SQL Server Tools

Explore SQL Server databases, schemas, tables, and columns directly from DinoAI to write accurate SQL, generate dbt sources, and understand warehouse structure faster.

The SQL Server Tools allow DinoAI to explore your SQL Server instance — listing databases, schemas, tables, and columns — so it can help you write accurate SQL, build dbt models, and understand your data structure, all without leaving Paradime.

Requires a SQL Server connection. These tools are only available when your workspace is connected to SQL Server. See your workspace settings to configure a SQL Server credential.

Capabilities

The SQL Server Tools give DinoAI the following abilities:

• List all user databases in your SQL Server instance (system databases are excluded automatically)

• List all schemas within a given database (system schemas such as INFORMATION_SCHEMA, SYS, and GUEST are excluded)

• List all base tables within a given database and schema

• Inspect column names, data types, and ordinal positions for any table

Using the SQL Server Tools

1. Open DinoAI in the right panel of the Code IDE

2. Describe what you want to explore (e.g., a database name, a schema, or the columns of a specific table)

3. Add your prompt describing what you want DinoAI to do with that information

4. Grant permission when DinoAI asks to access your SQL Server instance

5. Review the results and implement DinoAI's suggested actions

Example Use Cases

Generating a dbt Source File

Prompt

List the columns in the `orders` table in the `dbo` schema of my `SalesDB` database and generate a dbt sources.yml.

Result: DinoAI queries INFORMATION_SCHEMA.COLUMNS for the specified table, fetches all column names and data types, and produces a ready-to-use sources.yml file with the correct structure and column definitions pre-filled.

Exploring an Unfamiliar Database

Prompt

What schemas and tables are available in my `ReportingDB` database?

Result: DinoAI lists all user schemas in the database, then lists the tables within them, giving you a complete picture before writing queries or building models.

Understanding a Table's Structure

Prompt

What columns does the `fact_transactions` table in `ReportingDB.dbo` have?

Result: DinoAI returns all column names and data types ordered by ordinal position, so you can immediately understand the schema and start writing accurate SQL.

Working with Other Tools

The SQL Server Tools work well alongside DinoAI's other capabilities:

• Combine with the dbt Tools to inspect SQL Server source tables and immediately scaffold dbt models or source definitions

• Combine with the Catalog Search Tool to cross-reference SQL Server table structure with existing dbt model documentation

• Combine with the Column Level Lineage Tool to trace how a specific column flows from a raw SQL Server table through your dbt transformations

Best Practices

• List databases and schemas first — If you're unsure of exact names, ask DinoAI to list databases and schemas before drilling into tables or columns

• System schemas are excluded automatically — INFORMATION_SCHEMA, SYS, and GUEST are filtered out by default; you don't need to exclude them manually

• Use bracket-safe identifiers — SQL Server queries use [database].INFORMATION_SCHEMA syntax internally; provide clean identifiers without brackets in your prompts and DinoAI will handle the quoting

• Check permissions — DinoAI surfaces a [ERROR] if it cannot access a resource; confirm your SQL Server credential has the necessary read permissions on the target database and schemas