Data Dictionary¶

Generate comprehensive Markdown documentation from your Django models.

Basic Usage¶

python manage.py generate_data_dictionary -o docs/data_dictionary.md

Options¶

Option	Description	Example
`-a APPS`	Filter by specific apps	`-a shopping,polls`
`-o OUTPUT`	Output file path	`-o docs/dictionary.md`

Output Structure¶

The data dictionary includes:

Model Overview: Description and database table name
Field Details: Type, constraints, nullability
Relationships: Foreign keys, many-to-many relationships
Help Text: Documentation from field definitions
Meta Options: Ordering, verbose names, unique_together

Example Output¶

# Data Dictionary

## Customer

**Table:** `auth_customer`

### Fields

| Field | Type | Required | Unique | Description |
|-------|------|----------|--------|-------------|
| id | bigint | Yes | Yes | Auto-incrementing primary key |
| first_name | varchar(100) | Yes | No | Customer's first name |
| last_name | varchar(100) | Yes | No | Customer's last name |
| email | varchar(254) | Yes | Yes | Email address (unique) |

### Relationships

- **Orders**: One-to-many relationship with Order model

## Order

**Table:** `sales_order`

### Fields

| Field | Type | Required | Unique | Description |
|-------|------|----------|--------|-------------|
| id | bigint | Yes | Yes | Auto-incrementing primary key |
| customer | bigint | Yes | No | Reference to Customer |
| order_date | datetime | Yes | No | Date and time of order |
| total | decimal(10,2) | Yes | No | Order total amount |

### Relationships

- **Customer**: Many-to-one relationship to Customer model

Integration with Documentation¶

MkDocs¶

Generate dictionary:

python manage.py generate_data_dictionary -o docs/data_dictionary.md

Add to mkdocs.yml:

nav:
  - Data Dictionary: data_dictionary.md

GitHub Wiki¶

Generate dictionary
Copy content to GitHub Wiki pages
Update on each model change

Best Practices¶

Generate data dictionary alongside ERDs
Include in API documentation
Update on every model change (add to CI/CD)
Filter by app for modular documentation

Comparison: ERD vs Data Dictionary¶

Aspect	ERD	Data Dictionary
Format	Visual diagram	Structured text
Best For	Quick overview	Detailed reference
Content	Models, relationships	Field properties, constraints
Use Case	Design reviews	Technical documentation