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Importing or Exporting Files

Importing External Files​

Five formats can be imported, from the Import submenu of the context menu:

  • json
  • Schema SQL
  • GraphQL
  • DBML
  • AML

Picking a file whose extension does not match the chosen format cancels the import and shows a notice.

Importing replaces the current document rather than merging into it.
A JSON file brings its own settings with it. The other formats keep the settings you already have, apart from the canvas size, scroll position, and zoom level, and the tables are placed automatically once the file is read.
The GraphQL, DBML, and AML parsers never fail: a file they cannot read produces an empty diagram rather than an error.

JSON​

You can import files in the schema format defined in the editor. The file name must end in .json, so a file exported as <database name>-<timestamp>.erd.json imports back as it is; a bare .erd or .vuerd file is not accepted here.

Import JSON menu

Schema SQL​

You can also import schema files defined in SQL.
Although parsers have been made as flexible as possible regardless of the database vendor, there might be some unsupported syntax.
The file name must end in .sql.
Supported syntax can be checked here.

Import Schema SQL menu

Comments​

Table and column comments are imported from the two syntaxes the parser reads: the COMMENT table option and column attribute used by MySQL, MariaDB, Snowflake, and Databricks, and the COMMENT ON TABLE and COMMENT ON COLUMN statements used by PostgreSQL and Oracle.
A comment naming a table or column the file does not define is ignored.

Comments do not survive a SQLite or MSSQL export and import round trip: SQLite writes them as plain -- lines and MSSQL writes them as sp_addextendedproperty calls, and the parser reads neither.

GraphQL​

You can import a GraphQL SDL document.
Object type definitions become tables, an extend type block merges into the type it extends, and interface fields are inherited by the types implementing them.
A field whose type is another table becomes a relationship instead of a column, and a list on both sides creates a junction table.
Root types (Query, Mutation, Subscription), introspection types, and the Relay, federation, and Hasura wrappers such as PageInfo, *Connection, *Edge, and *_aggregate are treated as noise and skipped.
The @id, @primaryKey, @unique, @autoincrement, @default, @map, @relation, @column, @table, @index, and @db.* directives are honored.
The file name must end in .graphql, .gql, or .graphqls. A Prisma schema.prisma file is not a GraphQL document and cannot be imported here.

DBML​

You can import a DBML file, the format used by dbdiagram.io and dbdocs.
Table, TablePartial, Ref, and Enum blocks are read. Project, TableGroup, and standalone Note blocks are skipped without affecting the tables around them.
Every ref spelling is accepted: the Ref: colon form, a named ref, the Ref { } block form, and the inline [ref: > table.column] column setting.
A <> many-to-many ref creates a junction table named after both sides.
The file name must end in .dbml.

AML​

You can import an AML (Azimutt Markup Language) file. Both the current spelling and the legacy v1 one are accepted.
Entities become tables, and nested attributes are flattened into a dotted column name such as settings.slug.
Attributes are NOT NULL unless marked nullable, and constructs the editor has no slot for, such as check, view, type, color, tags, and onDelete, are dropped rather than rejected.
The file name must end in .aml.

GraphQL, DBML, and AML are round-trip formats: each is also a Code Generator target.

Exporting​

Three formats are supported for exporting:

  • json: Schema file defined in the editor. Saved as .erd.json.
  • Schema SQL: Schema file generated based on the syntax of the database vendor. Saved as .sql.
  • png: Generates the diagram as an image. Saved as .png.

Every exported file is named <database name>-<timestamp> followed by that extension, with the timestamp formatted as yyyy-MM-dd'T'HH_mm_ss — for example my-schema-2026-08-29T04_05_06.erd.json. A blank database name falls back to unnamed.

Export menu

Import and Export are also available from Quick Search. It offers the same five import formats, but only json and Schema SQL for export; PNG is available from the context menu only.