Requests: "Add reference" in Query Designers via *virtual* FK (table navigation via once-defined *virtual* FKs); metadata repository

[bmel]

Hi, I'm looking for a tool to extract custom reports from my MySQL DB without writing code, so that even non-SQLers can do it, after a techie documents the DB schema well enough. So the main capabilities I'm looking for is a Visual Query Builder (designer) and a metadata repository (to provide integrated, guiding documentation, e.g. which tables to use for which types of reports).

So far, I'm very impressed with DbGate, especially with its query designer!

Questions

1. Just as it's possible to "Add reference" from the context menu of a table's FK to bring in and connect related tables, I'd like to be able to do so via virtual FKs as well, in Query Designer and in Perspective Query Designer. (The only place where I see virtual FKs having an impact is in diagrams, on "Add references".) My non-coding colleagues should not need to know which columns to use for relating tables, that's exactly the purpose of FKs, whether "real" or "virtual".

2. Is there some form of integrated content management component for documenting on a high level what information is available in my DB, with links to the actual tables?

3. What's the recommended way of reusing schema embellishments (such as virtual FKs) and query designs (with aliases etc.) on other DB instances (connections) with the same schema structure? I see I can save a query design to a file, and then open that file in the context of another connection's query design -- sweet! Is there something similar for ER diagrams, if I want to reuse virtual FK definitions from one DB connection in another connection, provided they have the same schema structure.