Databases

Last modified: July 8, 2025

Database Explorer allows you to manage databases using the shortcut menu. When you right-click a database, you can execute the shortcut menu commands to perform specific tasks, such as creating or editing a database, source-controlling a database, running data operations, backing up or restoring operations, etc.

Create a database

To create a database:

1. In Database Explorer, right-click a database and select New Database.

2. In Database Editor that opens, specify the database details. For more information, see Work with Database Editor.

3. At the bottom of Database Editor, select Apply Changes to save the database.

Edit a database

To edit a database:

1. In Database Explorer, right-click the database you want to edit and select Edit Database.

2. In Database Editor that opens, update the database details. For more information, see Work with Database Editor.

Note

You cannot update a database name.

3. At the bottom of Database Editor, select Apply Changes to save and apply the changes made to the database.

Delete a database

To delete a database:

1. In Database Explorer, right-click the database you want to delete and select Delete. Alternatively, press Del.

2. In the Delete Database confirmation dialog that opens, select OK to confirm the deletion of the database.

Note

You cannot undo the drop database operation, as it permanently deletes all data and the database structure. It is recommended that you back up the database before deleting it. For instructions, see How to back up a SQL Server database.

Create a database object

To create a database object:

1. In Database Explorer, right-click the database and select New Object > choose an object type, for example, Table, View.

2. Specify the object details in the corresponding Object Editor, for example, Table Editor, View Editor.

Note

Object Editor varies based on the selected object type.

3. At the bottom of Object Editor, select Apply Changes to save and apply the changes made to the database.

Link a database to source control

dbForge Studio allows you to link databases to a source control repository in the following systems:

• Subversion (SVN)
• Microsoft Azure DevOps (Team Foundation Version Control (TFVC))
• Git (including GitHub, GitLab, BitBucket, Azure DevOps)
• Perforce (P4)
• Mercurial
• SourceGear Vault

To link a database to a repository:

1. In Database Explorer, right-click the database you want to link and select Source Control > Link Database to Source Control.

2. In the Link Database to Source Control dialog that opens, specify the repository details.

3. Depending on the source control system you want to link to, follow the steps from the corresponding topics:

• Link a database to a Git repository:
  • GitHub
  • Azure DevOps
  • BitBucket
  • GitLab
• Link a database to TFVC
• Link a database to SVN
• Link a database to SourceGear Vault
• Link a database to a Perforce repository
• Link a database to a Mercurial repository
• Link a database to Plastic SCM and other systems

4. In the Link Database to Source Control dialog, select the database development model and select Link to link the database to the source control system.

Find an object

To find an object in the database:

1. In Database Explorer, right-click the database where you want to search for an object and select Find Object. Alternatively, press Ctrl+D,F.

2. In the Search window, switch to the Search objects by name and DDL mode and enter the search string.

3. Follow the steps from How to search for database objects.

Shortcut menu commands

The following table describes the shortcut menu commands, which appear when you right-click a database in Database Explorer.

Name	Description
New SQL	Opens a new SQL document.
Tasks > Back Up	Opens the Backup wizard to make a backup of the selected database.
Tasks > Restore	Opens the Restore wizard to restore a database backup or copy the database from one server to another.
Tasks > Detach Database	Opens the Detach Database dialog to detach a database in SQL Server.
Tasks > Copy Database	Opens the Copy Database dialog to copy a database from one SQL Server database engine to another.
Tasks > Take Offline	Temporarily disconnects a database from the SQL Server instance.
Tasks > Bring Online	Reconnects a disconnected database in the SQL Server instance.
Tasks > Generate Scripts	Opens the Generate Scripts Wizard to generate a database script.
Tasks > Create Scripts Folder or Snapshot	Open the Create Scripts Folder or Snapshot dialog to create a scripts folder or a database snapshot.
Tasks > Find Invalid Objects	Opens the Find Invalid Objects document to search for invalid objects in multiple databases. Alternatively, press Ctrl+Alt+F.
Tasks > New Schema Comparison	Opens the New Schema Comparison dialog to set up and run schema comparison.
Tasks > New Data Comparison	Opens the New Data Comparison dialog to set up and run data comparison.
Tasks > Export Data	Opens the Data Export wizard to export data to a file with the supported file extension.
Tasks > Import Data	Opens the Data Import wizard to import data from a file into a database.
Tasks > New Data Generation	Opens the Data Generator Project Properties dialog to configure and generate the database documentation file.
Tasks > Manage Database Encryption	Opens the Manage Database Encryption dialog to configure Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) for a database.
Tasks > Manage Index Fragmentation	Opens the Index Manager document to analyze SQL indexes by collecting index fragmentation statistics and detecting databases that require maintenance.
Unit Test > Add New Test	Opens the Add New Test dialog to create a unit test for a specific database.
Unit Test > View Test List	Opens the Test List Manager to view unit tests in the database.
Unit Test > Run All Tests	Runs all tests for the selected database and displays test results in the Test Results pane.
Unit Test > Install Test Framework	Opens the Install Test Framework dialog to install a test framework.
Unit Test > Uninstall Test Framework	Uninstalls the selected test framework.
Duplicate Object	Opens the Duplicate Object dialog to copy object structure and/or data.
Generate Script As	Generates a script of the selected database using the CREATE, DROP, DROP and CREATE, SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, INSERT/UPDATE STORED PROCEDURE, or CRUD statements. The script can be saved to a new SQL document or a file, or copied to the clipboard.
Show Details	Opens Object Viewer to view object details.
Refresh	Updates the object to reflect the latest changes. Alternatively, press F5.
Properties	Opens the Properties pane to view the object information. Alternatively, press F4.