#External Database

#Introduction

Use an existing external database as a data source. Currently supported external databases include MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, MSSQL, and Oracle.

#Usage Instructions

#Adding an External Database

After activating the plugin, you can select and add it from the "Add new" dropdown menu in data source management.

Fill in the information for the database you need to connect to.

#Collection Synchronization

After establishing a connection with an external database, all collections within the data source will be read directly. External databases do not support adding collections or modifying the table structure directly. If modifications are needed, you can perform them through a database client and then click the "Refresh" button in the interface to synchronize.

#Configuring Fields

The external database will automatically read and display the fields of existing collections. You can quickly view and configure the field's title, data type (Field type), and UI type (Field interface). You can also click the "Edit" button to modify more configurations.

Because external databases do not support modifying the table structure, the only available type when adding a new field is the association field. Association fields are not actual fields but are used to establish connections between collections.

For more details, see the Collection Fields/Overview chapter.

#Field Type Mapping

NocoBase automatically maps the field types from the external database to the corresponding data type (Field type) and UI type (Field Interface).

• Data type (Field type): Defines the kind, format, and structure of data that a field can store.
• UI type (Field interface): Refers to the type of control used in the user interface to display and input field values.

PostgreSQL	MySQL/MariaDB	NocoBase Data Type	NocoBase Interface Type
BOOLEAN	BOOLEAN TINYINT(1)	boolean	checkbox switch
SMALLINT INTEGER SERIAL SMALLSERIAL	TINYINT SMALLINT MEDIUMINT INTEGER	integer boolean sort	integer sort checkbox switch select radioGroup
BIGINT BIGSERIAL	BIGINT	bigInt sort	integer sort checkbox switch select radioGroup unixTimestamp createdAt updatedAt
REAL	FLOAT	float	number percent
DOUBLE PRECISION	DOUBLE PRECISION	double	number percent
DECIMAL NUMERIC	DECIMAL	decimal	number percent currency
VARCHAR CHAR	VARCHAR CHAR	string password uuid nanoid	input email phone password color icon select radioGroup uuid nanoid
TEXT	TEXT TINYTEXT MEDIUMTEXT LONGTEXT	text json	textarea markdown vditor richText url json
UUID	-	uuid	uuid
JSON JSONB	JSON	json	json
TIMESTAMP	DATETIME TIMESTAMP	date	date time createdAt updatedAt
DATE	DATE	dateOnly	datetime
TIME	TIME	time	time
-	YEAR		datetime
CIRCLE		circle	json circle
PATH GEOMETRY(LINESTRING)	LINESTRING	lineString	Json lineString
POINT GEOMETRY(POINT)	POINT	point	json point
POLYGON GEOMETRY(POLYGON)	POLYGON	polygon	json polygon
GEOMETRY	GEOMETRY	-	-
BLOB	BLOB	blob	-
ENUM	ENUM	enum	select radioGroup
ARRAY	-	array	multipleSelect checkboxGroup
BIT	BIT	-	-
SET	SET	set	multipleSelect checkboxGroup
RANGE	-	-	-

#Unsupported Field Types

Unsupported field types are displayed separately. These fields require development adaptation before they can be used.

#Filter Target Key

Collections displayed as blocks must have a Filter target key configured. The filter target key is used to filter data based on a specific field, and the field value must be unique. By default, the filter target key is the collection's primary key field. For views, collections without a primary key, or collections with a composite primary key, you need to define a custom filter target key.

Only collections that have a filter target key configured can be added to the page.