Google Bigquery is in the spotlight with lots of new functionality dropping in this release. From data type validation, including support for nested complex data types, to editable view columns and comments, and a revamped compare screen, Bigquery projects are better than ever. Also, we've added dbt source/model filtering on the forward engineering screen to help zero in on the objects you're looking for.

Changes with no impact on existing DDL/API functions

Relational Modeling

• Separate rules for logical and physical case standards delimiters
• BigQuery. Data types strict validation
• BigQuery. Array and range data type (includes arrays of structs)
• BigQuery. Compare by properties (enriched over plain text compare)
• BigQuery. Column description for views
• Display and filter dbt sources and models on the FE screen
• Rename projects and branches (for Folders on the dashboard)
• Snowflake. Excel upload RE/Db Doc for Dynamic, Hybrid and Iceberg tables
• Update background color for FK logical name in XLSX
• Excel. Include cardinality column
• Display Logical names in Physical projects conceptual view mode
• Allow “Exclude from standards” to be editable on columns when table exclusion is applied
• Add the initialization_warehouse parameter to dynamic tables
• Sort tags by alpha in database explorer and related objects
• Relationship highlighting behavior for FK columns (highlight only selected)
• Use FK popover for table template physical relationships
• Locate object on diagram on click from explorer (tooltip)
• Database object. Create new in DB explorer under the schema shall create object under the same schema
• Subject areas and Diagrams now use Logical case standards rules

Redshift views are here!

Changes with no impact on existing DDL/API functions

Relational Modeling

• Native support for Redshift views including direct connect

📂 Dashboard folders are coming to SqlDBM! Also, the "database" object is added to all physical projects, allowing users to maintain fully qualified object names for project objects.

Changes requiring attention

Dashboard folders

In this release, the Dashboard Folders feature will use forward slashes ("/") in project names to organize projects into folders on the dashboard. If your project names contain forward slashes, they will be displayed as folders on the dashboard.

Action Required: If your project names do not contain forward slashes, or if you use forward slashes to represent project hierarchies, no action is needed. However, if you do use forward slashes in project names outside of these contexts, please change the separator to a different character. There is no deadline for this update, as project names will remain editable after the release.

The Conceptual View mode will display Logical object names

(Scheduled for release in late-March)

The Conceptual View mode will display Logical object names, similar to what is seen in the Logical View mode, within physical projects. This change aligns more closely with the intended purpose of the Conceptual View mode and aims to improve readability. Please note that if you share conceptual diagrams through Confluence or Iframe, the object names will appear as Logical names.

Action required: none.

Changes with impact on existing DDL/API functions - Snowflake File Format

(Scheduled for release in late-March)

As file format assignment on objects has been deprecated in Snowflake, SqlDBM projects will make adjustments across the tool accordingly. These changes do not affect the file format (database) object, which is and will continue to be supported.

•  Snowflake. Remove file format assignment on objects
  • Remove the file format dropdown from object properties
  • Do not include file format assignment on objects in Forward Engineering
  • Skip (i.e., do not parse and store) file format assignment on objects in Reverse Engineering.

Action required: none. Any existing file format assignments will no longer appear in the UI or in the DDL generated on the FE. Objects with file format assignments will appear as changed in git due to this difference.

Changes with no impact on existing DDL/API functions

• Database object support for all projects
• Dashboard folders for project grouping
• Dbt manifest v2 – auto-import of refs into virtual dependency relationships
• iFrame - include reports
• iFrame - allow domains without subdomains
• Show Logical related objects in Physical object properties
• Databricks - support external tables in table templates
• Apply auto-layout on new diagrams created from RE

Dbt manifest import and new virtual relationship types provide even more visual semantics to customize your data models. Also, our Forward Engineering screen gets a fresh new look to make it more intuitive and user-friendly. Read more about dbt manifest import here.

Changes with no impact on existing DDL/API functions

• dbt. Import Manifest file

• New Virtual Relationships: join and dependency

• Forward Engineering: Design revamp

• Add override to logical/secondary names

• Display release version with a link to the changelog in SqlDBM

• Bitbucket Git - update UI to reference tokens, not passwords

• Add FILE data type to Snowflake

• Iceberg and Hybrid tables default NC update

• Extend max length of object names to 63 chars on the diagram

Even more diagram improvements! Plus, case standards delimiters options enhancement now gives users total flexibility on how underscored and other special characters behave in case standards and glossary renaming rules. Foreign key linking no longer changes column positions on existing tables.

Changes with no impact on existing DDL/API functions

Relational Modeling

• Diagram Improvements:
  • Improve auto-layout collisions and view mode positions
  • Top-down/left-right auto-layout improvement
  • Alignment guides on drag
  • Extended link reshaping
  • Links avoid nodes behavior
• Case standards delimiters options enhancement
• Adapt shortcuts for Mac users based on OS detected
• FK linking, do not change identifying/non-identifying status of child columns
• Logical. Do not show import/export for Governance roles
• Explorer menus, Shift+click table multi-select shortcut
• Badges for Dashboard, Reports, Projects and App tokens
• Improved reverse engineering for index fields on PostgreSQL
• Logical Project. Rename tables to entities

ERwin conversion is now available on demand in early beta. Column selection gets a huge improvement with select all (Ctrl+A) and select range (Shift+Click) shortcuts!

Changes with no impact on existing DDL/API functions

Relational Modeling

• (beta) AI Copilot for RE, documentation, and bulk changes
• (beta) Support on-demand ERwin conversion (contact us)
• Add Column Below Existing Column
• Shift + click to select column range in tables
• Allow Ctrl+A shortcut to select all columns in a table
• Snowflake Key pair auth, make passphrase optional for non-encrypted keys
• Properties panel same for logical view mode as physical to avoid confusion
• Change text on Unlock tooltip

The exclude from standards flag now lets users exempt (legacy) objects from project standards like case, naming, and glossary translations. New dashboard notifications will let us inform users of product enhancements when they log in to the tool.

Changes with no impact on existing DDL/API functions

Relational Modeling

• Flag to exclude objects from standards (naming, case, glossary)
• Snowflake. Dynamic, Hybrid and Iceberg tables added to DB Documentation
• Snowflake. Dynamic, Hybrid and Iceberg tables - Menu distribution in Compare and merge screens
• Snowflake. Dynamic, Hybrid and Iceberg tables - Menu distribution in Forward Engineering
• Notification System for product updates
• Logic Script - general warning for Views, Materialized views and Dynamic tables
• Add tooltip text to Snowflake Additional properties panel
• Snowflake. Reverse Engineer. Support “CREATE OR ALTER” as a Regular Create Statement

Support:

• User Export. Last Login is empty if it’s older than 1 year
• Admin Console: Cannot revoke user who owns projects or branches - TransferAllProjects fails
• Project ownership not reassigned to Account Admin when owner is revoked, leaving project without an owner
• Can’t revoke modeler license for user who owns projects
• Accept generic struct definitions on Databricks RE
• File Explorer does not open when uploading DDL script
• Global standards. Description from Column template not transferred to project
• Issue with Recursive Relationship Not Updating PK Type Change
• Databricks Identity not being applied correctly
• Upload from excel returns 504
• View Lineage. Failed to execute ‘atob’ on ‘Window’: The string to be decoded is not correctly encoded
• Google BigQuery array string default value is not parsed
• The user is prompted with an error message but no detailed information to take actions

Standalone feature release that moves Model Governance Fields and Pages to Concurrent Working branches. Going forward, Model Governance fields will no longer be editable in the main branch and will undergo the merge process like all other changes. Fields and Pages will no longer save asynchronously; instead, they will use the "Save" button, like all other project changes.

Changes with no impact on existing DDL/API functions

Relational Modeling

• Concurrent Working. Include Governance Fields and Pages in branches

This release introduces Snowflake Iceberg and Hybrid tables and key pair authentication for the Snowflake DB Schema Monitoring service.

Changes with no impact on existing DDL/API functions

Relational Modeling

• Snowflake. Iceberg tables
• Snowflake. Hybrid tables
• AI Model Copilot
• Key pair authentication for DB Schema Monitoring
• Drag unselected objects to the diagram
• Update shortcuts screen

Fixes and user issues

• Admin console. Main admin can’t enable the governance role
• CW. Cannot merge to main - Runtime Error
• iFrame. User cannot see the full name of the revision
• Tool. Tour modals are off-screen

📣This release contains minor changes to the ordering of views generated through Forward Engineering in Snowflake projects

Impact on existing DDL/API functions

Relational Modeling

• Snowflake. Forward Engineering. New Converter and faster DDL generation
  • Behavior change: views are now generated in alphabetical and dependency order in DDL and ALTER scripts
    • As is: views are generated in a complex (but deterministic) order
    • To be: views to be generated in alphabetical order, except where dependencies exist
  • Areas affected:
    • Forward engineering: Generate DDL
    • Forward engineering: Alter Script
    • API: all endpoints that use GET DDL or GET Alterscript
      

Changes with no impact on existing DDL/API functions

Relational Modeling

• Snowflake. Support policy assignments on objects and columns
• Snowflake. Dynamic tables
• Global reference. Selective sharing

Fixes and Updates

• Add schema for no schema objects in DB Documentation
• Admin Console. Attempt to Revoke user is failing
• Subscription Invite. Unable to add a user
• Admin Console. Admins cannot resend invite emails
• User Groups. Admin cannot add user to the group
• Decreased openAPI performance
• Admin console. Can’t re-invite user