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# The data manager perspective

Use the data manager perspective to navigate through the database's data. To switch to this perspective, use the Perspective Data Manager menu, or the Ctrl D shortcut.

The workflow in this perspective is organized around the definition of one or more data sources (which selects data in the database) which, when executed, result in a data set displayed in a tabular view.

The perspective is divided in two horizontal panes: the left pane to keep favorite data sources set's definitions, and the right pane being the action area, where each data source is executed and the results presented in a tabular view.

# Data manager perspective

The data manager perspective, with two data sources

In the figure above, there are two data sources: one for the 'customers' table and one for the 'orders' table (which here lists the orders from a customer), the later data source depending on the former one as there is a foreign key from the 'orders' table which references the 'customers' table. The two data sources have been executed and the result is composed of two tabular views side by side.

Because the 'orders' data source depends on the 'customers' data source, its corresponding view is on the right of the one corresponding to the 'customers' data source. Also when the row selection of the 'customers' view changes, the whole contents of the 'orders' view is refreshed.

# Defining data sources

The simplest data source is a data source which represents all the data from a table, displayed when executed as a single tabular view, as if one executed the `SELECT * FROM mytable` statement in the .

The following figure shows the data sources editing mode (switch to editing mode using the toolbar button).

Data sources can be defined using an XML syntax, or using the default interface.

## Data sources edition

Editing data sources in the data manager perspective, from the XML syntax

## Data sources edition

Editing data sources in the data manager perspective, using the default interface: two data sources are defined, which list the contents of the "customers" and "orders" tables. The setup is the same as the figure above showing the XML syntax

The commands available through the command buttons are:

Reset: resets the XML editor to a default XML template, only available when the XML view is currently displayed

Add: displays a popup menu with shortcuts to quickly define new data sources as whole table contents (also analyses the database schema to propose relevant choices), only available when the XML edition mode is not selected

Variables: shows/hide the variables panel where you can give values to the variables present in the SQL code of any data source's definition. The panel is automatically shown when a variable is detected in the SQL code.

Execute: executes the defined data sources

View XML: toggles between the XML editor and the UI editor

Help: shows some help

# Executing defined data sources

To execute a defined set of data sources, simply switch to execute mode using the toolbar button or the Execute button.

The layout of tabular views for each data source is automatically generated in columns using the following rule: if a data source B depends on a data source A, then its tabular view is displayed on the right of the one for A.

Also if you change the selected row of tabular view of a data source A, then the tabular views of all the data sources depending on A will also have their tabular view refreshed.