Using the Connections Tree

The Connections Tree is your visual gateway to exploring and managing your database objects. This guide will help you navigate servers, databases, schemas, tables, and more.

Overview

The Connections Tree is located on the left side of LuceData and displays:

🗄️ Database connections (servers)
💾 Databases within each server
📁 Schemas (namespaces for database objects)
📊 Tables, views, functions, procedures
🔑 Indexes, keys, constraints, triggers

Tree Structure

SQL Server Hierarchy

📡 Connection Name (SQL Server)
  └─ 💾 Database1
      ├─ 📁 Tables
      │   ├─ 📊 dbo.Users
      │   │   ├─ 📋 Columns
      │   │   │   ├─ 🔑 UserId (PK)
      │   │   │   ├─ 📝 Username
      │   │   │   └─ 📝 Email
      │   │   ├─ 🗝️ Keys
      │   │   │   ├─ PK_Users (Primary Key)
      │   │   │   └─ FK_Orders (Foreign Key)
      │   │   ├─ 📑 Indexes
      │   │   │   └─ IX_Username
      │   │   ├─ ⚡ Triggers
      │   │   │   └─ trg_Users_Update
      │   │   └─ 🔒 Constraints
      │   │       └─ CK_Email_Format
      │   └─ 📊 dbo.Orders
      ├─ 👁️ Views
      │   └─ 👁️ dbo.vw_ActiveUsers
      ├─ ⚙️ Stored Procedures
      │   └─ ⚙️ dbo.sp_GetUsers
      ├─ 🔧 Functions
      │   ├─ 🔧 dbo.fn_GetUserCount (Scalar)
      │   └─ 🔧 dbo.fn_GetUserList (Table)
      └─ 📁 Schemas
          ├─ dbo
          ├─ sales
          └─ hr
  └─ 💾 Database2

PostgreSQL Hierarchy

📡 Connection Name (PostgreSQL)
  └─ 💾 Database1
      ├─ 📁 Schemas
      │   ├─ public
      │   │   ├─ 📊 Tables
      │   │   │   └─ 📊 users
      │   │   ├─ 👁️ Views
      │   │   ├─ 🔧 Functions
      │   │   └─ 📊 Sequences
      │   └─ custom
      └─ 🔧 Extensions
          ├─ pg_stat_statements
          └─ uuid-ossp

SQLite Hierarchy

📡 Connection Name (SQLite)
  └─ 💾 main
      ├─ 📊 Tables
      │   ├─ 📊 users
      │   └─ 📊 orders
      ├─ 👁️ Views
      ├─ 🗝️ Indexes
      └─ ⚡ Triggers

Basic Navigation

Expanding and Collapsing

Expand:

Click the ▶ arrow next to an item
Or double-click the item

Collapse:

Click the ▼ arrow next to an expanded item
Or double-click the expanded item

Keyboard Shortcuts:

→ (Right Arrow): Expand selected item
← (Left Arrow): Collapse selected item
↑ / ↓: Navigate up/down
Enter: Expand/collapse or perform default action

Refreshing the Tree

To refresh the database structure:

Right-click on any level (connection, database, or schema)
Select "Refresh"
The tree will reload and show the latest structure

Keyboard Shortcut: Cmd+R (macOS) or Ctrl+R (Windows)

💡 Tip: Refresh after making schema changes in another tool to see updates.

Working with Connections

Connect/Disconnect

Connect:

Click the plug icon next to the connection name
Or right-click → "Connect"

Disconnect:

Click the connected plug icon
Or right-click → "Disconnect"

💡 Auto-connect: Connections marked as "favorite" will connect automatically on startup.

Favorite Connections

Mark frequently-used connections as favorites:

Right-click the connection
Select "Add to Favorites"
A ⭐ star appears next to the name

Benefits:

Auto-connect on startup (optional)
Appears at the top of the list
Quick access via Cmd+1, Cmd+2, etc.

Connection Status Indicators

Icon	Status	Meaning
🟢	Connected	Active connection
⚪	Disconnected	Not connected
🟡	Connecting	Connection in progress
🔴	Error	Connection failed

Working with Databases

Select a Database

Click on a database name to make it the active database. The active database is highlighted and used for:

New query tabs
AI Assistant context
Schema-aware autocomplete

Database Actions

Right-click a database to access:

New Query: Open a new query tab for this database
Refresh: Reload database objects
Properties: View database details (size, collation, etc.)
Backup (SQL Server): Initiate a backup
Set as Default: Make this the default for the connection

Database Properties

Right-click → "Properties" to view:

Database name and collation
Total size and available space
Creation date
Owner/users
Recovery model (SQL Server)

Working with Tables

View Table Structure

Expand a table to see:

Columns: Column names, data types, nullable status
Keys: Primary keys, foreign keys, unique keys
Indexes: Performance indexes
Triggers: Event-driven logic
Constraints: Check constraints, defaults

Table Actions

Right-click a table for:

Select Top 1000: Quick data preview
Edit Top 200: View and edit data inline
Script Table:
- CREATE: Generate table creation script
- SELECT: Generate SELECT statement
- INSERT: Generate INSERT template
- UPDATE: Generate UPDATE template
- DELETE: Generate DELETE template
Design Table: Visual table designer (coming soon)
View Dependencies: See what depends on this table
Properties: View table metadata

Quick Actions

Double-click a table to:

Open "SELECT TOP 1000" query automatically

Drag and drop a table into the query editor to:

Insert the table name at cursor position
Or generate a SELECT statement (hold Shift while dropping)

Working with Columns

Column Information

Hover over a column to see a tooltip with:

Data type
Nullability
Default value
Description (if available)

Column Actions

Right-click a column for:

Copy Name: Copy column name to clipboard
Copy Definition: Copy full definition (name + type)
Insert Name: Insert column name in active query
Find References: Search for column usage in procedures/views

Drag and Drop

Drag a column into the query editor to insert its name.

Drag multiple columns:

Hold Cmd (macOS) or Ctrl (Windows)
Click multiple columns
Drag them into the editor
They'll be inserted as a comma-separated list

Working with Keys and Indexes

Primary Keys 🔑

Identify unique row identifiers
Usually the first key listed
Marked with PK prefix

Foreign Keys 🔗

Show relationships between tables
Hover to see referenced table and column
Click to navigate to referenced table

Indexes 📑

Right-click an index for:

View Definition: See index columns and settings
Script Index: Generate CREATE INDEX statement
Rebuild (SQL Server): Rebuild fragmented index
Disable/Enable: Toggle index usage

Working with Views

View Actions

Right-click a view for:

Select Top 1000: Query the view
Script View:
- CREATE: Generate view creation script
- SELECT: Generate SELECT statement
View Definition: See the underlying SQL query
Modify: Edit the view (opens in editor)
Dependencies: See what the view depends on

Visual Indicators

👁️ Eye icon: Regular view
🔒 Lock + eye: Indexed/materialized view (if supported)

Working with Stored Procedures and Functions

Procedure/Function Actions

Right-click a procedure or function for:

Execute: Run the procedure (prompts for parameters)
Modify: Edit the procedure/function
Script:
- CREATE: Generate creation script
- ALTER: Generate alter script
- EXECUTE: Generate EXECUTE statement with parameter placeholders
View Definition: See the code
Drop: Delete the procedure/function (with confirmation)

Parameter Information

Expand a procedure/function to see:

Parameters: Name, data type, direction (IN/OUT)
Return Type (functions only)

Searching and Filtering

Quick Search

Click in the Connections Tree panel
Type to search (search box appears at top)
Results are filtered in real-time
Use ↑ / ↓ to navigate results
Press Esc to clear search

Search Features:

Case-insensitive
Matches table names, column names, procedures, etc.
Fuzzy matching (e.g., "usrtbl" matches "users_table")

Advanced Filter

Right-click in the tree → "Filter Objects" to:

Filter by object type (tables, views, procedures)
Filter by schema
Filter by name pattern (wildcards supported)
Hide system objects

Example Filters:

dbo.*: Show only dbo schema objects
*user*: Show objects with "user" in the name
tbl*: Show objects starting with "tbl"

Context Menus

Connection Context Menu

Right-click connection:

Connect/Disconnect
New Query
Refresh
Edit Connection
Duplicate Connection
Add to Favorites
Delete Connection
Properties

Database Context Menu

Right-click database:

New Query
Refresh
Set as Default
Backup (SQL Server)
Properties
Close Database (disconnect without closing connection)

Table Context Menu

Right-click table:

Select Top 1000
Edit Top 200
Script Table (CREATE, SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE)
Design Table
View Dependencies
Rename
Delete Table
Properties

Column Context Menu

Right-click column:

Copy Name
Copy Definition
Insert Name in Query
Find References
Modify Column

Keyboard Shortcuts

Action	macOS	Windows
Expand	`→`	`→`
Collapse	`←`	`←`
Navigate Up/Down	`↑` / `↓`	`↑` / `↓`
Refresh	`Cmd+R`	`Ctrl+R`
Search	Start typing	Start typing
New Query	`Cmd+N`	`Ctrl+N`
Toggle Panel	`Cmd+B`	`Ctrl+B`
Focus Tree	`Cmd+0`	`Ctrl+0`

Customization

Panel Width

Drag the right edge of the Connections panel to resize
Double-click the edge to auto-size

Sort Order

Right-click in tree → "Sort By":

Name (A-Z)
Name (Z-A)
Type
Date Modified (if available)

Display Options

Go to Settings → Connections Tree:

Show System Objects: Include system tables/views
Show Column Types: Display data types next to columns
Group by Schema: Group objects by schema (SQL Server/PostgreSQL)
Icon Style: Choose between detailed or simple icons
Tree Indentation: Adjust spacing

Tips and Tricks

💡 Quick Table Preview

Double-click any table to instantly see the first 1000 rows.

💡 Multi-Select

Hold Cmd (macOS) or Ctrl (Windows) to select multiple objects, then right-click for bulk actions.

💡 Copy Full Path

Cmd+Shift+C (or Ctrl+Shift+C) copies the full object path (e.g., DatabaseName.dbo.TableName).

💡 Navigate to Definition

Hold Cmd (macOS) or Ctrl (Windows) and click a foreign key to jump to the referenced table.

💡 Recent Objects

Access recently-used objects via View → Recent Objects or Cmd+E (macOS) / Ctrl+E (Windows).

💡 Pin Frequently-Used Objects

Right-click → "Pin" to keep objects at the top of the tree.

Troubleshooting

Tree Won't Expand

Refresh the connection (Cmd+R or Ctrl+R)
Check the connection is active (green indicator)
Verify you have permissions to view schema

Objects Not Appearing

Refresh the tree
Check Sort/Filter settings aren't hiding objects
Enable "Show System Objects" if looking for system tables
Verify the objects exist (check in another tool)

Slow Tree Loading

Reduce the number of open connections
Filter objects to show only what you need
Close unused databases
Check network latency for remote databases

Can't Find an Object

Use Quick Search (just start typing)
Check Filter settings
Verify you're looking in the correct database/schema
Refresh the tree

Next Steps

Now that you know how to navigate the Connections Tree:

✅ Using the Work Area - Write and execute queries
✅ Using the AI Assistant - Generate SQL with natural language
✅ Keyboard Shortcuts - Speed up your workflow

Need help? Contact us at support@lucedata.com