An entity relationship model, ER, ERD, or entity-relationship diagram, is a type of flowchart that illustrates how "entities", people, objects, or concepts, relate to each other within a system. With the five web applications listed below, you'll be able to draw with ease any type of ER diagram according to your needs.
Although at first glance an ER diagram might seem complicated to understand, the function of these models is quite the opposite. They provide a broad, interconnected sense and a unified vision of the data we are representing.
ERDPlus
We'll start with ERDPlus, a simple web platform focused on database modeling. With this service, you can easily create ER diagrams thanks to its components: standard ERD, Entities, Attributes, and Relationships. These components support: Entity – Attribute – Relationship. Other features include converting an ER diagram to a relational schema and perfect compatibility with Star Schema. When you're done, you can save or export your diagrams or schemas to a SQL database.
RealTimeBoard
Next up is RealTimeBoard, a powerful platform that lets you create ER diagrams with collaborative work. It has built-in support for chat and video conferencing to enhance the community experience. The environment includes all the components, but also offers pen tools, sticky notes, comments, file uploads, and the option to export models in PDF, image, or CSV.
Creately
Creately is an ER diagram editor. It basically offers the same features as ERDPlus and RealTimeBoard, but has a few additional functions we'd like to share: link any shape to a URL, adjust its dimensions, add notes and descriptions, and send online invitations to other collaborators. Once finished, you can export your work in image, PDF, and SVG formats.
Draw.io
Draw.io is a powerful online service that allows you to create ER diagrams with a large template database. The templates it offers are impressive and will make it easy to create good designs that, without Draw.io's help, would take hours and hours. Another great advantage is the ability to export your work to the cloud or save it on your computer in image, PDF, SVG, or HTML format.
LucidChart
We'll finish with LucidChart, a professional option for creating ER diagrams. The platform is very efficient for database modeling and supports online collaboration. But what sets LucidChart apart from the other four options is its full integration with G Suite. When you finish your models, you can export them in SQL format (for different database management systems).
I've always had a doubt about Emmett Brown's explanation of the parallel universe in “Back to the Future II”. Wouldn't it have been better explained with an ER diagram?
