How to view a data schema

ThoughtSpot has a Schema Viewer though which you can examine the database schema. It is interactive and configurable, so you can see the level of detail that is relevant to your work.

You must have Admin privileges to use the Schema Viewer.

Accessing the Schema Viewer for all objects

  1. Select the Data tab in the top menu.

  2. Select Utilities from the side navigation bar.

  3. Select Open schema viewer.

  4. When the schema appears, you can see that you can control the visible part of the schema.

    Schema viewer. There is a 1 next to the [All | Yours] option. There is a 2 next to the [All types | Worksheets | Tables | Views] option. There is a 3 next to the tags option.
    Legend Action

    1.

    See either All (Default), or Yours.

    2.

    See either All types (Default), Worksheets, Tables, or Views.

    3.

    Select artifacts tagged with tags.

  5. The list of tables and Worksheets on the left changes as you select the various filters. The schema view focus changes in tandem.

  6. To center the view panel on a specific table, Worksheet, or view, select that object.

    You can also drag the objects around in the viewer to position them better.

Accessing Schema Viewer for a single Worksheet, table, or view

You can now see the schema for each object for tables, Worksheets, or views.

  1. Select the Data tab in the top menu.

  2. From the list of objects, select one. Here, we selected the Worksheet West Regional Sales.

  3. At the top of the Worksheet, select the Joins tab.

  4. The join information and the schema for the Worksheet appear.

    Join and schema view for a single object

Why use the Schema Viewer

You can use the Schema Viewer to discover the following information:

  • What is the relationship between two tables?

  • What tables make up this Worksheet, and how are they joined?

The schema viewer shows joins between tables, join directionality, and join type.

How the Schema Viewer shows joins

You can use the Schema Viewer to review your schema and ensure that it was modeled using best practices. For example, joins appear in different colors to distinguish their type:

  • Red is used for generic relationships

  • Green is used for primary key/foreign key joins

When viewing a Worksheet, you can also see what joins connect the tables: the inner, left outer, right outer, or full outer joins

A good rule to follow is "Keep it Green". This means that you can get better results from PK/FK joins rather than from using generic relationships. You should only use generic relationships when the tables being joined have a many-to-many rather than a PK/FK structure. If you find tables that have been joined using a generic relationship, but could have used a PK/FK join, you should drop the relationship and create a PK/FK join instead.

Worksheet view

Worksheets are often based on more than one table. The Worksheet schema will show schemas for the tables behind the Worksheet, as well as the joins between tables that were created as a part of the worksheet.

Select a Worksheet, to see it in the Schema Viewer. If the schema view is not showing the schema behind the Worksheet, double-click the tab on the upper right of the Worksheet object.

Schema viewer for a specific object

The Worksheet view shows the following information:

  • All tables in the Worksheet, and the relationships between these tables.

  • Source columns for all columns of a Worksheet.

  • Keys and definitions for each relationship, as well as join paths and types.

  • Columns that are derived from formulas.

  • Correct join paths for newly created chasm trap Worksheets.

Worksheet schema view

Related information

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