Schema explorer

​

Database tree

└── Server Name
    └── Database Name
        └── Schema (public, custom schemas)
            ├── Tables
            │   └── table_name
            └── Views
                └── view_name

​

Expanding nodes

• Server nodes: Show all databases on that server
• Database nodes: Show all schemas in that database
• Schema nodes: Show tables and views
• Table/View nodes: Open in the table viewer

​

Object types

​

Table information

• Row count: Approximate number of rows
• Size: Disk space used
• Columns: Number of columns
• Created: Creation timestamp

​

Context menu

​

Table operations

• Open in Table Viewer: View table data
• Open in Query Tool: Generate SELECT query
• View Schema: Show table structure
• Edit Table: Modify columns and constraints
• Export Data: Export table contents
• Drop Table: Delete the table

​

Database operations

• Refresh: Reload the schema tree
• Create Schema: Add a new schema
• Create Table: Open table designer
• Create View: Open view creator

​

Creating objects

​

Create schema

1. Right-click a database node
2. Select Create Schema
3. Enter schema name and optional owner
4. Click Create

​

Create table

1. Right-click a schema node
2. Select Create Table
3. Use the table designer to define:
   • Table name
   • Columns (name, type, constraints)
   • Primary key
   • Indexes
   • Foreign keys
4. Click Create Table

​

Create view

1. Right-click a schema node
2. Select Create View
3. Enter view name and SQL query:

CREATE VIEW active_users AS
SELECT id, name, email, created_at
FROM users
WHERE status = 'active';

4. Click Create View

​

Refreshing the tree

• Refresh all: Click the refresh button in the toolbar
• Refresh node: Right-click a node and select Refresh

​

Filtering objects

1. Type in the search box at the top of the explorer
2. Only matching tables, views, and schemas are shown
3. Clear the search to show all objects

​

Schema comparison

1. Click Compare Schemas in the toolbar
2. Select source and target databases
3. View differences:
   • Tables present in source but not target
   • Tables with different columns
   • Missing indexes
   • Different constraints
4. Generate migration SQL to sync schemas

​

System catalogs

• pg_catalog: System tables and views
• information_schema: SQL standard metadata views

​

Performance

​

Lazy loading

​

Caching

• Subsequent expansions are instant
• Cache invalidated on schema changes
• Manual refresh available

​

Efficient queries

SELECT 
  schemaname, 
  tablename, 
  tableowner
FROM pg_tables
WHERE schemaname NOT IN ('pg_catalog', 'information_schema')
ORDER BY schemaname, tablename;

​

Next steps