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What type of Diagramming...

Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2006 11:17 pm
by Zoram
I've just started a database class as one of my college courses and its a blast! We have started learning about diagramming an that got me to thinking. Up until now i've just got out the ol' pen and paper and gone to work drawing out a model that makes no sense to anyone else. And now i'm starting to see what kinds of diagramming schemas have been developed.

So, to the point of all this:

0. What kind of diagramming do you use?

1. Do you use diagramming software?

2. What kind and what do you like about it's features?

Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2006 1:18 am
by feyd
0. UML
1. Not regularly enough to really justify buying a piece of software that specializes in it.
2. I've used many different ways of modeling.. In a pinch, Word works, but Visio is nice (and expensive), so since I have it Illustrator is used most often for it if it must be visual. :)

Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2006 3:36 am
by Chris Corbyn
0. ERD's
1. No
2. N/A

:)

Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2006 3:49 am
by pilau
I know the meaning of diagramming in English but where does it take place in programming?
(And what're UML and ERD?)

Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2006 3:59 am
by feyd
UML - Unified Modeling Language
ERD - Entity Relationship Diagram

Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2006 4:00 am
by pilau
And what's the connection between diagramming and programing?

Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2006 4:05 am
by feyd
they help you organize your coding, can help solve logic problems you'll have to sort through and such. You can sketch out the relational flow between database tables quite nicely in them..

Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2006 4:10 am
by pilau
Ok. Wish they taught it in school. Lol.

Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2006 4:12 am
by feyd
They do in some courses. Most often in more advanced level conceptual courses, but that does vary a lot from school to school.

Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2006 4:13 am
by Chris Corbyn
pilau wrote:I know the meaning of diagramming in English but where does it take place in programming?
(And what're UML and ERD?)
It's just a visual representation of a proposed, or implemented database structure. It helps a lot when normalizing your data structures and in determining your logic.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entity-relationship_model
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unified_Modeling_Language

Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2006 4:14 am
by Chris Corbyn
feyd wrote:They do in some courses. Most often in more advanced level conceptual courses, but that does vary a lot from school to school.
The course this was taught in at Durham University, UK was ASE (Advanced Software Engineering)

Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2006 4:34 am
by pilau
Well I was talking about my high-school computer-science class :P

Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2006 5:37 am
by onion2k
I use NDAA, and I usually follow it up with DIWITOTE.

NDAA = No Diagrams At All
DIWITOTE = Damn, I Wish I Thought Of That Earlier

Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2006 12:44 pm
by Zoram
onion2k wrote:I use NDAA, and I usually follow it up with DIWITOTE.

NDAA = No Diagrams At All
DIWITOTE = Damn, I Wish I Thought Of That Earlier
I've done that a lot too. I must admit there is something fun with just drawing your own diagrams and i'll probably stick with that. It's been good to me so far. The database class that i am we have to do computer-aided ER diagrams with all of the assignments we have to make tables in. Its a really good way to help the students visualize the concepts and explains the connections well.

I'll have to wait and see what i think of some of the diagramming models. So far we have only discussed enough of the ER models to do the first assignment, we should be getting into them in more detail in the next few classes.

Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2006 1:03 pm
by Buddha443556
0. Doodling.
1. Paper.
2. Easy disposal. When burned, leaves no evidence of how badly you underestimated the project.