Design and Manage Vertica Databases Visually with DbSchema

DbSchema lets you design, manage, and document Vertica databases. Create ER diagrams, define tables and columns, and generate SQL scripts - with or without a live database connection.

Use Git to share the design, compare it with the Vertica database, and deploy changes. DbSchema also includes a data editor, query builder, and HTML5 documentation - everything you need in one tool.

DbSchema Database Designer

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Visualizing Vertica's Columnar Schema Structure

Vertica is a massively parallel, columnar analytical database that physically stores data through a projection system — each table can have multiple projections with different sort orders and segmentation strategies. At the logical layer, Vertica schemas contain tables, views, sequences, and user-defined objects. DbSchema connects to Vertica and renders this logical schema as an ER diagram, giving analytics engineers a clear picture of table relationships, column definitions, and view dependencies across each Vertica schema. This visual reference makes it easier to understand query routing and plan schema modifications in a large analytical deployment.

Design Vertica Schemas in the Visual Editor

DbSchema's diagram editor lets you create and modify Vertica tables by editing entities directly on the canvas. Column types, NOT NULL constraints, and FK relationships are managed through a point-and-click interface, with DbSchema generating the corresponding Vertica-compatible DDL for review.

Designing a Vertica analytical schema visually in DbSchema

Write and Run Vertica SQL

The SQL editor in DbSchema supports Vertica SQL syntax with syntax highlighting and result tabulation. Run analytical queries — window functions, time-series aggregations, approximate queries — directly against the Vertica cluster from a desktop client without needing the vsql command-line tool.

Writing and running analytical SQL against a Vertica cluster in DbSchema

Document Vertica Schemas for the Analytics Team

DbSchema generates schema documentation as self-contained HTML with embedded diagrams and full table definitions. Analytics teams use this to maintain a browsable reference for the Vertica data model that is accessible without a live database connection or Vertica client installation.

Auto-generated Vertica schema documentation with ER diagrams in DbSchema

Connecting DbSchema to Vertica

Vertica's default JDBC port is 5433. Download the Vertica JDBC driver from the Vertica client drivers download page and register it via DbSchema's driver manager. The JDBC URL format is jdbc:vertica://host:5433/dbname. Ensure the Vertica node's firewall permits inbound TCP connections on port 5433 from the client machine running DbSchema. For multi-node clusters, connecting to any node is sufficient; Vertica routes the session internally.

Why Teams Use DbSchema with Vertica

  • Visualize Vertica table and view relationships as navigable ER diagrams
  • Write and execute Vertica SQL with syntax support from a desktop SQL editor
  • Generate schema documentation for the analytics team and data consumers
  • Compare schemas between Vertica environments and generate migration DDL
  • Design schema modifications visually before applying them to production clusters