Download Document Your Access Database With Visual Basic

Document Your Access
Database With Visual Basic
Presented by
Joseph J. Sarna Jr.
JJS Systems, LLC
Documentation Is a Necessary Evil!
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Does the client require documentation?
What do follow-on developers need to
know about your application?
What do YOU need to know six months
from now?
Types of Documentation
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We need to provide:
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Database documentation
File format documentation
Registry entry documentation
Project and code documentation
Database Documentation
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Tables
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Field names, data types, descriptions, valid
data ranges, etc.
Views/Queries/Stored Procedures
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Definitions and SQL strings
File Formats Documentation
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Layouts of any special file types used
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XML schema
Ini file formats
Application specific files
Registry Entries Documentation
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Locations and purposes of all registry
entries
Location and purposes of all Active
Directory interactions (additions if users,
roles, groups, etc.)
Do not need to include entries made by
Setup program
Project & Code Documentation
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Directory structures of files
Reporting formats
Technical specifications
Code procedures
Using Visual Basic to Generate
Database Documentation
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DBDoc.vbp
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By Tim Patrick, from Visual Basic Programmers
Journal, July 2001 http://www.vbstyleguide.com/
This application reads the database structures
of tables using ADO and ADOX and then writes
the document to an HTML file.
Modified by J. Sarna to include Views/Queries
ADO Object Models
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Three object models of ADO provide the
functionality found in DAO.
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ADO
Microsoft ADO Extensions for DDL and Security (ADOX)
Microsoft Jet and Replication Objects (JRO).
mk:@MSITStore:C:\Microsoft Visual
Studio\MSDN\2001JUL\1033\techart.chm::/html/daotoa
do.htm
ADO and ADOX
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The ADO model allows access and manipulation
of data through any OLE DB provider
The ADOX model contains objects for data
definition (such as tables, views, and indexes) and
creating and modifying users and groups.
With ADOX, one can control database schema and
grant and revoke permissions on objects to users
and groups
DBDoc Example Code
C:\Visual Basic Projects\DBDoc\DBDoc.vbp
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Add a reference to Microsoft ActiveX Data
Objects 2.5 Library.
Add a reference to Microsoft ADO Ext. 2.5 for
DDL and Security.
Closing
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Document your project for your own
safety!
Find methods that will automate this
documentation