Quickstart - Docs

Welcome, Space Cadets, to a journey beyond the stars as we launch into the future of databases. In this quick start guide we will show you how to begin using Outerbase from creating a new account to connecting your database.

This section is meant to be quick and lightweight. If you are looking for more detailed information on how to accomplish specific tasks we welcome you to explore the rest of our documentation, or join our community on Discord.

You can sign up with email and password, or use an SSO provider like Google. Other supported SSO providers are coming soon.

Step 2: Create a workspace

After creating your account you will be prompted to create a workspace. Workspaces are unique environments where you can organize team members and Bases (databases).

To create a workspace we collect basic information including the name of the Workspace and a unique URL to identify your new space by.

Once you select the "Create Workspace" button you should immediately be redirected to your dashboard.

Upload workspace icon

As you may notice on the left activity bar in the dashboard, the default visual indicator of your workspace are the initals of your workspace name. For many, it is preferred to see your application icon there as a better visual indicator of which workspace you have selected – so let's see how we can customize that.

Select the workspace icon in the activity bar that you want to change
Next to the name of your workspace at the top, select the settings cog icon
Click the placeholder icon and select a new file

Now your icon should be visible in the activity bar for your workspace.

Choosing the right asset

When selecting your icon asset to upload, ensure it has a 1:1 aspect ratio. The recommended icon size is 512x512 pixels.

Assign workspace URL

Workspaces created in Outerbase are each given a uniquely identifiable URL path. In some instances if you named your workspace the same name as an already existing workspace then you may see your URL not match with your name. To update your URL to a easier to read name follow the steps below.

Select the workspace icon in the activity bar that you want to change
Next to the name of your workspace at the top, select the settings cog icon
In the text input labeled "Workspace URL" you can update the last path with your desired name

Step 3: Creating a Base

In Outerbase, a base represents a database connection to various database systems like Postgres, MySQL, SQLite, Microsoft SQL Server, Snowflake, Amazon Redshift, and Google Big Query.

If you’re bringing your own database and seeking more descriptive instructions with your setup then you can use one of our connection guides to help walk you through getting connected. Below are quick links to some of our guides when bringing your own database from a third party provider:

You can also watch our Outerbasics video to follow along and see how we connect an existing database.

Connect a database

To connect to an existing database you will need the database connection credentials before proceeding.

Select your workspace icon in the left activity bar to add a base to
Click the button at the top right that says "+ New Base"
Select the "Connect my database" option
Then, select which database type you want to connect to
Click "Continue"

Dependent on which type of database you selected you should take a closer look at one of our following articles that detail any additional specific steps that need to be taken when entering the database connection string details.

Review your user roles

Please take a moment to review the access rights you have given to the user role you are providing with your database credentials. All team members will have the same access to the database as the connection string you are attaching.

Create a database

Outerbase allows you to create a SQLite database for free in seconds. You get all the power of SQL in addition to file-based relational database management and an excellent choice for many use cases. To do this you need no prerequisites, only to follow the steps below.

Select your workspace icon in the left activity bar to add a base to
Click the button at the top right that says "+ New Base"
Select the "Create a free database" option
Provide a name for your Base to identify it by
Click "Create Base"

You will be taken back to your workspace home page that lists all of your existing Bases, including the one we just created.

Step 4: Invite your team

Now that you have a workspace setup, we are ready to invite our team to collaborate alongside us. Outerbase is an ideal tool for having all members of a company who need to make data-driven decisions invited to a shared workspace. Together you can create saved queries, visual dashboards, contribute to your data catalog, and much more – all being shared with the rest of your team.

Familiarize yourself with any limits and potential costs associated with adding new members to a workspace on our pricing page.

Sending invites

Invitations are initiated in your workspace and trigger emails to be sent to all of the emails you provide.

Select your workspace icon in the left activity bar to invite members to
Next to the name of your workspace at the top, select the settings cog icon
Scroll to the section titled "Members"
Click the "+ New Member" button on the right side of the screen
Enter a comma separated list of email addresses to invite to this workspace
Click "Invite New Members"

All members who were listed in the input should receive email notifications to join the workspace.

Accepting invites

When invitations are sent out, recipients will see an email from an Outerbase email accont inviting them to join a new workspace.

Open your email invitation
Click the link in the email (verify it redirects to the https://app.outerbase.com website)
If you do not have an account yet with Outerbase, select "Create Account"
If you have an account already, click "Sign In"
Click "Join Workspace" to accept your invitation into the workspace

Upgrade your plan

Free plans have a maximum count of members that can be associated with a workspace. If you need to upgrade your account to allow for more members, or to take advantage of the other capabilities provided in a paid plan then these instructions will help you with the upgrade.

Select your workspace icon in the left activity bar to invite members to
Next to the name of your workspace at the top, select the settings cog icon
At the top of the screen click the tab that says "Billing"
Find the button that says "Change Plan"
A modal will appear showing your current plan and a plan to upgrade to
At the bottom if you have not attached a payment method yet you will see a "Add New Card" button, click the button
Once you enter your payment details click "Save Card"
You may now finally select the "Confirm & Subscribe" button

Your account will now be upgraded to a paid plan with increased limits. If you need to add more members to the workspace you can refer back to the section above on how to do that.

Step 1: Sign up for an account