Connecting DBeaver to PostgreSQL via JDBC Driver

PostgreSQL is an open-source Relational Database taking the world by storm, both on the ground and up there in the Cloud. It is one of the most advanced Relational Databases offering standard SQL features along with some modern ones like triggers, transaction integrity, etc. However, Data Management is one of the key areas for any Database Administrator. This article helps you establish a DBeaver PostgreSQL connection to interact with PostgreSQL data effectively.

DBeaver is a free and universal Database Management Tool for Database Administrators, Developers, Data Analysts, and everyone dealing with Databases. DBeaver comes with many powerful inbuilt features that make it easy and fun to access the Databases. It can be used to access and manage any Database or Cloud Application that has an ODBC or JDBC driver, such as PostgreSQL, Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL, or Oracle. Before getting into the DBeaver PostgreSQL connection, let’s discuss both platforms in brief.

What is PostgreSQL?

PostgreSQL, also known as Postgres, is a free and open-source Database that allows us to work with Relational Databases. It is a row-oriented database and is best suited for transactional workloads. As the name suggests, Postgres emphasizes SQL compliance and is used as the primary Data Store or Data Warehouse by many Web, Mobile, and Analytics Applications. PostgreSQL is completely free for everyone to use and requires little to no maintenance, making it very popular among users all over the world.

PostgreSQL offers all the standard and modern features expected by an Enterprise Transactional Database like unique primary keys, foreign key referential integrity, user-defined types, multi-version concurrency control, etc. It also allows you to store 100s of TBs of data in tables.

PostgreSQL Relational Database System is a powerful and scalable platform based on a Single Server Architecture with no concept of Clusters. It is ACID-compliant and hence it ensures that your transactions are handled in a timely and efficient manner. It supports various types of advanced data types such as UUID, JSON, Network Addresses, Geometric Data, etc. On top of that, Postgres offers high customizability and hence it can readily incorporate new functionalities into its system.

What is DBeaver?

DBeaver is a free, open-source, and multi-platform Database Management/Administration Tool and SQL Client software application for Database Administrators, Developers, and Analysts. Often referred to as a universal Database Tool, DBeaver supports more than 80 Databases (which are both Relational and Non-Relational) including PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, SQL Server, DB2, Sybase, Phoenix, MS Access, Teradata, Apache Hive, etc.  

DBeaver uses the JDBC Application Programming Interface (API) to interact with Relational Databases via a JDBC Driver. For Non-Relational and NoSQL Databases, it uses proprietary Database Drivers to interact with them. DBeaver comes in 2 editions: Community and Enterprise. Enterprise Edition supports NoSQL Databases, such as MongoDB and Cassandra, SSH Tunneling, Vector Graphics (SVG), and a few more enterprise-level features.

Key Features of DBeaver

Working with a Database in a GUI Tool is now easy with DBeaver, take a look at some of its promising features.

• DBeaver comes with a carefully designed User Interface that is easy to understand and use. It supports multiple data views to fit a variety of use cases and allows convenient navigation among data.
• It comes with advanced security features such as Kerberos or Active Directory authentication, BouncyCastle algorithms, etc., to keep your Databases protected.
• It supports connection to various Data Sources, including Cloud Data Sources as well. The list of supported Drivers includes drivers for Relational, Non-Relational, Document Oriented, Timeseries, and any other type of Database.
• It also gives you the flexibility to develop Custom Drivers in the Driver Manager and supports user-defined connection types.
• DBeaver is capable of automatically generating ER Diagrams for a Database/Schema or for a single table as well. These ER Diagrams can then be exported in GIF, PNG, BMP, and GraphML formats.

Need for DBeaver PostgreSQL Connection

DBeaver is a Database Management Client that allows a Database Administrator to effectively interact with the data in any Database. It is always a good practice to use a Database Client instead of directly interacting with the Database Server. With the DBeaver PostgreSQL connection, you can easily manage PostgreSQL data with the help of powerful features and Data Visualization Tools offered by DBeaver. Here’s what you get when connecting PostgreSQL data to DBeaver.

• Connecting DBeaver PostgreSQL allows you to execute SQL queries on Postgres data from within DBeaver.
• It becomes easy to manipulate Postgres data in DBeaver with its powerful administration features and interactive Graphical User Interface (GUI).
• You can further create and generate Analytical Reports based on the records from various Data Storage.
• DBeaver provides you with the ability to export information in convenient and accepted formats. For example, ER Diagrams can be exported in multiple formats such as GIF, PNG, BMP, and GraphML.
• On top of all that, you get to browse and edit metadata, manage SQL Scripts, generate DDL, test data generation, render ER Diagrams, etc. with a DBeaver PostgreSQL connection.

Connecting DBeaver PostgreSQL via PostgreSQL JDBC Driver

You can easily connect your PostgreSQL data to your DBeaver Database Tool in order to optimize your PostgreSQL management in the Cloud. To establish the DBeaver PostgreSQL connection, you’ll need to download the PostgreSQL JDBC Driver. The integration process is pretty much straightforward and doesn’t require any programming experience. For the purposes of this demonstration, the Community Edition of DBeaver is used to retrieve data from PostgreSQL via the PostgreSQL JDBC Driver.

Follow the below-mentioned steps to establish the DBeaver PostgreSQL connection.

• Step 1: Install DBeaver Community Edition
• Step 2: Download PostgreSQL JDBC Driver
• Step 3: Create a Connection to PostgreSQL Data
• Step 4: Query Data

Install DBeaver Community Edition

• You can download the relevant DBeaver Community Edition based on your Operating System from its official website.

• Once downloaded, you can open and run the installer. A Setup Wizard will now be displayed on your screen, kind of things that you already know. Just click on “Next”.

• Accept the License Agreement and select the users for whom you want to install DBeaver. Then, click on “Next”.

• Select the features of the DBeaver Community Edition that you would like to install. If you want to associate all your .SQL files to DBeaver, you can tick the “Associate .SQL files” checkbox. Then, click on “Next”.

• Select a location for the installation and proceed ahead with the installation. Once the installation finishes, click on the “Finish” button to complete the installation process.

Download PostgreSQL JDBC Driver

• You can download the recent version of PostgreSQL JDBC Driver from PostgreSQL’s official website.

• Just click on the version of the Driver that you want to download, and it will be downloaded automatically on your local system.

Create a Connection to PostgreSQL Data

• This brings us to the main part of the DBeaver PostgreSQL connection. Launch your DBeaver application and click on the “Database” button located above the toolbar. Then, click on “New Database Connection”.

• It will now prompt you to select the Database you want to connect to. Select PostgreSQL and click on “Next”.

• The “Connection Settings” tab will open up and it will by default pick up the details of your system/host (the default port is 5432). Specify the Database properties, and feed in the correct password of the Postgres Database User.

• Now, click on “Edit Driver Settings”.
• Click on the “Add File” button to add the .jar file of the PostgreSQL JDBC Driver downloaded in the previous step. Locate the postgresql.jar file in the installation directory and click on “OK”.

• If you are prompted about the missing Drivers, click on “Download”. You can then verify the connection by clicking on “Test Connection”.
• If it displays the “Connected” message, click on “Finish”.

• You can now see your Database added to the list.

Query Data

• Now that you’ve successfully connected PostgreSQL DBeaver, you can view and manipulate the Postgres data in a table. Just right-click on the specific table and click on “View Data”. The content of the table will then be displayed in the main workspace.

• You can even query information from the Database tables. You can write a custom SQL Query to start working with your Database. To do so, click on the “SQL” tab and then click on “New SQL script” to write SQL Scripts. Write your query and run it by clicking on the “Execute SQL Statement” button.

That’s it, this is how you can get started with a DBeaver PostgreSQL connection, as simple as that.

Conclusion

PostgreSQL has been active in development for about 30 years now and is used by companies and individual Developers all over the world. However, it becomes important to use a Database Client to interact with PostgreSQL data effectively. DBeaver is a SQL Client and a Database Administration Tool used by Data Administrators and Developers to access Databases. This article shows how to establish a DBeaver PostgreSQL connection to browse and query Postgres data in the DBeaver GUI.

Nowadays, more and more companies want to associate themselves with PostgreSQL. To get a complete overview of your business performance, it is important to consolidate data from PostgreSQL and other Data Sources into a Cloud Data Warehouse or a destination of your choice for further Business Analytics. If you are looking for a reliable and error-free way of moving data from PostgreSQL to a destination of your choice, then Hevo is the right choice.

visit our website to explore hevo

Hevo Data, with its strong integration with 150+ Sources & BI tools, such as PostgreSQL, allows you to not only export data from sources & load data in the destinations but also transform & enrich your data, & make it analysis-ready so that you can focus only on your key business needs and perform insightful analysis using BI tools.

Give Hevo Data a try and sign up for a 14-day free trial today. Hevo offers plans & pricing for different use cases and business needs; check them out!

Share your learning experience with this DBeaver PostgreSQL tutorial in the comments below.