Relation "xyz" does not exist

[chambrickShS]

This is going to be a fun tool!

I'm on a Mac and got sqlpage working with sqlite but then installed Postgres v17 and can connect with DBeaver just fine but SQLPage not so.

There is no password set up for my db in Postgres and it defaults to a user of postgres.

I edited my json file to be "database_url": "postgres://localhost:5432/mytestdb".
I also tried "database_url": "postgres://postgres:@localhost:5432/mytestdb".

sqlpage starts without errors but when I try to reference a table in the database I get the relation... error. Why?

[lovasoa]

👋 Hello and welcome to SQLPage!

The “relation does not exist” error means that you're successfully connected to postgres, but are trying to query a table that does not exist.

With SQLite, naming isn’t an issue, but in Postgres unquoted identifiers are automatically lower-cased. If your table was created with upper-case letters or special characters, you need to quote them.

Also, verify that the connection URL is actually targeting the database and schema where your table exists (typically the “public” schema).

Adjusting your table naming or explicitly quoting identifiers should resolve the error.

To spot the difference, you can run the following queries, one at a time, from dbeaver then from SQLPage:

SELECT current_database(), current_user;

SELECT current_setting('search_path');

SELECT table_schema, table_name FROM information_schema.tables;

SELECT * FROM pg_catalog.pg_tables WHERE tablename = 'your_table';

SELECT * FROM "YourTable";  -- if created with quotes and mixed case

---

Identifier Resolution and Case Sensitivity

Unquoted vs. Quoted Identifiers
When you write a table name without quotes (e.g., mytable), PostgreSQL automatically converts it to lowercase. That means:

A table created as

CREATE TABLE mytable (id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY);

is stored as mytable, and any reference like SELECT * FROM MYTABLE; is interpreted as mytable.

If you create a table with quotes and mixed case, for example:

CREATE TABLE "MyTable" (id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY);

PostgreSQL treats "MyTable" as case-sensitive. Every query must then refer to it exactly as "MyTable" with the same letter casing.

Schema Resolution and the Search Path

Schemas in PostgreSQL

Tables are organized into schemas. By default, if you don’t specify a schema, tables go into the public schema.

Search Path

When you issue an unqualified table reference (e.g., SELECT * FROM mytable;), PostgreSQL looks for the table in the schemas listed in the search_path.

To see the current search path, run:

SHOW search_path;

If your table is in a different schema (say, sales), either qualify the table name:

SELECT * FROM sales.mytable;

or adjust the search path:

SET search_path TO sales, public;

To verify if your table exists in another schema, run:

SELECT table_schema, table_name
FROM information_schema.tables;

Directly Check the System Catalog

You can search for your table in PostgreSQL’s catalog. Replace your_table with the exact table name (remember the case!):

SELECT *
FROM pg_catalog.pg_tables
WHERE tablename = 'your_table';

Query with Case Sensitivity

If your table was created using quotes (e.g., "MyTable"), make sure you reference it with the correct case:

SELECT * FROM "MyTable";

Common Pitfalls and Their Resolutions

Case Mismatch:
If your table was created with quotes and mixed case, unquoted references won’t work because PostgreSQL folds unquoted names to lowercase. Always use double quotes with the exact case if needed.

Wrong Schema:
The table might exist in a schema that isn’t in your current search path. Use a fully qualified name (schema.table) or update your search path.

Incorrect Database Connection:
Verify with current_database() that you’re querying the intended database.

Insufficient Permissions:
Although not as common with “relation does not exist” errors, ensure your user has access to the table.

[chambrickShS]

Details, details.

Thanks so much for the THOROUGH answer.

Your 3rd sentence is was made me realize the issue. My tables are not in the public schema and I wasn't referencing the schema name explicitly since I don't have to in DBeaver because I'm using a search path. Evidently that doesn't work in SQLPage.

By adding the schema name it worked.

Thanks!

[lovasoa]

You can change the default schema for the user you use to connect in sqlpage.

ALTER ROLE my_user IN DATABASE my_db SET search_path TO my_custom_schema,public;