The tool mentioned above is a good start. Don't expect it to automate the process. It will still take many hours a week on your part to use it and keep it maintained. It will just take less hours than if you don't have a tool.
If management scoffs at $179, then they are probably un-realistic about the task to begin with.
Well, those of us Old School developers have seen this change around over the decades. During the Cold War, I installed a moving (automated) Tape Drive library for around 800 DB / Code developers. Under the contract, we hired three PhD in Library Science to document and categorize code for version control.
Later years, I was QA manager for a project with 100 DB / Code developers for IBM, SQL Server (1.0), Access, VB 3-6, C++. We had three DBA /Programmers for documentation.
Then later for the EPA, I got contracts to hire Documentation experts just to translate the EPA's DB documentation.
Now days, it is just the Nike advertisement. "Just do it"
This weekend, I talked to a $35 an hour contractor that was hired to document DB/Code/Network configurations. They created some great templates. But, the engineers would not provide any input since it wasn't in their job description.
The NYC V.P. fired the documentation person because he expected the documentation person to just figure it out. The company is a Major consulting firm. The V.P. rotate in / out to other major consulting firms every two years on average taking the big bonus with them.
The trend is just getting worse and worse as there is less responsibility at the top levels to actually have a written plan for documentation. i.e. the documentation process is it self undocumented.
My advice is that if any programmer is expected to help document the process "in their spare time", get out of that position. It is set up for failure.
The tool is a great start. However, it still takes time to set it up and maintain.
This is a great task opportunity for a College Internship or a New Hire.
Giving a New Hire the chance to identify the DB Structure, table names, field names, relationships, server locations, and business code has a great return on investment.
This process is still used in the US Flagship Maritime Union for Internships and 3rd Class Engineers. Thanks to traditions, it has been found to work well and somewhat escape the new Nike Style Management.
Please be sure to let us know how this works out for you. Many of us are starving for a modern success story.