Essential Database Design Tools: A Complete Guide to Free & Paid Solutions

GNU-GPL

• OpenSystemArchitect http://www.codebydesign.com/
• Power*Architect http://code.google.com/p/power-architect/
• Druid http://druid.sourceforge.net/
• ERW http://erw.dsi.unimi.it/
• Dia http://live.gnome.org/Dia
• XML to DDL (python scripts) http://xml2ddl.berlios.de/
• Graphiz – I believe I’ve read of people using it to reverse engineer from DDL http://graphviz.org/

Multiple versions/licenses (each has a “free” and a “not-free” version)

• DBVisualizer
• Toad

Not-free

• Microsoft Visio – (If you already have it, it does work quite well)
• DataStudio – 30 day trial http://www.aquafold.com
• DBWrench – 30 day trial http://www.dbwrench.com/

ER diagram tool

• http://druid.sf.net/
• http://schemaspy.sourceforge.net/
• http://uml.sourceforge.net/index.php