Tables and columns
Right-click a table and choose Open Structure, or right-click a database and choose + New table to create one.
The structure tabs
| Tab | Contents |
|---|---|
| Columns | Name, type, nullable, primary key, default, comment, auto increment, collation, on update, extra |
| Indexes | Name, columns, unique flag, index type |
| Foreign keys | Constraints referencing other tables |
| SQL | The CREATE TABLE statement |
| Options | Engine, character set and other table-level options |
Editing columns
You can add a column, drop one, change an existing one's definition, and set the primary key. Each change is turned into the matching ALTER TABLE statement.
Changing a column type rewrites data
Narrowing a type — varchar(255) to varchar(50), bigint to int — can truncate or reject existing values, and on a large table the operation may lock it for a while. Check the SQL tab and try it on a copy first. Duplicate in the table right-click menu gives you that copy.
Indexes
Add an index over one or more columns and mark it unique when the data requires it. Indexes speed up reads and slow down writes; add them because a query needs one, and confirm with the profiler that the query actually uses it.
Table operations
From the right-click menu on a table:
| Action | What happens |
|---|---|
| Rename Table | Asks for the new name |
| Copy Table | Copies it to the clipboard, to be pasted into another database on the same connection |
| Duplicate | Creates a copy in the same database |
| Import into table | Opens the import wizard |
| Dump SQL file ▸ | Structure and data, or structure only |
| Truncate (reset AI) | Deletes all rows and resets auto-increment |
| Empty (DELETE FROM) | Deletes all rows, keeps the auto-increment counter |
| Drop Table | Removes the table entirely |
The last three ask for confirmation and name the table in the question. Truncate and empty differ only in the counter — if the next row must continue from the old numbering, use Empty.
Select several tables and the menu offers Drop N tables. On the Tables group node you can copy all tables at once, paste a copied table, or drop them all.
Copying tables between databases
Copy Table then Paste Table on the target database works within one connection. Across connections — or across engines — use Data transfer, which handles the type differences.