Overview

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How data flows into Forest

const agent = createAgent(options);

// Connect your primary database
agent.addDataSource(
  createSqlDataSource('postgresql://localhost/mydb')
);

// Add a second datasource (e.g. MongoDB)
agent.addDataSource(
  createMongooseDataSource(mongoConnection)
);

// Forest automatically:
// - Discovers all tables
// - Detects column types
// - Identifies relationships (foreign keys)
// - Creates collections for each table

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Forest datasources

• Forest reads your ORM model definitions
• Uses the schemas you’ve already defined in your application code
• Detects relationships from model associations
• No database introspection needed - everything comes from your models

• SQL databases: Forest queries the database metadata (information_schema or system catalogs) to discover tables, columns, data types, constraints, foreign keys, and indexes
• MongoDB: Forest samples a subset of documents (default: 100 per collection) and analyzes them to infer the schema structure, including nested fields and references

1. Discovers schema - all tables/collections and their structure
2. Maps data types - converts database types to Forest types
3. Detects relationships - foreign keys or references become navigable relationships
4. Creates collections - each table/collection becomes a collection in the UI
5. Enables CRUD operations - browse, create, edit, delete records

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Loading more data: multi-datasources

// Primary PostgreSQL database
agent.addDataSource(
  createSqlDataSource('postgresql://localhost/main'),
  { name: 'main' }
);

// MongoDB for analytics
agent.addDataSource(
  createMongooseDataSource(mongoConnection),
  { name: 'analytics' }
);