When you are only working with a few tables in a database diagram, it is usually helpful to view as much column information as possible. Such a view not only gives you more information, but enables you to edit the column definitions.
When you are only working with a large number of tables, however, it is usually preferable to view only the column names, or only the table name, so that you can see more of the tables in your diagram at once.
In a database diagram, you can expand the tables you want to edit as needed, and then collapse them again to save space on the diagram.
Each table in a database diagram can be displayed in one of five views:
Shows a grid of all the table columns, column properties, and property settings. You can edit the column properties directly by typing in a cell or using the Cut, Copy, and Paste commands. You can also move and delete entire column definitions. You can configure the grid to show a subset of all the available properties for the columns in a table.
When you insert a new table into a diagram, it is shown in this view so that you can begin defining each column.
Lists the names of all columns in the table. You can rename the column names in this view. When you add an existing table to a diagram, it is shown in this view.
Shows the names of all the columns in the table that are primary or foreign keys, or that have unique constraints. You can rename the columns in this view.
Represents a table in its minimized state and shows only the table name.
Displays only the columns you choose. This gives you the flexibility to display just the information you need. This view is also useful for printing the database diagrams because you can display more tables on one page.
The default set of columns for the Custom view includes Column Name, Condensed Datatype, and Nullable.
| Column | Setting |
|---|---|
| Column Name | The name of the field in the table. |
| Condensed Datatype | Information about the field's data type, in the same format as the Transact-SQL statement CREATE TABLE. For example, a field containing a variable-length string with a maximum length of 20 characters would be represented as varchar(20). |
| Nullable | NULL (the field can contain a NULL value) or NOT NULL (the field must contain a nonnull value). |
Printing and Previewing Database Diagrams