Getting Started with DBeaver: Installation, Database Connections, and ER Diagram Generation

DBeaver is a free, open‑source, universal database management and development tool built on Java and released under the ASL license; it can be downloaded from the official website or GitHub.

Because it is Java‑based, DBeaver runs on Windows, Linux, and macOS, uses the Eclipse framework, supports plugin extensions, and offers features such as ER diagrams, data import/export, database comparison, and mock data generation.

Through JDBC, DBeaver can connect to almost all relational database products—including MySQL, PostgreSQL, MariaDB, SQLite, Oracle, Db2, SQL Server, Sybase, MS Access, Teradata, Firebird, Derby—and the commercial edition also supports NoSQL and big‑data platforms like MongoDB, InfluxDB, Apache Cassandra, Redis, and Apache Hive.

The Community edition can be downloaded as an installer or a zip package for each operating system; an optional JRE can be installed, and an Eclipse plugin is also available for integration.

After installation, launching dbeaver.exe on Windows displays the main interface where users can create new database connections.

To create a connection (e.g., PostgreSQL), select the database icon, provide host, port, database name, user, and password, optionally configure SSH/SSL in Advanced Settings, test the connection, and download the required JDBC driver automatically.

For databases whose drivers require manual download (e.g., Oracle, Db2), users can open the Driver Manager, edit the driver entry, add the downloaded ojdbc8.jar (or similar) file, and reuse it for future connections.

Once a connection is established, the left‑hand navigation pane lists the databases, allowing users to browse objects, edit schemas, and execute SQL statements.

To generate an ER diagram, open the Project view, locate the "ER Diagrams" node, right‑click and choose "Create new ER diagram", specify a name, select the connection and objects to include, and click "Finish"; the diagram can be arranged, customized, and exported as an image.

For further details, DBeaver provides a user guide and extensive online documentation.

Author: Tony (不剪发的Tony老师) – Source: http://suo.im/5OBiUi

Official website: https://dbeaver.io GitHub: https://github.com/dbeaver/dbeaver User guide: https://github.com/dbeaver/dbeaver/wiki