Forward Engineering

Forward Engineering transforms your visual database model into executable SQL scripts for a supported database management system.

Instead of manually writing SQL, Qubase converts your ERD, tables, columns, relationships, constraints, and indexes into SQL statements that can be reviewed, exported, or executed.

This allows database designs to move from planning to implementation efficiently.

Before you begin

Before generating SQL, ensure that you have:

Completed your database model
Defined all Primary Keys
Configured Foreign Keys
Selected a target DBMS
Resolved all validation issues

[!NOTE] Forward Engineering generates SQL from the current database model. It does not automatically execute SQL against your database unless deployment is explicitly initiated.

What is generated?

Qubase can generate SQL for:

Database creation
Tables
Columns
Primary Keys
Foreign Keys
Constraints
Indexes
Default values
Relationships

Generated SQL follows the syntax of the selected database system whenever possible.

Forward Engineering workflow


Visual Database Model
          │
          ▼
Validate Database Model
          │
          ▼
Choose Target DBMS
          │
          ▼
Generate SQL
          │
          ▼
Review SQL
          │
          ▼
Export or Deploy

Generate SQL

To generate SQL:

Open your Database Schema.
Complete the database design.
Open Forward Engineering.
Select the target database system.
Validate the schema.
Generate SQL.
Review the generated script.
Export or deploy the SQL.

Supported output

Depending on your project configuration, Qubase may generate:

Output	Description
CREATE DATABASE	Create a new database
CREATE TABLE	Create database tables
ALTER TABLE	Modify existing tables
CREATE INDEX	Create indexes
FOREIGN KEY	Generate relationships
CHECK	Validation constraints
DEFAULT	Default values

Database compatibility

Generated SQL adapts to the selected DBMS.

Supported systems may include:

PostgreSQL
MySQL
Microsoft SQL Server

Database-specific syntax is applied where applicable.

SQL preview

Before exporting, Qubase displays a SQL preview.

The preview allows you to:

Review generated SQL
Detect potential issues
Copy SQL
Download SQL scripts

Reviewing SQL before deployment is recommended.

Validation

Before SQL generation, Qubase performs validation checks.

Examples include:

Missing Primary Keys
Invalid Foreign Keys
Duplicate table names
Missing data types
Unsupported constraints
Circular references

Any detected issues should be resolved before deployment.

Export SQL

Generated SQL can be:

Copied to the clipboard
Downloaded as a SQL file
Shared with team members
Stored in version control

Deployment

Depending on your project configuration, generated SQL may be executed against a connected database.

Before deployment:

Review SQL carefully.
Verify the target database.
Confirm the deployment environment.

[!WARNING] Avoid deploying directly to production without testing the generated SQL in a development or staging environment.

Best practices

Validate your schema before generating SQL.
Use meaningful table and column names.
Review SQL before deployment.
Keep generated SQL under version control.
Test SQL in a non-production environment first.