Question

I am following the Rails Tutorial with the database set up using postgreSQL so the development and production are the same locally and where it is deployed on Heroku. So far so good. I’ve got the User model set up and working both locally and in deployment to heroku. My problem is that I’d like to access the database in table form locally. It’s easy to access SQLite databases using SQLite Database Browser. I’ve failed to access my app’s postgreSQL database.

So far I’ve downloaded PGAdmin3 which is free but utterly confusing. Next I downloaded Navicat Essentials for PostgreSQL which was $4.99 from the App store. My config/database.yml is:

development:
  adapter: postgresql
  encoding: unicode
  database: [app_name]_development
  pool: 5
  username: [app_name]
  password: 

In Navicat Essentials for PostgreSQL I enter:

Connection Name: Test
Host Name/IP Address: localhost
Port: 5432
Default Database: [app_name]_development
username: [app_name]
password: 

When I hit “Test Connection” it says, “Connection Successful.” I still can’t seem to figure out how to access the database in table format. I hit the table tab but no data shows up. Anyone with any advice? I’ve got at least one user already which I can confirm in the rails counsel.

Answer 1

If you’re on mac you should take a look at both of the following applications:

• Postgres app – For installing and running postgres
• Induction app – For exploring data and navigating

Both should be more straightforward than other options.