DBeaver for Multi-Database Management

DBeaver is a free, open-source universal database tool that connects to virtually any database — MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redis, SQLite, Oracle, SQL Server, and dozens more. It provides a consistent interface for SQL editing, visual schema design, data import/export, and administration across all your databases. This guide covers installation, configuration, and productive use of DBeaver for managing multiple database systems.

Installation

# Ubuntu/Debian (Community Edition)
sudo snap install dbeaver-ce

# Or download .deb package
wget https://dbeaver.io/files/dbeaver-ce_latest_amd64.deb
sudo dpkg -i dbeaver-ce_latest_amd64.deb

# macOS
brew install --cask dbeaver-community

# Windows — download from https://dbeaver.io/download/

Connecting to Databases

MySQL/MariaDB Connection

1. Click the "New Database Connection" button (plug icon)
2. Select MySQL from the list
3. Enter connection details: host, port (3306), database, username, password
4. On the "Driver properties" tab, set allowPublicKeyRetrieval=true if using MySQL 8+
5. Click "Test Connection" to verify, then "Finish"

PostgreSQL Connection

1. Select PostgreSQL from connection types
2. Enter host, port (5432), database, username, password
3. Check "Show all databases" on the PostgreSQL tab to see all databases in the navigator

SSH Tunnel Connection

For databases behind firewalls:

1. In the connection dialog, go to the "SSH" tab
2. Enable "Use SSH Tunnel"
3. Enter SSH host, port, username, and authentication (password or key file)
4. DBeaver creates the tunnel automatically when connecting

MongoDB Connection

1. Select MongoDB from NoSQL database types
2. Enter connection URI or individual fields
3. For replica sets, use the full connection string: mongodb://user:pass@node1,node2,node3/db?replicaSet=rs0

SQL Editor Features

DBeaver's SQL editor is powerful for daily database work:

• Auto-completion — Ctrl+Space for table/column names, functions, keywords
• Multi-statement execution — Ctrl+Enter executes current statement, Alt+X executes entire script
• Explain plan — Ctrl+Shift+E shows visual execution plan
• Format SQL — Ctrl+Shift+F reformats messy SQL
• Variables — use @variables in scripts that prompt for values at runtime
• Templates — type abbreviations and expand with Tab (e.g., "sf" → "SELECT * FROM")

-- Example: parameterized script
SELECT * FROM orders
WHERE customer_id = :customer_id
  AND created_at > :start_date
ORDER BY created_at DESC;
-- DBeaver prompts for customer_id and start_date when executed

Data Editing and Transfer

Visual Data Editor

Double-click any table to open the data editor grid. Features include:

• Inline editing — click a cell to modify, Ctrl+S to save
• Filtering — click the filter icon to add WHERE conditions
• Sorting — click column headers to sort
• Row coloring — set conditional formatting based on column values
• Blob/JSON viewer — click BLOB or JSON cells to view/edit in dedicated viewers

Data Transfer (Import/Export)

# Right-click a table → Export Data
# Supports: CSV, JSON, XML, HTML, SQL INSERT, XLSX
# Configure: encoding, delimiter, null representation, batch size

# Right-click a table → Import Data
# Supports: CSV, JSON, XML, XLSX
# Maps columns automatically, shows preview before import

Cross-Database Data Transfer

DBeaver can transfer data between different database types:

1. Right-click the source table → "Export Data"
2. Choose "Database Table(s)" as the target
3. Select the target database connection and table
4. Map columns between source and target
5. Execute the transfer

ER Diagrams

Generate visual entity-relationship diagrams:

1. Right-click a database or schema → "View Diagram"
2. DBeaver shows all tables with foreign key relationships
3. Drag tables to arrange, export as PNG or SVG
4. Create custom diagrams with selected tables only

Database Comparison

Compare schemas between databases (useful for staging vs. production):

1. Select two tables/schemas in the navigator
2. Right-click → "Compare/Migrate"
3. DBeaver shows structural differences and generates migration SQL

Task Automation

# DBeaver supports scheduled tasks:
# 1. Window → Preferences → Database → Tasks
# 2. Create a task: data export, SQL script, or data transfer
# 3. Schedule it with a cron expression
# 4. Tasks run in the background, even with DBeaver minimized

Connection Pooling and Performance

# In connection settings → Connection Settings tab:
# - Keep-Alive: enable for long-running connections
# - Auto-disconnect: set idle timeout to avoid abandoned connections
# - Transaction mode: Auto-commit for exploration, Manual for changes

# Performance tips:
# - Set "Max results" to limit large result sets (default 200 rows)
# - Use "Read data in background" for non-blocking result loading
# - Enable "Lazy loading" for tables with many columns

Useful DBeaver Shortcuts

• Ctrl+Enter — Execute current SQL statement
• Ctrl+Shift+E — Explain execution plan
• Ctrl+Shift+F — Format SQL
• Ctrl+Space — Auto-complete
• Ctrl+] — Navigate to table definition
• Ctrl+Shift+U — Convert selection to uppercase
• F4 — Open selected table's properties
• Alt+Up/Down — Move SQL line up/down

Best Practices

• Organize connections in folders by environment (Development, Staging, Production)
• Color-code production connections red to prevent accidental changes
• Use transaction mode "Manual" for production databases to review changes before committing
• Save frequently used queries as SQL bookmarks for quick access
• Use SSH tunnels instead of exposing database ports publicly
• Export connection configurations and share with team members via Projects
• Keep DBeaver updated for new driver versions and security patches