DbSchema Diagrams

What is a Diagram?

In the DbSchema tool, the diagram is the visual canvas of your project: tables and their relationships, arranged the way you want, with optional notes and callouts. The same table can appear in more than one diagram.

Everything you see is saved in a single .dbs project file (XML format), which you can reopen anytime.

DbSchema ER diagram overview

Get Your First Diagram

Connect to reverse engineer an initial diagram (tables + foreign keys), or start offline and sync later.

Read more → Reverse engineer

Tables

Design tables visually: create from the canvas/toolbar, drag from the tree, and edit inline. Show columns, primary keys, and (optionally) data types right in the box.

Read more → Tables

Table with columns, primary key, and data types
New Table
Primary Key
Data Types
Columns

Relationships

Link tables with foreign keys so the model reflects real data links. Create by dragging from a child column to a parent key or from table properties.

Read more → Foreign keys

Foreign key between two tables
Parent (PK)
Child (FK)
FK line

Virtual foreign keys: add relationships only in the project even if the database doesn’t declare them. They improve readability and joins, without changing the physical schema.

Read more → Virtual FKs

Virtual foreign key in the diagram
Virtual FK
Only in DbSchema Model

Fast Browse Table Data

Preview rows without leaving the diagram: hold SHIFT + CTRL and click the table header to open the Relational Data Editor.

Read more → Relational Data Editor

Fast browse table data from the diagram
Quick Data View

Grouping

Cluster related tables (for example, those sharing foreign keys) into named, colored groups you can move as a unit.

Read more → Grouping

Grouping related tables
Group title

Arrange

Drag to reposition, use snap/align guides, or run auto-arrange - especially handy right after reverse engineering.

Read more → Arrange

Auto-arranged diagram
<- From this mess to this->
/>

Multiple Diagrams per Project

Keep separate views for different areas (Orders, Customers, Reporting). Each diagram keeps its own positions and visibility.

Read more → Views

Multiple Diagrams
Multiple Diagrams

Notes & Callouts

Add short explanations next to the design; they’re saved with the project and appear in generated docs.

Read more → Documentation

Notes and callouts

Export & Share

Export diagrams as image or PDF, publish interactive HTML5 docs, or generate Markdown. Share the project via Git with your team.

Read more → Export

HTML5 interactive schema documentation.

Good to know

Diagrams are a visual layer over your schema: arrange, group, and annotate freely without changing the database.

Virtual foreign keys and notes live in the .dbs project (XML) - great for clarity and team reviews.

You can design offline and sync later; the same table can appear in multiple diagrams for different audiences.