Oracle Tip: Generating Documentation Reports with Oracle SQL Developer Data Modeler

This is another tip for the lazy programmer. When it comes to documentation, no developer would like to go back extracting the code for every single table in his model.
Oracle SQL Developer Data Modeler has a very useful tool for generating reports.

Selecting Reports from the File Menu, you can choose if you want it generated in:

• RTF
• PDF 
• HTML 

format.

You can create a template (e.g. if you want to select only tables of your models) or selecting only some objects of your model.
When you execute the report, it will be stored in a local route.
This is how a PDF report looks like. Ready to be sent to the customer or do some nice cut&paste from it.

Tip: Reverse Engineering in Oracle Data Modeler

I am currently building a Data Warehouse using OWB as integration tool. I have almost finished and now comes what I like the less about my job... documentation!
During the development process, you usually create a number of staging tables. Oracle Data Modeler allows you to import tables from a schema. This way it is much easier writing down your documentation and you also have a visual presentation ready to use.
Let's go through the reverse engineering process:
1) Go to File -> Import -> Data Dictionary

2) Add a new connection if you haven't set up any yet

3) Select your Schema/Database



Personally I find the filter option pretty useful for retrieving quickly the Schema you are looking for.

4) Select the objects you want to import

5) Click on Finish

If everything goes ok, you have your Model imported in Oracle Data Modeler and you can export images of your diagrams or generate your DDL code to attach to your documentation.