Query PostgreSQL Data in DataGrip

DataGrip is a database IDE that allows SQL developers to query, create, and manage databases. When paired with the CData JDBC Driver for PostgreSQL, DataGrip can work with live PostgreSQL data. This article shows how to establish a connection to PostgreSQL data in DataGrip and use the table editor to load PostgreSQL data.

Create a New Driver Definition for PostgreSQL

The steps below describe how to create a new Data Source in DataGrip for PostgreSQL.

1. In DataGrip, click File -> New > Project and name the project
2. In the Database Explorer, click the plus icon () and select Driver.
3. In the Driver tab:
   • Set Name to a user-friendly name (e.g. "CData PostgreSQL Driver")
   • Set Driver Files to the appropriate JAR file. To add the file, click the plus (), select "Add Files," navigate to the "lib" folder in the driver's installation directory and select the JAR file (e.g. cdata.jdbc.postgresql.jar).
   • Set Class to cdata.jdbc.postgresql.PostgreSQL.jar
   Additionally, in the advanced tab you can change driver properties and some other settings like VM Options, VM environment, VM home path, DBMS, etc
   • For most cases, change the DBMS type to "Unknown" in Expert options to avoid native SQL Server queries (Transact-SQL), which might result in an invalid function error
4. Click "Apply" then "OK" to save the Connection

Configure a Connection to PostgreSQL

1. Once the connection is saved, click the plus (), then "Data Source" then "CData PostgreSQL Driver" to create a new PostgreSQL Data Source.
2. In the new window, configure the connection to PostgreSQL with a JDBC URL.

   Built-in Connection String Designer

   For assistance in constructing the JDBC URL, use the connection string designer built into the PostgreSQL JDBC Driver. Either double-click the JAR file or execute the jar file from the command-line.

   java -jar cdata.jdbc.postgresql.jar

   Fill in the connection properties and copy the connection string to the clipboard.

   To connect to PostgreSQL, set the Server, Port (the default port is 5432), and Database connection properties and set the User and Password you wish to use to authenticate to the server. If the Database property is not specified, the data provider connects to the user's default database.

3. Set URL to the connection string, e.g., jdbc:postgresql:User=postgres;Password=admin;Database=postgres;Server=127.0.0.1;Port=5432;
4. Click "Apply" and "OK" to save the connection string

At this point, you will see the data source in the Data Explorer.

Execute SQL Queries Against PostgreSQL

To browse through the PostgreSQL entities (available as tables) accessible through the JDBC Driver, expand the Data Source.

To execute queries, right click on any table and select "New" -> "Query Console."

In the Console, write the SQL query you wish to execute. For example: SELECT ShipName, ShipCity FROM Orders

Download a free, 30-day trial of the CData JDBC Driver for PostgreSQL and start working with your live PostgreSQL data in DataGrip. Reach out to our Support Team if you have any questions.