Relational database data explorer / visualization?

Question

Is there a tool that can let one browse relational data as a graph of connected nodes?

For example, i'm faced with trying to cleanse some anomolous data. i can start with two offending rows. In this particular example, the TransactionID should, by business rules, be unique to the table, but i find a transaction that violates that rule:

SELECT * FROM LCTTrans
WHERE TransactionID = 1075048

LCTID      TransactionID
=========  =============
4358       1075048
4359       1075048

2 row(s) affected

But really what i want to begin to hunt down all the related data, to try to see which is right. So this hypothetical software would start by showing me these two rows:

Next, i want to see that transaction that is linked into this table:

Now that transaction points to an MAL, so show me that:

Now lets add those two LCTs, that the transaction is "on". A transaction can be on only one LCT, yet this one is pointing to two:

Okay computer, both of those LCTs point to an MAL and the transaction that created them, show me those:

Those last two transactions, they also point at an MAL, and they themselves point to an LCT, show me those:

Okay, now are there any entries in LCTTrans that point to LCTs 4358 or 4359?...

And so on, and so on.

Now i did all this manually, running single selects, copying and pasting uniqueidentifier keys and converting them into friendly id numbers so i could easily see the relationships.

---

Is there software that can do this?

Answer 1

Ok, well I liked this idea so much that I've written it.

It's not released yet, but when it is it will be free.

Edit

Ok, it's now released. Free relational database exploring goodness @ http://www.atlantis-interactive.co.uk/products/datasurf/default.aspx

Edit

Although initially free, this is now part of Pragmatic Works' DBA xPress package.

Answer 2

DBeauty is a powerful data browser (similar to Matt Whitfield's excellent DataSurf but more powerful). It is Java based, so you need to download the JDBC driver. I've found this tool invaluable in quickly navigating data (I fell in love with Microsoft's Quadrant before they killed it off and have been looking for a replacement ever since).