Schema Exploration Skill When to Use This Skill
Use this skill when you need to:
Understand the database structure Find which tables contain certain types of data Discover column names and data types Map relationships between tables Answer questions like "What tables are available?" or "What columns does the Customer table have?" Workflow 1. List All Tables
Use sql_db_list_tables tool to see all available tables in the database.
This returns the complete list of tables you can query.
- Get Schema for Specific Tables
Use sql_db_schema tool with table names to examine:
Column names - What fields are available Data types - INTEGER, TEXT, DATETIME, etc. Sample data - 3 example rows to understand content Primary keys - Unique identifiers for rows Foreign keys - Relationships to other tables 3. Map Relationships
Identify how tables connect:
Look for columns ending in "Id" (e.g., CustomerId, ArtistId) Foreign keys link to primary keys in other tables Document parent-child relationships 4. Answer the Question
Provide clear information about:
Available tables and their purpose Column names and what they contain How tables relate to each other Sample data to illustrate content Example: "What tables are available?"
Step 1: Use sql_db_list_tables
Response:
The Chinook database has 11 tables: 1. Artist - Music artists 2. Album - Music albums 3. Track - Individual songs 4. Genre - Music genres 5. MediaType - File formats (MP3, AAC, etc.) 6. Playlist - User-created playlists 7. PlaylistTrack - Tracks in playlists 8. Customer - Store customers 9. Employee - Store employees 10. Invoice - Customer purchases 11. InvoiceLine - Individual items in invoices
Example: "What columns does the Customer table have?"
Step 1: Use sql_db_schema with table name "Customer"
Response:
The Customer table has these columns:
- CustomerId (INTEGER) - Primary key, unique customer ID
- FirstName (NVARCHAR) - Customer's first name
- LastName (NVARCHAR) - Customer's last name
- Company (NVARCHAR) - Company name (optional)
- Address, City, State, Country, PostalCode - Location fields
- Phone (NVARCHAR) - Phone number
- Fax (NVARCHAR) - Fax number
- Email (NVARCHAR) - Email address
- SupportRepId (INTEGER) - Foreign key to Employee table
Sample data shows customers like: - Luís Gonçalves from Brazil - Leonie Köhler from Germany - François Tremblay from Canada
Example: "How do I find revenue by artist?"
Step 1: Identify tables needed
Artist (has artist names) Album (links artists to tracks) Track (links albums to sales) InvoiceLine (has sales data) Invoice (has revenue totals)
Step 2: Map relationships
Artist (ArtistId) ↓ 1:many Album (ArtistId, AlbumId) ↓ 1:many Track (AlbumId, TrackId) ↓ 1:many InvoiceLine (TrackId, UnitPrice, Quantity)
Response:
To find revenue by artist, you'll need to: 1. Start with the Artist table 2. JOIN to Album on ArtistId 3. JOIN to Track on AlbumId 4. JOIN to InvoiceLine on TrackId 5. SUM the revenue (UnitPrice * Quantity) 6. GROUP BY artist name
This requires the query-writing skill to execute.
Quality Guidelines
For "list tables" questions:
Show all table names Add brief descriptions of what each contains Group related tables (e.g., music catalog, transactions, people)
For "describe table" questions:
List all columns with data types Explain what each column contains Show sample data for context Note primary and foreign keys Explain relationships to other tables
For "how do I query X" questions:
Identify required tables Map the JOIN path Explain the relationship chain Suggest next steps (use query-writing skill) Common Exploration Patterns Pattern 1: Find a Table
"Which table has customer information?" → Use list_tables, then describe Customer table
Pattern 2: Understand Structure
"What's in the Invoice table?" → Use schema tool to show columns and sample data
Pattern 3: Map Relationships
"How are artists connected to sales?" → Trace the foreign key chain: Artist → Album → Track → InvoiceLine → Invoice
Tips Table names in Chinook are singular and capitalized (Customer, not customers) Foreign keys typically have "Id" suffix and match a table name Use sample data to understand what values look like When unsure which table to use, list all tables first