As a Technical Writer, I spend most of my time documenting the front-end of computer software, that is, the user interface. A Technical Writer can also be asked to document source code itself, and that can be done with one of many open-source documentation tools available on the Internet today. However, one aspect of software development which often goes unnoticed by Technical Writers are databases. Many times, databases are closely monitored and controlled by administrators who only reveal database details to developers upon request, and they keep control and monitor databases very closely and carefully.

Should a Technical Writer worry about documenting a database? I believe so. A Technical Writer should, at the least, document the overall topology of the computer system which would necessarily include the databases and where they stand in relation to other aspects of the system. However, this still remains quite a superficial documentation of a database. My recommendation to Tech Writers who want to document a database is to go online and download a good book about SQL, which stands for Structured Query Language (SQL) which is used in both the open source MySQL database as well as the Microsoft SQL Server 2008 system. There are a few differences, but SQL is pretty much a standardized database language for database management.

I recently downloaded this one book about SQL. This is why I have entitled this blog post “Don’t Underestimate Your Database”. There is alot to learn and understand if you really want to write some meaningful documentation about the database, because you can end up documenting even specific queries and what they mean, so that laypersons reading your documentation can understand. Here is just an overview of the topics that this e-book contains, and believe me, this is more than just a one weekend reading, this book will require at least a month of hard-core study and practice before you can jump into a database and really catch on. Check it out…

1. Installation
2. Designing a Relational Database
3. Managing Databases, Tables and Indices
4. Manipulating Data
5. Retrieving Data
6. Operators
7. Functions
8. Multiple Tables
9. Exporting, Copying, and Importing Data
10. Transactions
11. Security
12. Performance Optimization
13. Backup and Recovery
14. Working with PHP and JAVA
15. Working with Dot Net (Microsoft)

See? Was I right or what? Believe me, databases are many times really big and comprise at least one-third of the computing environment of a company, at least in terms of hardware configuration, let alone code and data storage. So, spend some time to get to know the back-end of your system. You will be glad you did. One day someone might approach you and say “Hey there Tech Writer, where is the documentation on our database?” And, surprisingly, you will surprise them with a well-written and in-depth analysis of your company’s database and related components.