How to connect to SQL Server or open a DACPAC file, what WoodFireERD reads, and what happens to your credentials.
Connect to a database
On Workspace → Read a schema, fill in:
Server — the server name, including the instance if you use one.
Database — the database to read.
Authentication — SQL login, or your Windows account.
User name and password, if you chose a SQL login.
Then select Read schema. Azure SQL works the same way as any other server.
Use the connection string box instead when the fields cannot express what you
need — Azure AD authentication, a failover partner, or custom connection options.
Open a DACPAC instead
Choose DACPAC file and select a .dacpac exported from SSMS with
Tasks → Extract Data-tier Application. Use this when you have a file rather than a
route to the server.
If SSMS refuses to extract the DACPAC, that is SQL Server reporting problems in the database
itself, before WoodFireERD is involved.
What is read
Tables, with columns, data types, nullability, identity and defaults
Primary keys and foreign keys, with their referential actions
Views, stored procedures and functions, with their T-SQL
Triggers on a table, with their T-SQL
Indexes, with key and included columns, uniqueness, clustering and filters
Not shown: primary keys as indexes (they appear on the table), unique constraints, heaps,
disabled indexes, database-level DDL triggers, and CLR functions.
Nothing is written to your database. Every statement WoodFireERD sends is a
SELECT, and it needs no write permission.
Your credentials
Credentials are used for the read and are not stored. A saved project keeps only the server
and database names — never a password, user name or connection string — so you can commit a
project file to your repository.
Refreshing a project asks for the credentials again.
If the schema is too large
You are told how many objects the schema has and how many your plan opens, and nothing is
drawn. Open a smaller database, or change plan. See
Plans and limits.