Import a schema

Supported import file formats

A script import takes one file or one pasted script. This page lists what Kenseme accepts and what it looks for inside.

In the app: Data Model › Schemas › your schema › Info tab › Import Database Objects From Script

File types

Extension Format Typical source
.sql DDL script SQL Server, PostgreSQL or MySQL exports, SSMS scripts, pg_dump output
.yaml, .yml YAML Schema-as-code tools and exports
.json JSON Programmatic exports, API responses
.txt Plain text Free-form schema descriptions, mixed content

Any other extension is rejected with a message like Unsupported file type '.docx'. Please upload a SQL, YAML, JSON, or TXT file.

You can also choose Paste script and paste the text directly. Surrounding text is fine: comments, notes, markdown code fences, even an email thread. Kenseme finds the CREATE statements inside it.

Size limit

  • The maximum is 5 MB, for files and pasted scripts alike.
  • A file over the limit is refused before upload: File is too large (5.2 MB). Maximum file size is 5MB.
  • To import more, split the export and import each part into the same schema in turn. Objects that already exist are skipped, so overlapping parts are safe.

Tip: An export for one schema is usually well under 5 MB. If yours is larger, check whether you exported a whole database when you only needed one schema.

What Kenseme reads inside the script

  • CREATE TABLE statements, separated by GO or semicolons.
  • CREATE INDEX, ALTER TABLE … ADD CONSTRAINT … FOREIGN KEY …, and keys declared inline.
  • CREATE VIEW, CREATE PROCEDURE and CREATE FUNCTION. Their SQL is kept as written.
  • Value lists that become enums: CHECK (col IN (…)), PostgreSQL CREATE TYPE … AS ENUM, MySQL ENUM(…).
  • Description statements: sp_addextendedproperty, COMMENT ON …, and the Snowflake and Databricks comment forms. These are applied in the descriptions stage.
  • Comments, SSMS preambles and SET statements are tolerated and cleaned out.

Note: The script doesn’t have to match the schema’s dialect exactly. A file with a mix of SQL Server and PostgreSQL habits usually imports fine. The objects are stored against the schema’s dialect (Settings › Default Database Dialect).

Not supported

  • ZIP or other archives. Extract first.
  • More than one file per import. Run one import per file.

To import straight from a live database instead of a file, see Import objects from a database connection.