What is a database schema?
A database schema is the blueprint of how data is organised — the tables, the columns in each table, their types, and how tables relate to each other. iDBQuery reads your schema automatically when you connect a source, so it knows the structure of your data before you ask anything.
Every database has a shape. The schema is that shape: which tables exist, what columns each one holds, the data type of each column, and the keys and relationships that link tables together. Understanding the schema is the prerequisite for asking anything meaningful — you can't query data you don't understand the structure of.
When you connect a source to iDBQuery, it inspects the schema for you and stores a memory of it. That captured structure is what lets iDBQuery write correct queries from a plain-language question: it knows which table holds customers, which column holds the order date, and how to join the two.
Schemas in the real world are often messy — cryptic table names, undocumented columns, relationships that aren't formally declared. iDBQuery handles this in two ways:
- Introspection — it reads the structure directly from the source rather than relying on documentation.
- A semantic layer — it maps the raw schema onto the business terms you actually use, so `tbl_cust_03` can answer a question about "customers."
The result is that you never have to learn or describe your own schema to get an answer — iDBQuery already knows it.
Updated 2026-06-22