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I would love to create some database diagrams like this one with Visio but I can't find any templates at all for that kind of notation. The example I linked to was apparently made in Photoshop, which sounds like a terrible way to make ERDs. Are there any good Visio templates for this sort of thing?

(I have Visio 2010 Pro, by the way.)

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  • Won't have the fancy-smancy colors, but have you looked at Dia? Commented Feb 23, 2011 at 17:26
  • Removed my answer, wasn't helpful. I did not click your picture. That picture doesn't look like any official diagram type I know. My guess is that the creator just used basic shapes and gave them his own colours. Commented Feb 23, 2011 at 19:06
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    @KeesDijk - It's called Chen's notation. Commented Feb 23, 2011 at 20:38
  • Yup, learned something new today :) Commented Feb 23, 2011 at 22:07
  • check smartdraw.com/resources/tutorials/cardinality-notations Commented May 4, 2011 at 8:22

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If you want to create a diagram like the one you linked to, then you need to find a Chen ERD shape pack. You can check the following site: http://www.visiocafe.com/various.htm . Specifically try http://www.visiocafe.ca/downloads/various/DanielHarris/Chen_ER.zip

edit: I don't know if that specific pack will work with Visio 2010. I've never used it.

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  • Is anyone know about Extended Entity Relationship? Because my lecturer ask me to draw it using Visio but seems it doesn't have one like generalize/specialize notation that is like a fork between entity Commented Oct 28, 2020 at 15:14
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Visio should have a DB reverse-engineering feature (unless that's now only available in the top-end version). I've used it before and it does an adequate job, my advice is to break your ERD down into logical sections and don't diagram more than ten tables at a time (unless you have access to an E-size plotter). And be prepared to do a lot of tweaking to get things laid out; I don't think I've ever reverse-engineered an ERD that was comprehensible at first, even with big-name tools like ErWIN and ER/Studio.

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