Using the Xano Database
👨🏭 Create a Database Table
Add a new table
Click 
in the top right corner.
Choose Import Data to import data from a CSV file, or Enter Data Manually to start with an empty table where you can add your own data later, or generate sample data automatically.
If you're just starting out, we'd recommend choosing Enter Data Manually and using the sample data generator. You can always import data later.
In the panel that opens, give your table a and a
Give your table a name and a description.
When naming your table, it's considered best practice to use camelCase for multiple words, and to not use plurals in the table name. For example, a table of dog breeds would be named dogBreed
The description is just for you to make notes on what this table will contain, notable data constraints, or any other information you'd like to store.
Choose your primary key type.
The primary key is the ID of each record. Xano offers two types of primary keys to choose from.
When should you use Sequential, and when should you use UUID?
When designing your database structure in Xano, choosing the right identifier type is an important decision. Here's a straightforward guide to help you decide:
Sequential IDs are best for:
Performance-sensitive operations - they're faster to index and query
Human-friendly references - easier to communicate ("Please check record #42")
Storage efficiency - they consume less space in your database
When chronological order matters - the sequence reveals creation order
Single-database applications where centralized ID generation works well
Systems that benefit from predictable numbering patterns
Common use cases: Customer IDs, order numbers, ticket systems, invoice numbers, internal record tracking
UUIDs are best for:
Distributed systems where multiple services create records independently
Data synchronization across different databases or systems
Preventing ID guessing or enumeration attacks
Frontend-first workflows where IDs need to be generated before server contact
Multi-region deployments with separate databases
When you don't want to expose information about record counts
Scenarios where data privacy is paramount
Common use cases: User accounts in modern applications, cross-system record tracking, session management, event logging in distributed architectures
ℹ️ Navigating the Table View
Let's start with the top control bar.
🧭 Navigation Controls
Table name, ID, description, and tags
Go back to your list of database tables.
Refresh the list of records
Change the
🔎 Searching, Filtering, and Sorting
Search for specific records
Filter your records by certain conditions, such as "all records with an ID greater than 100"
Sort your database records
Hide database fields from view
🧰 Tools and Advanced Controls
Cut, Copy, Paste, Undo, and Redo
Show
Show
Review available keyboard shortcuts for the database view
Just below the control bar, you'll see your database records.
Use your mouse or arrow keys to navigate between records and individual cells.
To modify data, just select the cell and make your desired changes. They will be saved automatically.
Select one or more records by checking these boxes
Open a card view of the selected record
Add a new field
➕ Adding a new field
When Working in Large Tables
Making changes to your schema, such as renaming or adding fields in a extremely large table requires significant server resources. Please contact support if you encounter any issues.
Click the 
to add a new field, and choose the type of field you want to add from the panel that opens.
After you've selected your desired field type, you will be presented with a number of options. You can review each one of them and what they mean below.
Name
The name of the field you are creating
Description
Add additional details here
Data Structure
Single - Each record will only store one value in this field. This is the more common selection. List - Each record can hold multiple values in this field. For example, if this was a table of authors, we might have a field that can store multiple books for each author.
Allow Nullable Values
A null value is similar to an empty value in that it represents "nothing is here", but it's still an actual value written to the record. Useful if you need to specifically check whether or not that field has data stored.
Format
For some field types, you can specify a format. This does not change the actual data being stored and is only used to enable easier viewing and editing for you inside of the table view.
Default Value
When adding new records, you can automatically populate a default value Note: If your field allows nullable values, they will auto-apply null to new records as a default value. Adding 'null' to the default value field manually will be processed as text and have unintended results.
Required
Determines whether or not this field is required when adding a record
Sensitive Data
Hide the contents of this field from certain areas, such as request history
Column Visibility
Public - The field will be available as an input Private - This field will not appear in inputs Internal - Hide this field from API inputs and responses
Custom Rules & Filters
See below.
Custom Rules & Filters
For each field, you can apply various rules and filters to ensure that the data is stored in the format that you expect.
min
Enforces a minimum number of required characters
max
Enforces a maximum number of required characters
startsWith
Enforces a prefix
endsWith
Enforces a suffix
prevent
Blacklists phrases
lower
Stores the value in all lowercase
upper
Stores the value in all uppercase
alphaOk
Whitelist certain alphanumeric characters
digitOk
Whitelist certain numbers
ok
Whitelist certain characters
pattern
Enforce a
⚙️ Field Options
Right-click on the header of a field to access field-related settings and make adjustments to the options already detailed above, as well as some additional controls.
Rename this field
Please note that renaming a field should be handled with care, as it may impact any function steps that reference that field.
You can click 
when viewing a database table to open Referenced By and view any database operations that utilize that column first to understand where changes need to be made. In the screenshot below, we know we want to update the name column, so we can use Referenced By to find where it's used beforehand.
Access field settings (the options detailed earlier in this document)
Make a copy of this column
Insert a new column directly after the selected column
Reorder your database fields. This does not impact how the data is returned in your function stacks.
Change the data type of the column
Xano will attempt to convert the data in the column to the new data type, but because of potential variations between data types, and the specific data being converted, this may not always be successful. It is always recommended to create a new column instead.
Delete the column
Deleting a column is irreversible. Proceed with caution.
🔢 Adding Data
Generate Test Data using AI
After you've created your database , you can generate some sample data to use right away by clicking 
This option is located at the bottom of your database records — so, if you have no records, you should see it right at the top.
The record generation will look at the name and the data type for each of your fields and try to auto-suggest what they should be filled with.
You can click on one of those data types to change what that field is populated with, or specific settings related to that data type.
In the bottom-right corner, you can change the number of records generated, up to 100 at a time.
When you're ready, click "Generate" and you should see your new sample data populated. You can always generate more records if you'd like.
Hint
Want to clear out all of the sample data? There's a quick "Clear All Records" shortcut in the upper-right settings menu. This will delete all records in the table in one swing.
Adding Data Manually
Click 
at the bottom of your existing records (if any) to add a new record.
The record will be created using any default values you've specified in the field options, and you can click on each cell to fill it in manually.
You can also click 
to open up the card view and fil in multiple, or all fields at once when creating a new record.
⚙️ Additional Table Settings
Click 
to access table settings after creation, including both settings detailed earlier in this document, as well as some additional options.
Authentication
Determines whether or not this table is used for user authentication.
Security
Change the table .
Versions
Xano maintains a version history of your table schema. You can roll back to a previous version of your schema if you've made changes that you want to undo. Note: This does not change the data in your table, only the fields. If you need to restore a backup of your table data, see this document.
Triggers
Access your .
Auto-complete
Access your settings.
Clear all records
Deletes all records in the table. You can also choose to reset the primary ID back to 1 on tables that use a sequential ID.
Clone table
Cloning copies the table schema. Cloning does not copy existing data.
Export data
Export your table data using the current view as a CSV
Import data
Import records from a CSV 📖 Learn More
Table Format
Table Formats - Only relevant for direct database connections
As of our 1.68 release (5/27/25), all new workspaces will default to the standard SQL column format for tables. For all workspaces created prior to that, read below.
Your tables can be created using one of two formats:
JSONB format
This creates your tables with two columns:
id- the ID of the recordjsonb- contains a JSON representation of the entire record
Standard SQL format
This creates a more standard table layout. Instead of a jsonb column, each column is written separately.
If you are using the Direct Database Connector, Standard SQL format is usually recommended.
When to Convert to Standard SQL Format:
You need direct database connections with third-party tools that aren't friendly to JSONB format, such as Tableau or PowerBI
You want faster performance for non-indexed queries
You're frequently adding new fields (faster column additions)
You plan to use SQL analytics tools or run complex reports directly against your database
When to Keep JSONB Format:
You're satisfied with current performance
You don't need direct database connections
Converting Tables from JSONB to standard SQL
This change is permanent. Most users will not need to adjust these settings, and they only impact your experience if you are connecting to your database directly via third-party tools.
Custom SQL Table Names
From your Workspace settings, you can enable Custom SQL Table Names.
By default, Xano assigns each table a SQL name in the format mvpw_ (e.g., mvpw1_3). This identifier works for direct access, but can be difficult to read or use with direct queries and database tools.
You can replace this with a custom SQL name to make queries more intuitive and improve compatibility with external connectors.
If you change a table's SQL name, be sure to update any queries that reference the old name to avoid breaking functionality.
Once you've enabled Custom SQL Table Names, head to any database table's settings, and click Manage next to SQL Table Name.
Leave the SQL Table Name field blank to use Xano’s default SQL table name, which follows the format mvpw<workspaceID>_<tableID> (e.g., mvpw1_3).
SQL table names must be globally unique across all workspaces. Hint: Use the Custom Prefix to ensure uniqueness across workspaces.
Datasources automatically add a suffix based on their environment. For example, users becomes users_test in the test datasource.
To reuse the same base name across workspaces, use a workspace-specific prefix (e.g., projA_users, projB_users).
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