Glossary

Terms specific to BroadSQL, in one place. For everything else, see the command reference.

TermMeaning
CDFConnections Definition File: the encrypted H2 database where BroadSQL stores every connection you define, including the one used to connect to itself ($CDF). See Getting started.
$CDFThe reserved connection ID for the CDF itself: CONNECT $CDF; opens it like any other database.
Master passwordThe password that unlocks the CDF file (clipper8AD by default on a fresh install). Change it with SET MASTER PASSWORD;. Not the same thing as a connection's own USER_PASSWORD.
ConnectionA row in the CDF's CONNECTIONS table: an ID, a JDBC URL, credentials, a type, a Database Group, and an Environment. CONNECT <id>; opens one.
Database GroupWhich product or system a connection belongs to (Wiki1, JIRA, MYSAP, and so on). Lets you keep connections for different products apart once you have more than a handful; a connection can't reuse the same (Database Group, Environment) pair as another. Purely organizational; doesn't change how a connection behaves. Stored in the CDF's INSTANCE table (kept under that name internally) and managed from the "Database Groups" tab of CONFIG. See Getting started.
EnvironmentWhich deployment platform a connection points at (DEV, TI, QA, LIVE, and so on), with its own Production flag and comment. Managed from the "Environments" tab of CONFIG.
Type (TYPE_ID)The database vendor a connection uses (H2, PostgreSQL, Oracle, and so on), matched against a row in the CDF's TYPE table, which supplies the JDBC driver class name. See Technical requirements.
PULLThe unified command for copying a query's results into a local H2 table, a spreadsheet tab, or a flat file, under one syntax. The recommended replacement for EXPORT/DUMP for a one-shot extraction. See PULL.
EXPORT / DUMPThe older file-export commands: EXPORT is a toggle that redirects every subsequent query's output to a file; DUMP is a one-shot export of a whole table. Both still fully supported. See Export & Dump.
ExtractionAny operation that writes query results to a file rather than the screen: EXPORT, DUMP, and PULL are all forms of extraction.
ExtensionA command loaded from a JAR in the extensions/ folder, in addition to BroadSQL's own built-in commands. See Extending BroadSQL.
Activity logA per-connection, per-day text file recording every command typed and its output, independent of BroadSQL's own internal application log. See Command activity log.
Screen separator vs. fields separatorTwo independent settings: ScreenSeparator controls the column separator shown on screen; FieldsSeparator controls the one used by EXPORT/DUMP text output. Neither affects PULL, which has its own CsvSeparator. See Application settings.