Frequently Asked Questions

An ER diagram tool draws the tables of a database and the relationships between them, so the structure is readable as a picture instead of as DDL. DbSchema builds the diagram either from a database you connect to or from tables you create on the canvas.

The DbSchema Community edition draws interactive ER diagrams free for any use, with no table limit and no expiry. It connects to every database DbSchema supports, reverse-engineers the schema into diagrams, creates tables and columns, and runs SQL. Saving the diagram to a file and exporting it as documentation start at Pro.

Yes. Connect DbSchema to the database and it reads the catalog, then draws the tables and the foreign key lines automatically. Reverse engineering is available in the free Community edition.

Over 100 SQL and NoSQL databases, including PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQL Server, Oracle, SQLite, MongoDB, Cassandra, Snowflake, DB2 and SAP HANA.

Yes. A DbSchema project holds many diagrams over the same schema definition, each with its own layout and its own set of visible tables, so a large database can be split into a diagram per subsystem.

Three notations are switchable from the Diagram menu: Default, which draws crow-foot symbols, Barker, and Simple, which draws plain lines.

DbSchema Pro exports the diagram from the File menu as an image, as PDF, as interactive HTML5 documentation with searchable tables and zoomable diagrams, or as Markdown.

The schema is the definition the database holds: its tables, columns, keys and constraints. The ER diagram is a view of that definition, laid out so the relationships are visible. DbSchema keeps the two connected, reading the diagram out of the live schema and writing schema changes back.

Guides on ER diagrams

ER Diagram Tool
for Database Schema Diagrams

Two Ways to Get
Your First Diagram

Connect and reverse engineer

Design on an empty canvas