Relational Data Editor

The Relational Data Editor lets you browse and edit data across multiple related tables simultaneously. Selecting a row in a parent table automatically filters and displays the matching child records — you can cascade through an unlimited number of tables in a single view.

The editor relies on foreign keys to navigate between tables. If your schema has no foreign keys, create virtual foreign keys by dragging one column onto another in the diagram. Virtual foreign keys are saved to the model file and work exactly like real foreign keys in the editor.

Relational Data Editor showing cascaded tables

Opening the Relational Data Editor

  • Editors menu — choose New Relational Data Editor to open a blank editor
  • Table header right-click — right-click any table header in the diagram and choose Open in Relational Data Editor

The editor opens in the Tools panel at the bottom of the screen. To descend into a child table, click the foreign key button on the table header panel. Each child table appears as an additional pane, filtered to match the selected row in the parent.

Virtual Foreign Keys

If your schema lacks foreign keys, you can still use the Relational Data Editor by creating virtual foreign keys. Drag a column from one table onto the related column in another table in the diagram. The virtual relationship is stored in the model file and used by the editor for cascaded navigation.

Creating a virtual foreign key in the diagram

Navigating Between Records

Click any row in a parent table pane to update all child panes instantly. The child panes reload to show only the records related to the selected parent row via the foreign key. You can continue cascading into grandchild tables as many levels deep as needed.

Filtering Data

Click a column header in any pane to open the filter dialog for that column. Set the condition and value to narrow the displayed rows. Filters can be applied to multiple columns at the same time.

Inserting, Editing, and Deleting Records

  • Insert — click the Insert button in the table footer to add a new row; fill in the fields in the edit form
  • Edit — click the Edit button, or double-click any cell, to modify an existing record inline
  • Delete — select a row and click the Delete button to remove it

Changes require a Commit to be persisted to the database. Use the Rollback button to discard pending changes.

Viewing and Uploading Images and Blob Data

Right-click a cell in a BLOB or binary column and choose View Data to open the content in an external application. Specify a file extension (e.g., .jpg, .pdf, .docx) and the content is saved to a temporary file and opened with the default application registered for that extension on your system. You can also upload a new file to replace the stored BLOB value.

Dropping the Editor

To remove a Relational Data Editor, right-click it in the structure tree under Diagrams and choose Drop. When you close the editor, DbSchema asks whether to preserve it in the design model for later use or drop it permanently.