Schema Browser

The Schema Browser provides a visual interface for exploring your database structure, viewing table definitions, analyzing relationships, and comparing schemas.

Table List

The sidebar displays all tables in the connected database:

Table Filter

• A search field at the top of the table list filters tables by name
• Filtering is instant as you type
• Useful for databases with hundreds of tables

Lazy Column Loading

Table columns are loaded lazily -- only when you expand a table in the sidebar. This improves performance for databases with many tables.

Table Context Menu

Right-click a table in the sidebar for these options:

• Browse Data: Open table data in a new Table Browse tab
• View Structure: View columns, indexes, and constraints
• Export Table: Export table data to CSV, JSON, or SQL
• Import Data: Import data into the table
• Data Profiling: Analyze column statistics and distributions
• Drop Table: Drop the table (requires confirmation)
• Truncate Table: Remove all data while keeping the structure (requires confirmation)
• Table Maintenance: Access maintenance operations

Table Structure View

View detailed table structure in a dedicated tab:

Columns

• Column name, data type, nullable flag, default value
• Primary key indicator
• Foreign key indicators with referenced table/column

Indexes

• Index name, columns, uniqueness
• Index type (B-tree, Hash, etc.)

Constraints

• Primary keys, foreign keys, unique constraints, check constraints
• Foreign key reference details (referenced table and column)

Column Editing

• Add new columns
• Modify column types and constraints
• The ALTER TABLE SQL generator creates the appropriate DDL statements

ER Diagram

View Entity-Relationship diagrams for your database:

• Visual representation of tables and their relationships
• Foreign key connections shown as lines between tables
• Accessible from the sidebar context menu or as a dedicated tab type

Schema Diff

Compare schemas between two connections or databases:

1. Open Schema Diff from the Tools menu
2. Select the source and target connections
3. View differences in tables, columns, indexes, and constraints
4. Differences are highlighted with add/remove/modify indicators

The Schema Diff service compares structural definitions and reports:

• Tables present in source but missing in target (and vice versa)
• Column differences (type changes, nullable changes, etc.)
• Index differences

Schema Cache

Tablen caches schema information for performance:

• Table names, column definitions, and foreign keys are cached
• Cache is invalidated when you reconnect or manually refresh
• The schema cache powers autocomplete suggestions in the Query Editor
• Cached data is stored in memory through the SchemaCache service

Foreign Key Navigation

Navigate through related tables using foreign keys:

• FK columns are indicated in the table structure view
• Clicking an FK value in the result table navigates to the referenced record
• The schema browser shows FK relationships in the sidebar when a table is expanded

Sidebar Operations

Expand/Collapse Tables

Click the disclosure triangle next to a table name to see its columns.

Drop Table

1. Right-click a table
2. Select "Drop Table"
3. Confirm the operation

Drop Table generates: DROP TABLE "tablename";
This is subject to Safe Mode confirmation if enabled.

Truncate Table

1. Right-click a table
2. Select "Truncate Table"
3. Confirm the operation

Truncate generates: TRUNCATE TABLE "tablename";
This is subject to Safe Mode confirmation if enabled.

Refresh Schema

Refresh the table list to pick up changes made outside Tablen:

• Use the refresh button in the sidebar
• Schema is also refreshed on reconnection

Focus Sidebar

• Shortcut: Cmd+L
• Moves keyboard focus to the sidebar for keyboard navigation
• Use arrow keys to navigate tables, Enter to select