The Schemity ERD canvas is where your schema lives visually. It is the main working surface of this desktop ERD tool: entities are boxes, relationships are connectors, and you arrange them to tell the story of your data model.
How do I add entities and draw relationships?
- Add an entity from the control bar (Schemity calls a table an “entity”), then name it.
- Move an entity by dragging it. Connected relationships follow automatically.
- Draw a relationship by connecting two entities; Schemity renders it in crow’s foot notation. See Relationships.
How do I pan the canvas and arrange the layout?
- Pan by dragging empty canvas space; the view auto-scrolls when you drag an entity toward an edge.
- Auto Layout arranges entities hierarchically, and Alphabet Layout orders them alphabetically - both are a good starting point you can then adjust by hand.
- Alignment guides snap entities into line and equal spacing as you drag, so the diagram stays neat.
When a single canvas gets crowded, do not fight it - create Context Views so each view shows only the entities that matter.
How do I add a legend to the canvas?
Add a legend - a colored, named box - to group or annotate a region of the canvas. Legends are a presentation aid; see Legends & Annotations.
Can I keep several diagrams open at once?
You can keep several diagrams open at once, each in its own tab in the control bar. A tab marked with * has unsaved changes. See Tabs & Navigation for switching between them and the keyboard shortcuts.
How do I export my diagram to PNG, SVG, or SQL?
Export the current diagram from the export menu as a PNG, JPEG, or SVG image, or as a SQL file of CREATE statements. SVG keeps text selectable and scales infinitely. See Export SQL / Generate DDL.
Where is my diagram saved?
Every change on the canvas - positions included - is written to the connection’s JSON file. That is what makes Schemity an ERD single source of truth: the picture and the structure are one versioned file.
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Edit the contents of an entity in Entities & Fields.