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Portal plugins use database tables to store the data that powers their features. Portal makes selected tables available as Portal Database datasets in the Data Experience, giving Portal administrators a read-only way to inspect operational data and create reports without direct database access. Portal provisions this integration for your instance. You do not need to configure a database connection or select tables.

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Understand Portal database datasets

Each Portal Database dataset represents one table owned by an installed Portal plugin. Its display name uses the format <plugin-id>.<table-name>; for example, catalog.final_entities is the final_entities table in the Catalog plugin database. The dataset page shows the table’s columns and PostgreSQL data types. Tables used for key storage and database migrations are not exposed. Portal Database datasets are read-only. Queries cannot insert, update, or delete Portal data.

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Find a table

  1. Open Data Experience in Portal.
  2. On the Overview page, find Portal Database under Data Entities and select it to open a filtered catalog view. You can also select Browse Datasets and filter the catalog by the Portal Database source.
  3. Search for a plugin ID, table name, or full dataset name.
  4. Open the dataset and select the Query tab. The Open Dataset action also takes you directly to this tab.
The number of cataloged Portal Database tables appears on the Data Experience Overview page alongside the other dataset sources available in your instance. If you have a plugin or custom plugin that you don’t see tables for, you can reach out to customer support.

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Query a table

The Query tab provides a PostgreSQL editor with the selected table’s schema beside it. The editor starts with a query that returns the first 10 rows from the table. You can:
  • use table and column suggestions while writing SQL
  • run read-only SELECT queries and common table expressions
  • query the selected table or join other available tables in the same plugin database
  • run a query with Run Query or Command/Ctrl + Enter
  • save a query with a name and optional description
  • reopen or delete saved queries
  • load one of your recent queries back into the editor
Queries are limited to 1,000 returned rows and 30 seconds of execution time. Portal displays a warning when a result is truncated. Add filters or grouping to narrow the result when you need a complete view of a specific population.

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Work with query results

After a query runs, Portal shows the number of returned rows and the execution time. Results open in a table where you can:
  • open a row to inspect every field
  • switch JSON values between formatted and raw views
  • download the returned results as a CSV file
For compatible result shapes, Portal also provides a Table/Chart control and automatically creates one of the following visualizations:
  • a bar chart for grouped categories and numeric values
  • a line chart for dates and numeric values
  • statistic cards for a single row of numeric values
Results that do not fit one of these shapes remain in the table view.

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Review query activity

Your recent executions are available from History on each dataset’s Query tab. This history is specific to you and the selected dataset. Portal administrators can review activity across users from Data Experience > Query Audit. The audit trail shows:
  • the user who ran the query
  • the dataset and SQL statement
  • when the query ran and how long it took
  • how many rows were returned
  • whether the query is running, succeeded, or failed
Use the filters to narrow records by user, dataset ID, status, or date range. Select a record to inspect its full SQL and any error message, or follow its dataset link back to the catalog. You can also export the filtered audit trail as a CSV file and choose a date range for the export. The Query and Query Audit views are available to users with the corresponding Data Experience permissions. Portal administrators receive these permissions by default.