1.1. Connect to database

OrmFactory is a model-first database manager that supports multiple connections. It works with the data model rather than requiring an active database connection, which is why "multi-connection" can also mean "zero or more" connections.

You can add multiple connections to different databases - or none at all.

When you launch OrmFactory, the Start screen appears, allowing you to:

  • Open recently accessed projects.
  • Open an existing project.
  • Start a new project.
  • Create a new local connection.
  • Create a new project from a connection

images/start.png

You can skip this step if you need to create a draft database design. Just press Esc to close the start window. This option is equivalent to "New project". Connection can be added later via context menu in project tree.

Local and project connections

There are two types of connections: local and project. Project connections are stored in the project file, while local connections are stored on the local machine and are visible across all projects.

Local connections appear in every project opened on the local machine, listed after all project connections. The connection type is also shown in the tooltip.

images/connection_tooltip.png

Active connection

If your project has only one connection, it becomes active by default. However, once you add a second connection, you’ll need to manually set the active one. All database operations require an active connection. You can set a connection as active by right-clicking it in the Project Explorer.

images/make_connection_active.png

Note: Changing the active connection does not affect any open query windows.