Database Connectors

Overview

Workshop supports eight database connectors covering relational, document, distributed, and graph databases. Once connected, Workshop can query your databases, explore schemas, and help you analyze data through natural conversation.

Database	Type	Default Port	Required Fields
PostgreSQL	Relational	5432	Host, Port, Database, Username, Password
MySQL	Relational	3306	Host, Port, Database, Username, Password
Microsoft SQL Server	Relational	1433	Server, Database, Username, Password
MongoDB	Document (NoSQL)	27017	Host, Port, Username, Password
Supabase	PostgreSQL backend	—	API URL, API Key
Neon	Serverless PostgreSQL	—	Connection URL
TiDB	Distributed SQL	4000	Host, Port, Database, Username, Password
TigerGraph	Graph	—	Host URL, Username, Password, Graph Name

General Setup

All database connectors follow the same workflow:

Open Hub > Connectors

Open the Workshop Hub from the sidebar and click the Connectors tab.

Select your database

Find and click the card for your database type.

Enter credentials

Fill in the connection fields described for your database below.

Name and save

Give your connection a memorable name and click Add Connection.

General Security Recommendations

These apply to all database connectors:

Create a dedicated read-only user for Workshop — avoid admin or superuser accounts
Use SSL/TLS connections when available (most cloud providers enable this by default)
Restrict network access via firewalls, IP allowlists, or VPC/private networking
Rotate credentials periodically and update your Workshop connection when you do

Never use superuser or admin accounts (postgres, root, sa, etc.) for Workshop connections. Always follow the principle of least privilege.

PostgreSQL

PostgreSQL is a powerful, open-source relational database. Workshop connects using standard host-based credentials.

If you’re using Neon (serverless PostgreSQL) or Supabase, use their dedicated connectors for a simpler setup.

Required Fields

Field	Description	Example
Host	Server hostname or IP	`postgres.example.com`
Port	Server port	`5432`
Database	Database name	`myapp_production`
Username	PostgreSQL user	`app_user`
Password	User password	—

Finding Credentials by Provider

Amazon RDS: Endpoint and Port in the Connectivity section of your instance
Google Cloud SQL: Public/Private IP in the instance overview
Azure Database: Server name in the Overview page
Self-hosted: Contact your database administrator

Read-Only User Setup

CREATE USER workshop_reader WITH PASSWORD 'YourSecurePassword';
GRANT CONNECT ON DATABASE your_database TO workshop_reader;
GRANT USAGE ON SCHEMA public TO workshop_reader;
GRANT SELECT ON ALL TABLES IN SCHEMA public TO workshop_reader;
ALTER DEFAULT PRIVILEGES IN SCHEMA public GRANT SELECT ON TABLES TO workshop_reader;

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
Connection refused	Verify host/port. Check `listen_addresses` and `pg_hba.conf`. Verify firewall rules.
Authentication failed	Check username/password. Verify `pg_hba.conf` auth method (`md5` or `scram-sha-256`).
Database does not exist	Verify exact database name (case-sensitive). Run `\l` in psql to list databases.
SSL required	Ensure `sslmode=require` is used. Most cloud providers require SSL by default.

Learn more: PostgreSQL Documentation

MySQL

MySQL is one of the world’s most popular open-source relational databases. Workshop connects using standard host-based credentials.

Required Fields

Field	Description	Example
Host	Server hostname or IP	`mysql.example.com`
Port	Server port	`3306`
Database	Database name	`myapp_production`
Username	MySQL user	`app_user`
Password	User password	—

Finding Credentials by Provider

Amazon RDS: Endpoint and Port in the Connectivity section
Google Cloud SQL: IP address in the instance overview
PlanetScale / other managed: Check provider dashboard for connection details

Read-Only User Setup

CREATE USER 'workshop_reader'@'%' IDENTIFIED BY 'YourSecurePassword';
GRANT SELECT ON your_database.* TO 'workshop_reader'@'%';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
Connection refused	Verify host/port. Check `bind-address` in my.cnf. Verify firewall rules on port 3306.
Access denied	Check username/password. Verify user host part (`'user'@'%'` vs `'user'@'localhost'`).
Unknown database	Verify database name spelling and that the user has access.

Learn more: MySQL Documentation

Microsoft SQL Server

SQL Server is Microsoft’s enterprise relational database. Workshop connects using SQL Authentication (username/password).

Windows Authentication is not supported through Workshop. Use SQL Authentication mode.

Required Fields

Field	Description	Example
Server	Hostname or IP	`myserver.database.windows.net`
Database	Database name	`SalesDB`
Username	SQL login	`app_user`
Password	SQL password	—

Finding Credentials by Provider

Azure SQL Database: Server name in the Overview section of the Azure Portal
On-premises: Contact your database administrator

Read-Only User Setup

CREATE LOGIN workshop_reader WITH PASSWORD = 'YourSecurePassword';
USE YourDatabase;
CREATE USER workshop_reader FOR LOGIN workshop_reader;
ALTER ROLE db_datareader ADD MEMBER workshop_reader;

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
Connection refused	Verify server address. Check firewall rules on port 1433. For Azure, verify IP is allowed.
Login failed	Check credentials. Ensure SQL Authentication is enabled (mixed mode).
Database not found	Verify database name (case-sensitive on some configs). Check user permissions.

Learn more: SQL Server Documentation

MongoDB

MongoDB is a NoSQL document database that stores data in flexible, JSON-like documents.

Required Fields

Field	Description	Example
Host	Server hostname	`cluster0.abc123.mongodb.net`
Port	Server port	`27017`
Username	Database user	`app_user`
Password	User password	—

For MongoDB Atlas (cloud), the host is your cluster address. The default port is typically handled automatically.

Finding Credentials (Atlas)

Log in to MongoDB Atlas
Navigate to your cluster and click Connect > Connect your application
Use the cluster address as the host and credentials from the Database Access section

Read-Only User Setup

use admin
db.createUser({
  user: "workshop_reader",
  pwd: "YourSecurePassword",
  roles: [
    { role: "read", db: "yourDatabase" }
  ]
})

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
Connection refused	Verify host/port. For Atlas, ensure your IP is in the Network Access allowlist.
Authentication failed	Check username/password. Ensure user is in the correct auth database (`admin`).
No collections found	Verify the user has read permissions. Check you’re connecting to the correct database.

Learn more: MongoDB Documentation

Supabase

Supabase is an open-source PostgreSQL backend with authentication, storage, and real-time capabilities. Workshop connects via the Supabase API.

Required Fields

Field	Description	Example
API URL	Your project’s API URL	`https://abcdefgh.supabase.co`
API Key	Your project’s anon or service role key	`eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIs...` (JWT)

Finding Credentials

Go to supabase.com and open your project
Click Settings > API for the project URL and API keys

Which key? The anon (public) key respects Row Level Security (RLS). The service role key bypasses RLS and gives full database access. Use the service role key only when you need to bypass RLS.

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
”Invalid API key”	Verify the key and ensure it’s from the correct project.
”Connection refused”	Confirm the project is active (free-tier projects pause after 7 days of inactivity).
Can’t see tables	If using the anon key, check RLS policies. Try the service role key to verify tables exist.

Learn more: Supabase Documentation

Neon

Neon provides serverless PostgreSQL with on-demand scaling and instant database branching. Workshop connects via a PostgreSQL connection string.

Required Fields

Field	Description	Example
Connection URL	Full PostgreSQL connection string	`postgresql://user:pass@ep-cool-darkness-123456.us-east-2.aws.neon.tech/neondb?sslmode=require`

Finding Your Connection String

Go to console.neon.tech and select your project
Click the Connect button
Select your Branch, Database, and Role
Copy the connection string

Default database: New Neon projects create a database called neondb with a role called neondb_owner.Pooled vs. Direct: Pooled connections (hostname includes -pooler) support up to 10,000 connections and work well for most Workshop use cases.

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
”Connection refused”	Verify the connection string is complete. Check the project is active. Ensure `sslmode=require`.
Slow initial queries	Normal if the compute has scaled to zero. First query triggers a cold start.
”Authentication failed”	Verify username/password in the connection string. Try regenerating the password in the Neon console.

Learn more: Neon Documentation

TiDB

TiDB is an open-source, MySQL-compatible distributed SQL database designed for HTAP workloads.

TiDB uses port 4000 by default, not 3306 like standard MySQL.

Required Fields

Field	Description	Example
Host	Cluster hostname	`gateway01.us-east-1.prod.aws.tidbcloud.com`
Port	Server port	`4000`
Database	Database name	`myapp`
Username	TiDB user	`app_user`
Password	User password	—

Finding Credentials (TiDB Cloud)

Log in to TiDB Cloud and navigate to your cluster
Click Connect and choose General connection type
Copy the Host and Port from the connection string

Read-Only User Setup

CREATE USER 'workshop_reader'@'%' IDENTIFIED BY 'YourSecurePassword';
GRANT SELECT ON your_database.* TO 'workshop_reader'@'%';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
Connection refused	Verify host/port. Remember TiDB uses port 4000. For TiDB Cloud, check IP allowlist.
Authentication failed	Check credentials. Verify user exists and has the correct password.
Slow first query	TiDB Cloud Serverless may have cold start latency. Subsequent queries will be faster.

Learn more: TiDB Documentation

TigerGraph

TigerGraph is a native parallel graph database for advanced analytics and machine learning on connected data.

Required Fields

Field	Description	Example
Host	Server or Cloud URL	`https://myinstance.i.tgcloud.io/`
Username	TigerGraph user	`tigergraph`
Password	User password	—
Graph Name	Graph to connect to	`MyGraph`

Finding Credentials (TigerGraph Cloud)

Log in to TigerGraph Cloud and select your instance
Copy the instance URL from the dashboard
Open GraphStudio to find available graph names in the top-left dropdown
Use the credentials set during instance creation

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
Connection failed	Verify Host URL includes `https://`. Ensure the instance is running.
Authentication failed	Check username/password. Verify the user has access to the specified graph.
Graph not found	Verify graph name (case-sensitive). Check user permissions for the graph.
Timeout	Large graph traversals take time. Add limits to queries or check instance resources.

Learn more: TigerGraph Documentation

Verifying Any Database Connection

After connecting, ask Workshop:

Show me all tables in my database

What columns are in the users table?

How many rows are in each table?

If Workshop returns your data, the connection is working.

Getting Started

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Best Practices

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Pricing and Billing

​Overview

​General Setup

​General Security Recommendations

​PostgreSQL

​Required Fields

​Finding Credentials by Provider

​Read-Only User Setup

​Troubleshooting

​MySQL

​Required Fields

​Finding Credentials by Provider

​Read-Only User Setup

​Troubleshooting

​Microsoft SQL Server

​Required Fields

​Finding Credentials by Provider

​Read-Only User Setup

​Troubleshooting

​MongoDB

​Required Fields

​Finding Credentials (Atlas)

​Read-Only User Setup

​Troubleshooting

​Supabase

​Required Fields

​Finding Credentials

​Troubleshooting

​Neon

​Required Fields

​Finding Your Connection String

​Troubleshooting

​TiDB

​Required Fields

​Finding Credentials (TiDB Cloud)

​Read-Only User Setup

​Troubleshooting

​TigerGraph

​Required Fields

​Finding Credentials (TigerGraph Cloud)

​Troubleshooting

​Verifying Any Database Connection

Overview

General Setup

General Security Recommendations

PostgreSQL

Required Fields

Finding Credentials by Provider

Read-Only User Setup

Troubleshooting

MySQL

Required Fields

Finding Credentials by Provider

Read-Only User Setup

Troubleshooting

Microsoft SQL Server

Required Fields

Finding Credentials by Provider

Read-Only User Setup

Troubleshooting

MongoDB

Required Fields

Finding Credentials (Atlas)

Read-Only User Setup

Troubleshooting

Supabase

Required Fields

Finding Credentials

Troubleshooting

Neon

Required Fields

Finding Your Connection String

Troubleshooting

TiDB

Required Fields

Finding Credentials (TiDB Cloud)

Read-Only User Setup

Troubleshooting

TigerGraph

Required Fields

Finding Credentials (TigerGraph Cloud)

Troubleshooting

Verifying Any Database Connection