Configuration

Project and schema files#

Keep imported DBML modules inside the project so navigation and schema-aware completion can resolve them. Store diagram companion files alongside the schema to share layout state.

Live databases#

Configure the IDE’s database data source before using reverse engineering or live comparison. These workflows rely on database tooling in IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate or DataGrip and on the connection’s permissions.

dbdiagram CLI#

Install the official CLI with npm install -g dbdiagram using Node.js 22.14 or newer. The DBML editor’s dbdiagram context menu provides initialization, login, push, pull, publishing, and opening the linked diagram. Supply an absolute CLI path in the action dialog if the IDE cannot find it.

Credentials are managed by the CLI. DBDIAGRAM_TOKEN can be supplied through the IDE process environment. Keep tokens out of schema files and committed project configuration.

Shared layouts#

Commit the companion schema.dbdiagram file and .dbdiagram/settings.json with the schema when sharing a dbdiagram setup. DiagramViews retain independent layouts; export the intended view rather than assuming all views share positions.