Django as a Database Documentation Tool: The Hidden Power of Model Comments

Documentation is often the neglected aspect of database design, leading to confusion, mistakes, and lost institutional knowledge. With Django 4.2's comment features, your models can now serve as both code and documentation, synchronizing automatically with your database.

In this practical session, I'll show you:

• How to use Django's column and table comments effectively
• Building unmanaged models to document existing databases
• Creating custom management commands for documentation reports
• Strategies for keeping documentation in sync across teams
• Integrating model comments with data dictionaries and other tools
• Using model introspection to generate documentation artifacts

I'll demonstrate real-world examples of how these techniques have improved understanding of complex databases and reduced onboarding time for new team members. You'll leave with practical tools for improving your database documentation without maintaining separate documents.