> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://ngquct-refactor-inspector-field-layout.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Table Structure

> Browse and edit columns, indexes, foreign keys, triggers, and DDL with a visual structure editor

export const what_0 = "Column, index and key changes"

This is a DDL editor with a grid in front of it. Rename a column, add an index, change a key, and what you get is a pending `ALTER TABLE` you can read before it runs; the table on the server is untouched until you apply it.

<Frame caption="Table structure view">
  <img className="block dark:hidden" src="https://mintcdn.com/ngquct-refactor-inspector-field-layout/GELZbb49dl8pWtXY/images/table-structure.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=GELZbb49dl8pWtXY&q=85&s=e973b81bd7770f0eaa7a299a43c41f1b" alt="Table Structure" width="1560" height="960" data-path="images/table-structure.png" />

  <img className="hidden dark:block" src="https://mintcdn.com/ngquct-refactor-inspector-field-layout/GELZbb49dl8pWtXY/images/table-structure-dark.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=GELZbb49dl8pWtXY&q=85&s=a3aac83b84c9cd805d9bca6b24349906" alt="Table Structure" width="1560" height="960" data-path="images/table-structure-dark.png" />
</Frame>

Open a table and switch the result view to **Structure**, or right-click it in the sidebar and choose **Show Structure**.

The tabs are **Columns**, **Indexes**, **Foreign Keys**, **Constraints**, **Triggers**, **DDL**, and **Parts** (ClickHouse only); the first five carry item counts. A tab the engine has no concept of is hidden: ClickHouse has no Foreign Keys, Redshift no Triggers, Redis no Constraints. Every grid has a filter field, and clicking a header sorts.

## Columns tab

Columns are edited in place. **Nullable**, **Primary Key**, and **Auto Inc** are YES/NO dropdowns; **Primary Key** set to YES forces **Nullable** to NO and holds it there until the key comes back off. **Type** opens a picker of the engine's types by category: search to filter, or type a parametric value such as `VARCHAR(255)` and press Return to use it as written. On PostgreSQL and PGlite the picker opens with a **User-Defined** group of the database's enums, composites, domains and ranges, each listed schema-qualified as `sales.status`. See [User-Defined Types](/features/user-defined-types).

Which remaining columns appear is the driver's choice. **Comment** is there on most engines and writes the column comment. MySQL and MariaDB add **Charset**, **Collation**, and **On Update**; **On Update** set to YES on a `TIMESTAMP` or `DATETIME` column adds `ON UPDATE CURRENT_TIMESTAMP` at that column's own precision, so `TIMESTAMP(6)` gets `ON UPDATE CURRENT_TIMESTAMP(6)`.

### Generated columns

PostgreSQL, CockroachDB, PGlite, MySQL, MariaDB and SQLite add two more fields. **Generated** is a menu of Not generated, STORED and VIRTUAL; **Expression** holds the SQL the value is computed from. Set both on a new row and the column is created as `GENERATED ALWAYS AS (expression)`.

The keyword is always written out. PostgreSQL 17 and earlier accept STORED only, PostgreSQL 18 made VIRTUAL the default, and MySQL and MariaDB default to VIRTUAL, so leaving it implicit would mean different columns on different servers.

<Frame caption="Generated column fields on the Columns tab">
  <img className="block dark:hidden" src="https://mintcdn.com/ngquct-refactor-inspector-field-layout/GELZbb49dl8pWtXY/images/structure-generated-columns.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=GELZbb49dl8pWtXY&q=85&s=8dda7ee5ec09eb71e2c2801a7f651ad1" alt="A column row with Generated set to VIRTUAL and an Expression beside it" width="1560" height="960" data-path="images/structure-generated-columns.png" />

  <img className="hidden dark:block" src="https://mintcdn.com/ngquct-refactor-inspector-field-layout/GELZbb49dl8pWtXY/images/structure-generated-columns-dark.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=GELZbb49dl8pWtXY&q=85&s=818a383cdb1445e36b930f8ad77e9d21" alt="A column row with Generated set to VIRTUAL and an Expression beside it" width="1560" height="960" data-path="images/structure-generated-columns-dark.png" />
</Frame>

Two limits apply to a column that already exists. Switching **Generated** on it is refused by every engine: drop the column and add it back to make it generated, which discards its data. On SQLite, a column added to a populated table is VIRTUAL; `ALTER TABLE` refuses `cannot add a STORED column` there, so STORED is reachable only when the table is created.

<Frame caption="Type picker popover">
  <img className="block dark:hidden" src="https://mintcdn.com/ngquct-refactor-inspector-field-layout/GELZbb49dl8pWtXY/images/structure-type-picker.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=GELZbb49dl8pWtXY&q=85&s=3a55de2be52e9d9248e1deec45009113" alt="Type picker popover" width="1560" height="960" data-path="images/structure-type-picker.png" />

  <img className="hidden dark:block" src="https://mintcdn.com/ngquct-refactor-inspector-field-layout/GELZbb49dl8pWtXY/images/structure-type-picker-dark.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=GELZbb49dl8pWtXY&q=85&s=65b88ae232887e41bdf8ddd006225c75" alt="Type picker popover" width="1560" height="960" data-path="images/structure-type-picker-dark.png" />
</Frame>

Add a column with **+** at the right of the status bar or `Cmd+Shift+N`. Select rows and click **-** or press `Delete` to mark them for removal.

Flag **Primary Key** on one column, or several for a composite key in one `PRIMARY KEY (col1, col2)` clause. On an existing table that becomes a drop of the old constraint followed by an add.

Drag a column row to reorder it, or right-click one and choose **Move Column Up** or **Move Column Down**. Both are dimmed with the reason spelled out under them while unsaved changes exist, while the list is filtered or sorted, on a view, and on an engine that cannot change column order.

What the drag does depends on the engine:

| Engine                                          | What happens                                                                                                                                                                                        |
| ----------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| MySQL, MariaDB, ClickHouse                      | Runs `ALTER TABLE … MODIFY COLUMN … FIRST \| AFTER` straight away. No rows are read or written                                                                                                      |
| Oracle                                          | Runs a pair of `MODIFY (col INVISIBLE)` and `MODIFY (col VISIBLE)` statements per column that has to move, which appends it to the end of the order. Needs Oracle 12.1. No rows are read or written |
| SQLite, local-file libSQL                       | Shows the rebuild script, and runs it when you confirm. The table is recreated in the wanted order, the rows are copied, and the indexes and triggers are put back                                  |
| PostgreSQL, Turso, remote libSQL, Cloudflare D1 | Shows the rebuild script for you to read and run. TablePro does not run it: the script ends in `DROP TABLE`, and what it cannot carry over is listed above it                                       |

Everything that runs goes to query history rather than the change queue.

## Indexes tab

| Field         | Description                                                                                                            |
| ------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Columns**   | Indexed columns. Multi-column indexes list several columns in one row. MySQL prefix lengths are written as `email(20)` |
| **Type**      | BTREE, HASH, FULLTEXT, SPATIAL (MySQL), GIN, GIST, BRIN (PostgreSQL)                                                   |
| **Unique**    | Whether the index enforces uniqueness                                                                                  |
| **Condition** | `WHERE` predicate for partial indexes (PostgreSQL)                                                                     |

## Foreign keys tab

| Field                       | Description                                                    |
| --------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Columns**                 | Local column(s)                                                |
| **Ref Table / Ref Columns** | Referenced table and column(s)                                 |
| **Ref Schema**              | Referenced schema, for cross-schema references                 |
| **On Delete / On Update**   | Dropdowns: NO ACTION, RESTRICT, CASCADE, SET NULL, SET DEFAULT |

Right-click a foreign key and choose **Open \[table]** to jump to the referenced table. Right-click any row in these three grids for **Copy** (the cell under the pointer), **Copy Name**, **Copy Definition**, **Copy As** (CSV, JSON, SQL), **Duplicate**, and **Delete** (`Delete`). A row already marked for deletion offers **Undo Delete**. The same menu appears whether or not the row was already selected, and its row commands act on the whole selection.

## Constraints tab

Check constraints are table-level, so a rule spanning two columns is one row here rather than something hidden on a column.

| Field          | Description                                  |
| -------------- | -------------------------------------------- |
| **Name**       | Constraint name, used to drop or rename it   |
| **Expression** | The condition every row must satisfy         |
| **Columns**    | Columns the expression references, read-only |

<Frame caption="Constraints tab">
  <img className="block dark:hidden" src="https://mintcdn.com/ngquct-refactor-inspector-field-layout/GELZbb49dl8pWtXY/images/structure-constraints.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=GELZbb49dl8pWtXY&q=85&s=e76372e449efb62ac52799bcd440feae" alt="Two check constraints, one of them spanning two columns" width="2804" height="1830" data-path="images/structure-constraints.png" />

  <img className="hidden dark:block" src="https://mintcdn.com/ngquct-refactor-inspector-field-layout/GELZbb49dl8pWtXY/images/structure-constraints-dark.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=GELZbb49dl8pWtXY&q=85&s=7fe2a762f70a95cf98da5dd6f83ca709" alt="Two check constraints, one of them spanning two columns" width="2804" height="1830" data-path="images/structure-constraints-dark.png" />
</Frame>

**Columns** is filled from the catalog on PostgreSQL and SQL Server. MySQL, MariaDB and SQLite publish no such catalog, so the cell stays empty there.

Renaming a constraint runs a single `RENAME CONSTRAINT` where the engine has one. Changing the expression drops and re-adds it, because no engine can alter a check in place. Both the re-add and a brand-new constraint scan every existing row and fail if any row violates the rule, so a failed save means the data disagrees with the constraint.

The tab is hidden on engines with no check constraints. SQL Server lists and edits them, but has computed columns rather than generated ones, so it gets this tab and not the two column fields.

SQLite is the one engine where listing and editing part company. The tab appears on every version, but **+** and **-** need SQLite 3.53.0 or later, the release that added `ADD CONSTRAINT` and `DROP CONSTRAINT` to `ALTER TABLE`. The driver links the system SQLite, so the version is the one macOS ships. On an older one the constraints still list, read-only.

## Saving changes

Nothing here reaches the server on its own. {what_0} queue on the tab, the toolbar counts them,
**Preview SQL** (`Cmd+Shift+P`) shows the statements they will produce, and `Cmd+S` runs them.

[Change Tracking](/features/change-tracking) covers the queue, undo (`Cmd+Z`) and redo (`Cmd+Shift+Z`). A save runs on the tab's own connection, database, and schema, the ones it was opened on, and never moves the sidebar or the toolbar.

* **Save Changes** (`Cmd+S` or the toolbar checkmark) applies the queue. Changes that can lose data, dropping a column, changing a type, adding NOT NULL, changing the primary key, first show a confirmation listing each one.
* **Preview SQL** (`Cmd+Shift+P`) shows the generated statements without executing them.

The queue outlives everything short of an explicit discard: closing the tab, closing the window, quitting, and **Refresh** all ask first. A save that never reaches the server leaves the tab open with its queue intact.

<Frame caption="Generated DDL preview">
  <img className="block dark:hidden" src="https://mintcdn.com/ngquct-refactor-inspector-field-layout/dVn-gILXlhQ7lA6L/images/schema-change-preview.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=dVn-gILXlhQ7lA6L&q=85&s=a63d4e718602313fac6180280ed30554" alt="Schema change preview with ALTER TABLE statements" width="1560" height="960" data-path="images/schema-change-preview.png" />

  <img className="hidden dark:block" src="https://mintcdn.com/ngquct-refactor-inspector-field-layout/dVn-gILXlhQ7lA6L/images/schema-change-preview-dark.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=dVn-gILXlhQ7lA6L&q=85&s=c74a529b01be571027d06f6427dfa6ec" alt="Schema change preview with ALTER TABLE statements" width="1560" height="960" data-path="images/schema-change-preview-dark.png" />
</Frame>

A save runs on a connection of its own, so it never joins a transaction you have left open in a query tab.

### When one statement fails

A save is often several statements, run in order. Engines with transactional DDL roll the whole set back; MySQL, MariaDB, and Oracle commit each one as it runs, so everything before the failure has landed while the queue still holds all of it. An **Error Applying Changes** sheet reports what the server said: refresh before saving again, or the second save replays work the server already did.

## Triggers tab

Lists **Name**, **Timing** (BEFORE, AFTER, INSTEAD OF), **Event** (INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE), and **Enabled** where the engine reports it. Select one to read its `CREATE TRIGGER` statement from the catalog, with **Copy** and **Open in Editor**. **New Trigger**, **Edit**, and **Delete** sit in the action bar; the editor opens the trigger's real DDL, including the trigger function on PostgreSQL. Trigger changes run on their own connection, like a structure save.

<Info>
  Triggers are available for MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, SQLite, SQL Server, Oracle, libSQL, and Cloudflare D1; the tab is hidden elsewhere. Oracle does not return the trigger body, so the viewer and the editor start from the trigger header alone.
</Info>

## DDL tab

Read-only `CREATE TABLE` with syntax highlighting and font size controls. **Copy**, **Export** as a `.sql` file, and **Open in Editor** send it onward. On PostgreSQL the `CREATE SEQUENCE` and `CREATE TYPE … AS ENUM` statements the table depends on are prepended, so the script runs on an empty database.

## Parts tab (ClickHouse)

Lists partitions and parts from `system.parts`. **Optimize** merges parts; **Drop Partition** and **Detach Partition** act on the selected partition. Detached data stays on disk and is unreadable until it is re-attached.

## Creating a new table

Choose **Database > New Table…**, or right-click empty space in the sidebar and choose **New Table…**. The tab holds a **Table Name** field (with Engine, Charset, and Collation pickers on MySQL and MariaDB), the same three editing grids, and a **SQL Preview** tab carrying the live `CREATE TABLE`. **Create Table** (`Cmd+Enter` or `Cmd+S`) executes it and opens the new table.

<Info>
  Visual table creation is supported for MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, PGlite, SQLite, SQL Server, ClickHouse, DuckDB, Oracle, Snowflake, libSQL, Cloudflare D1, Trino, Teradata, and Dameng.
</Info>

## MongoDB collections

MongoDB structure is read-only, and inferred from the collection's first 200 documents: top-level field names are unioned across the sample, and each field takes its most common BSON type. `_id` comes first, marked as the primary key. The DDL tab shows indexes as `createIndex()` commands for `mongosh`, plus the validator and capped-collection options where present.

## Limitations

* **Changing a primary key on an existing table** works on MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, PGlite, SQL Server, DuckDB, Snowflake, and Dameng. Elsewhere the dropdown accepts the edit and the save produces nothing for it: rebuild the table by hand.
* **Check constraints and generated columns** have no field in the grid. Both show in the DDL tab; change them by running DDL yourself.
* **SQLite**: a column can be added, dropped, and renamed. No other column change generates SQL.
* **Cassandra / ScyllaDB**: add and drop column only, no index editing, no visual table creation.
* **Redshift, CockroachDB, BigQuery, Elasticsearch, Typesense, SurrealDB, Beancount**: structure is read-only.
* **Redis, etcd, DynamoDB**: no table schema to edit.

## Refreshing

**Database > Refresh** (`Cmd+R`) or the toolbar refresh button reloads structure from the server; changes made through TablePro refresh on their own. A refresh reads the tab's own database and schema, not the sidebar's current selection.
