📖 Data Forge — User Guide

1. Connecting to a Database

Data Forge supports three primary modes of connection:

Manual Input: Specify Server, Port, User, and Password fields individually.
Connection String: Paste your full URI (e.g., postgresql://user:pass@host:port/db, mssql://user:pass@host/db).
Secure Caching: Use the "Securely cache credentials" option to save your connection for future use without re-entering passwords.

Environment Labels & Safety Settings (v1.2.0)

When creating or editing a connection, you can configure:

Environment Color — Choose a color to visually distinguish the connection:
- 🟢 Green = Development / Local
- 🟠 Orange = Staging / Testing
- 🔴 Red = Production (Critical)
- 🟣 Purple = Analytics / Replica
Read-Only Mode (Safety Override) — Enable this toggle to prevent any data-modifying queries (UPDATE, DELETE, INSERT, DROP, etc.) from being executed on this connection. The restriction is enforced at the server level and is bypass-proof.

2. Browsing & Exploring Data

Explorer Sidebar: Browse Databases, Tables, Views, Procedures, and Synonyms from the left panel.
Click a Table: Opens a paginated, sortable, filterable data view in a new tab.
Search: Use the search bar at the top of the Explorer panel to find objects instantly.
Refresh Metadata: Click the Refresh icon to reload the database object list.

3. Viewing & Editing Data

Inline Editing: Double-click any cell in a Table View to edit it. Press Enter or click ✅ to save, Escape or ❌ to cancel.
Sorting: Click any column header to sort ascending/descending.
Pagination: Navigate pages using the footer controls and select page size (50 / 100 / 200 / 500 rows).

Intelligent Filter (v1.4.0)

The standard table filter has been replaced with a context-aware Intelligent Filter:

Automatic Suggestions: As you type into the "Filter" box, Data Forge suggests:
- Column Names from the current table.
- SQL Keywords (AND, OR, LIKE, IN, IS NULL, etc.).
- Operators (=, !=, >, <, etc.).
Keyboard Friendly: Navigate suggestions using Arrow keys and select with Enter or Tab.
Auto-Positioning: Smartly handles cursor placement and spacing after a selection.
Context-Aware: Suggestions only appear when they are syntactically relevant.

AI Key Security & UI Overhaul (v1.4.1)

Runtime Decryption: AI API keys are now securely decrypted only at the moment of API call. This prevents sensitive keys from existing in plain-text within the application's memory or configuration files for longer than necessary.
Responsive AI Overlay: The AI Copilot menu has been redesigned to be fully responsive (w-[95%]), fitting into any workspace layout.
Scrollable Intelligence: Long AI generated responses can now be scrolled internally within the menu, with action buttons (Insert/Execute) remaining pinned to the bottom for easy access.

Bulk Row Deletion (v1.2.0)

Click checkboxes on the left side of rows to select them (or use the header checkbox to Select All).
The Drop (N) Rows red button appears in the footer.
Click it to permanently delete the selected rows after a confirmation prompt.

4. Data Masking (Privacy Protection) (v1.2.0)

Data Forge automatically detects sensitive columns by name and masks their values in table views.

Detected column types: email, password, phone, ssn, national_id, credit_card, cvv, iban, salary, token, api_key, address, dob, and more.

A 🛡️ shield icon appears in the column header of any masked column.
Masking is ON by default. You can toggle it using the "Masked (N)" button in the table footer.
To reveal a single value, click the cell — only that cell is revealed; global masking remains active.
Exported data: Export functions (CSV, Excel, JSON, SQL) export the raw unmasked values.

5. SQL Editor

The SQL editor is powered by Monaco (same engine as VS Code).

Shortcut	Action
`Cmd/Ctrl + Enter`	Execute SQL (or selected text)
`Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + F`	Format SQL (uppercase keywords, clean indent)
`Cmd/Ctrl + K`	Open AI Copilot
`Cmd/Ctrl + E`	Explain Query (Execution Plan)
`Cmd/Ctrl + S`	Save Bookmark
`Cmd/Ctrl + \`	Clear Editor

SQL Linter (v1.2.0)

As you type, the linter automatically checks for:

SELECT * — warns to specify columns
UPDATE / DELETE without WHERE — critical error alert
Leading LIKE wildcards ('%value') — index-blocking pattern
Non-sargable functions in WHERE clauses
Missing column aliases on aggregate functions
WITH (NOLOCK) dirty-read risk (MSSQL)

Issues appear in a collapsible panel below the editor. Click any issue for its fix suggestion. Click the code badge (e.g., L002 L5:1) to jump to the problem location in your editor.

6. Data Visualization

Open a query tab and run any query.
Switch to the Chart tab in the result view.
Select X and Y axis columns and chart type (Bar / Line / Pie).
Click "Save to Dashboard" to pin the chart to your Mini Dashboard.

7. AI Copilot

Press Cmd/Ctrl + K or click the ✨ Sparkles button in the SQL editor toolbar to open the AI Copilot overlay.

Type your request in natural language (e.g., "Show the top 10 customers by total sales this month").
The AI uses your current database schema (tables, columns) for context.
To configure your AI provider (OpenAI, Gemini, Anthropic, Ollama, etc.), go to the sidebar AI Settings section.

8. Advanced Tools

Tool	Access	Description
Table Designer	Sidebar → ＋ Create Table	Visually create/alter tables without writing DDL
View Designer	Sidebar → ＋ Create View	Build views with a query editor and column alias UI
Procedure Designer	Sidebar → ＋ Create Procedure	Parameter definitions and body editor
ER Diagram	Sidebar → ER Architect	Auto-generate interactive ER diagrams from FK relationships
Schema Compare	Sidebar → Schema Compare	Diff two database schemas and generate migration scripts
Server Monitor	Sidebar → Server Monitor	Real-time CPU / memory / active sessions
User Manager	Sidebar → User Manager	Manage DB users, roles, and permissions
Mock Data Generator	Sidebar → Mock Data	Generate thousands of realistic dummy rows for testing
Import Wizard	Sidebar → Import	Bulk import CSV / JSON into existing tables
Performance Advisor	Sidebar → Advisor	Get AI-powered index optimization recommendations
Mini Dashboards	Sidebar → Dashboards	View your saved chart collection

9. Theme Switching

Toggle between Light Mode and Dark Mode using the button in the top-right corner of the Explorer screen.
Your preference is saved automatically and restored on next launch with zero flicker.

10. Keyboard Shortcuts Reference

Shortcut	Action
`Cmd/Ctrl + Enter`	Execute query
`Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + F`	Format SQL
`Cmd/Ctrl + K`	AI Copilot
`Cmd/Ctrl + E`	Explain / Query Plan
`Cmd/Ctrl + S`	Save Bookmark
`Cmd/Ctrl + \`	Clear editor
`Cmd/Ctrl + T`	New Query Tab
`Cmd/Ctrl + W`	Close current tab