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General questions

I would like to use ERD Concepts model on my website. May I use the XML model files and screenshots?
You are allowed to use the XML information in the *.hf/*.ecm files and screenshots to generate your own custom reports and tools. Also showing them on your own website is no problem. There is no support however for the XML contents within the ERDConcepts design files. Besides the software there is no copyright on the model files, derived reports and images.
   

Technical questions

Missing ADO drivers on 64 bit platform
I have downloaded the 64 bit version of ERD Concepts. Now i don't have any ADO drivers listed to make a database connection.
When using the 64 bit version of ERD Concepts you also need the 64 bit ADO drivers from your database. You cannot mix 32 bit and 64 bit drivers. If you only have 32 bit ADO drivers then we advice you to run the 32 bit version of ERD Concepts.
    
Enabling SQL Native Client (SQLNCLI) from ADO:
When I run "Execute SQL" with a SQL server ADO connection some columns are not displayed in the resulting grid. How can we solve this?

To enable the usage of SQL Native Client, ADO applications will need to implement the following keywords in the connection strings:

Provider=SQLNCLI
DataTypeCompatibility=80

This flag specifies the mode of data type handling to use. Recognized values are "0" for provider data types and "80" for SQL Server 2000 data types.

   

The specified DSN contains an architecture mismatch between the Driver and Application.

I downloaded the ODBC driver for Postgresql and created a data source from Control Panel. The testing on the data source itself was successful. However, I was unable to connect to the database using that data source. I received an error like:

Microsoft Data Link Error:
Test connection failed because of an error in initializing provide. [Microsoft][ODBC Driver Manager] The specified DSN contains an architecture mismatch between the Driver and Application.

To manage a data source that connects to a 32-bit driver under a 64-bit platform, use c:\windows\sysWOW64\odbcad32.exe. To manage a data source that connects to a 64-bit driver, use c:\windows\system32\odbcad32.exe.

If you use the 64-bit odbcad32.exe to configure or remove a DSN that connects to a 32-bit driver, for example, Driver do Microsoft Access (*.mdb), you will receive the following error message:

The specified DSN contains an architecture mismatch between the Driver and Application

To resolve this error, use the 32-bit odbcad32.exe to configure or remove the DSN. A data source associates a particular ODBC driver with the data you want to access through that driver. For example, you might create a data source to use the ODBC dBASE driver to access one or more dBASE files found in a specific directory on your hard disk or a network drive. Using the ODBC Data Source Administrator, you can add, modify, and delete data sources.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms712362(VS.85).aspx
    
Does ERD Concepts support Submodels aka Subdiagrams?
Yes, submodels are supported, however they are called "pages" (design page) in ERD Concepts. There is one main page which you can divide into sub-pages. In combination with the page completion tools you can add, edit and delete objects from the sub-pages.
    
How do I connect to an Access 2007 (and above) (.accdb) database?

You will need the "Microsoft.Ace.OLEDB.12.0" office driver. This is installed with Office 2007. Please visit the Microsoft website for additional information. Or, if you don't have Acccess 2007/2010 on your machine, you need to download the Microsoft Access Database Engine 2010 Redistributable (32 bit).

Make sure you install the 32 bit version of the drivers.

Your connection string should look like this:
Provider=Microsoft.ACE.OLEDB.12.0;Data Source=<your database>.accdb;Persist Security Info=False

   
I have connected to an Oracle 10i database instance and choose ‘Database->Reverse Engineer...’ menu item. The dialog window is displayed, but the drop down list is empty and nothing happens
Try to connect to a simple database like MS Access and see if it works.

Most probably you have no read access rights to the meta data of the database. Also make sure you have selected the correct database script in the database connection editor. Default the ADO framework method is used but in your case you need to select Oracle 9i Script
   
How do i connect to a MySQL database?
1. Open ODBC MySQL driver configuration (windows configuration)
2. Enter a datasource name, the required username and password
3. You must select an intial database in this dialog!!!
4. Start ERD Concepts and create a new Database connection
5. Select the OLEDB provider for ODBC drivers
6. Press Next
7. Select the ODBC MySQL datasource you specified earlier
8. Reenter your username and password
9. Don't select an initial catalog!!!
10. Test the connection, it should work now
   
Connecting to a database through ADO fails
Try to connect to a simple database like MS Access. If that also fails make sure you've have the latest MDAC ADO drivers installed. You can also visit the very useful site http://www.connectionstrings.com
   
I've just downloaded your software and cannot get the reverse engineering feature to work
Make sure you are using the correct database script. You can select this script in the database connection editor. By default the ADO general framework method is used which is very limited in reverse engineering capabilities.
   
Whenever I reverse engineer my database, my datatypes are being swapped (varchar to nvarchar, datetime to timestamp, etc.). How can I prevent this from happening?
In general this happens when you reverse engineer for example a MySQL "database" into a SQL Server "model". You can also have data type translations when you reverse engineer with the database script ADO Framework. In that case you can change the ADO data type settings which you can find under the tool menu.

1. Make sure you use the correct database script (Connection Editor)
2. Make sure you have the correct model (database platform) open

   
When I reverse engineer my existing database in SQL Server, views and routines do not have their script populated.  When I try to validate the model I get an error for every view or stored procedure saying that the script definition is empty.
Make sure you are using the correct database script. You can select this script in the database connection editor. Default the ADO general framework method is used which is very limited in reverse engineering capabilities.
   

I added a new page to my ERD and then imported existing tables from the main page. It looks like everything was brought over with the exception of the relationship lines. I can add the lines in manually but it adds another column and relationship. Is there a way to show the lines from the main page?

1. You can copy the relationships from the main page to your new page
Activate the main page and use the right mouse button on the relationship. Select the option <position><Copy to Page>
 
2. In your new page use the add objects dialog
Activate your new page and use the right mouse button anywhere on your model area. Select the option <add model objects>. There you can add the missing relationships.
   
I have been working with a data model for some time now. However when I open a table and go to the trigger tab and try to open an existing trigger ERDConcepts seems to freeze.
* Open the environment settings window, tab "cache"
* Press the clear form cache button to reset all windows to their default position
 
Maybe the trigger window got misplaced somehow and ended outside your desktop boundaries as each window position is saved after closing. This could cause a problem as you never get to see the dialog while it is active.
 
  
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