NJustyBaseDocumentation

user guide

Schema Search

Search object names, columns, and source code across one database or an entire connection, then jump directly to the definition.

Supportedv3.16.38 · verified 2026-08-19

#Schema Search

Schema Search is a separate search surface from the tree. It is useful when you know a name fragment, a column but not its table, or a procedure/view source fragment but not the object that contains it.

#Search workflow

  1. Open Object Search in the JustyBase explorer.
  2. Select the connection. Search never guesses a different server from the active editor tab.
  3. Enter at least two characters. Shorter input is rejected to avoid an accidental warehouse-wide scan.
  4. Choose the object scope: tables, views, procedures, functions/aggregates, columns, or all supported objects.
  5. Choose the database scope. justybase.schemaSearch.searchAllDatabases searches all accessible databases; the default searches the active/default database and is recommended for large Netezza warehouses.
  6. For source searches choose Raw, Objects + Source Raw, No Comments, or No Comments / Strings.
  7. Review results, open the definition/DDL, or reveal the object in Schema Browser. Use the export action to write the result list to XLSB.

#Source modes

Mode Searches
Raw Stored source as returned by the catalog.
Objects + Source Raw Object-name matches plus source-text matches.
No Comments Source after comments are removed.
No Comments / Strings Source after comments and string literals are removed, useful for structural SQL fragments.

The source modes are normalization choices, not a parser guarantee. A fragment inside a dynamic SQL string may disappear in the last mode by design.

#Cache-first behavior

The first results can come from the local metadata/search index while the database query is still running. Later database-backed results may add objects not in the cache. A refresh or connection/database change invalidates the affected scope. Recent objects are shown when the search box is empty and provide a quick route back to a definition.

#Example 1: find a column

Search for ORDER_DATE, set scope to Columns, choose the reporting connection, and leave the database scope at the default. Open a result to see database, schema, table, type, and nullability, then select Reveal in Schema Browser or insert the qualified object name into the editor.

#Example 2: find a procedure by source

Search for LOAD_STAGE, select Procedures, and use No Comments / Strings with the source search enabled. When the result identifies the procedure, open its DDL and jump to the object. This finds a source reference even when the procedure name does not contain the fragment.

#Cancellation and warehouse limits

Use Cancel Search when the connection is slow or all-database search is broader than intended. Cancellation stops the client workflow and asks the active catalog query to stop; a database/driver may take a short time to release the server session. Search results are capped and time out rather than silently running without a boundary.

For a large warehouse:

  • search the active database first;
  • use a longer, distinctive pattern;
  • narrow the object type before enabling all databases;
  • refresh metadata once, then reuse cache-first results;
  • avoid running multiple all-database source searches in parallel.

Schema Search can open DDL, reveal a tree object, add an object to favorites, and export the result rows to XLSB. Schema Browser explains refresh and DDL; History and Favorites explains durable workspace context.