Designing ER diagrams is one of the most important parts of building applications, but it’s also one of the most frustrating. It is time-consuming, error prone, and often completely disconnected from how teams actually think about their data.

A misaligned schema doesn’t just slow things down. It causes bugs, miscommunication, and long term technical debt.

But it doesn’t have to be that way anymore.

I’m the founder of ChartDB, and I’ve seen how teams struggle with manual schema design. That is why we built ChartDB to support low code, AI powered database modeling so you can go from idea to diagram in seconds. AI is transforming how modern teams approach data, and ER diagram generation is no exception.

In this post, I’ll walk you through how to use the inbuilt feature of ChartDB, which uses AI to create a complete ER diagram from scratch, with zero guesswork and no heavy SQL.

Why Use AI to Create ER Diagrams?

Before jumping in, let’s clarify what an ER diagram is. An ER (Entity Relationship) diagram is a visual representation of your database. It maps out your tables (entities), their fields (attributes), and how they relate (relationships).

Traditionally, creating one requires deep database knowledge, manual table design, and careful planning. That is where AI comes in.

Here’s why using AI to generate ER diagrams makes sense:

• Faster modeling - Save hours by letting AI create the schema from your description.

• Fewer errors - AI follows relationship logic and handles naming, foreign keys, and indexes consistently.

• Better collaboration - Non technical teammates can describe their data model in plain English, and AI turns it into a working diagram.

• Great for brainstorming - Quickly prototype ideas and see them visualized.
  
  

Before You Start: Prep Your Input

To get the best results from ChartDB's AI Generator, it helps to prepare a simple description of your data.

One of the example prompt can be like this::

"I want a database with users, products, and orders. Each order belongs to a user and includes multiple products. I also want to track shipping status and use soft deletes."

Or like this:

"Build a schema for a SaaS app with teams, users, plans, invoices, and roles. Include timestamps and basic indexing."

The more context you give, the better your results.

Step by Step: Generate Your ER Diagram Using AI

I recently made one video as to how you can use the AI Agent in ChartDB, that also includes the generation of ERD from scratch.

If you would prefer to reach text, you can follow along to generate your first ER diagram using AI.

Let’s now jump into the feature directly, I will tell you how you can access this AI feature in ChartDB. Follow along the steps below:

1. Go to ChartDB.io
   If you’re new, create a free account.
   
   

2. Click “New Diagram”
   Choose the option to generate with AI.
   
   

   

   
   
   

3. Describe Your Data Model
   In the prompt box, write a few sentences about the tables you need and how they connect. Be natural. No SQL needed.
   
   

4. Click “Generate”
   ChartDB will process your input, create the tables, relationships, foreign keys, and even default indexes.
   
   

   

   
   

5. Review & Refine
   You can edit any table by double clicking it on the canvas. Add fields, rename columns, or adjust types as needed.
   
   

   

   
   
   

6. Enhance Your Diagram
   Add soft deletes, updated timestamps, custom indexes, or table groups. AI lays the foundation. You build on top.
   
   

7. Save or Export
   Once you're happy, you can export the SQL or save the diagram to share with your team.
   
   

   

Conclusion

Creating ER diagrams doesn’t have to be painful. With ChartDB, you can go from plain text ideas to clean, professional ER diagrams in minutes.

Whether you're modeling for a startup, a side project, or a large system, AI makes the process faster and more collaborative.

Try ChartDB for free today and let AI handle the heavy lifting of your database design.

Additional Resources

1. 10 Common Mistakes in Database Design (How To Avoid Them)

2. How To Generate ERD from SQL

3. 10 Best ERD Tools for Visualizing Your Database