CSharpDB v3.8.0

version3.8.0

version3.8.0 adds native table archives, read-only external tables, Admin
Import / Export workflows, and a SQL Server-style Data Model diagram surface.
It also captures the next planning tracks for writable external tables, data
hygiene, developer experience, advanced differentiators, and database DevOps
tooling.

Native Table Archives And Import / Export

• Added the shared CSharpDB.ImportExport runtime project and a dedicated
  CSharpDB.Admin.ImportExport Admin module.
• Added native .csdbtable archives using the CSDBTBL3 seekable format with
  JSON schema/manifest sections, length-prefixed encoded rows, row counts,
  source table metadata, created timestamps, and optional integer primary-key
  archive indexes.
• Added direct table snapshot export through the engine transport path so large
  exports stream from a read snapshot instead of paging through the UI client.
• Added Admin Import / Export modes for table export, external table
  registration, and table restore.
• Added export destinations for browser download and server/database-local
  paths, including one-time server-side download packages so large archives do
  not need to be loaded into JavaScript memory.
• Added progress reporting and cancellation for long-running export and
  registration operations.
• Added .csdbtable to the ignore list so local table archive outputs do not
  get picked up by source control.

External Tables

• Added SQL support for:

  CREATE EXTERNAL TABLE archived_customers FROM 'exports/customers.csdbtable';
  DROP EXTERNAL TABLE archived_customers;

• Stored external table registrations in the internal __external_tables
  metadata table and exposed read-only metadata through sys.external_tables.
• Resolved relative external archive paths from the database file directory.
• Made external .csdbtable tables usable in normal SELECT queries,
  projections, filters, ordering, and joins.
• Added external table scan, external index nested-loop join, and fast integer
  primary-key lookup paths over indexed archives.
• Kept external tables read-only in this release; writes, index creation, ALTER
  operations, and trigger targets are rejected against external registrations.
• Added external tables to Admin Object Explorer and Query tab system-catalog
  discovery.

Data Model Diagrams

• Added a new Admin Data Model tab that visualizes user tables and external
  tables on an ERD-style canvas.
• Reused the Query Designer canvas behavior for draggable schema nodes,
  relationships, and zoom while keeping query-specific execution, filters, and
  grid state separate.
• Added Object Explorer, command palette, table context-menu, and external
  table context-menu entry points for the Data Model tab.
• Added saved diagram persistence through the internal
  __data_model_diagrams table instead of saved-query layout records.
• Exposed diagram metadata through sys.diagrams, including source/table and
  pending-operation counts, while hiding the internal table from normal table
  lists.
• Added a default global diagram so table placement, zoom, and source
  membership are remembered even before the user manually names a diagram.
• Added named diagram save/load/delete, table add/remove membership, node
  placement persistence, collapsed state, zoom, and stale/missing source
  warnings.
• Added preview-first staged schema operations for new table, drop table,
  rename table, add/drop/rename column, and add/drop relationship workflows.
  External tables remain display-only.

Planning Docs And Website

• Added planning documents for writable external tables, the Data Hygiene
  Engine, the Developer Experience adoption track, Advanced Differentiators,
  and the Database DevOps Toolkit.
• Refreshed the roadmap to point at the new planning documents and to mark the
  user-defined functions/commands work as completed with sandbox opt-out
  coverage.
• Added the native table archives blog post and refreshed the website changelog,
  roadmap pages, blog index, and sitemap.

Tests And Validation

• Added archive round-trip tests for schema, values, blobs, empty tables, and
  large table archive behavior.
• Added parser, engine, transport, and system-catalog coverage for external
  table registration, querying, joining, filtering, ordering, read-only
  enforcement, and metadata.
• Added Data Model graph and diagram service tests for placement persistence,
  saved membership, pending operations, hidden internal tables, and
  sys.diagrams.
• Added Admin tab manager and report-source tests for the new Data Model tab and
  removal of the old data-model saved-query layout path.
• Focused validation run for this release note:
  • dotnet test tests\CSharpDB.Tests\CSharpDB.Tests.csproj --no-restore --filter "TableArchiveTests|ExternalTableTests|ParserTests|EngineTransportClientTests|DataModelGraphBuilderTests|DataModelDiagramServiceTests|SystemCatalogTests"
    • Passed: 170 tests.
  • dotnet test tests\CSharpDB.Admin.Reports.Tests\CSharpDB.Admin.Reports.Tests.csproj --no-restore --filter DbReportSourceProviderTests
    • Passed: 4 tests.
  • dotnet test tests\CSharpDB.Admin.Forms.Tests\CSharpDB.Admin.Forms.Tests.csproj --no-restore --filter TabManagerServiceTests
    • Passed: 17 tests.
  • dotnet build src\CSharpDB.Admin\CSharpDB.Admin.csproj
  • git diff --check
  • Browser smoke test for opening Data Model and the New Table staging panel.

Review Notes

• .csdbtable external tables are intentionally read-only in this release.
  Writable external tables are planned separately around an opt-in mutable
  .csdbx file.
• The table archive format is native and seekable, not a ZIP of JSON rows.
• The Data Model tab stages schema edits and previews SQL before applying
  changes; diagram membership and placement save independently.
• Drop-table actions still use the existing engine schema rules, so tables with
  foreign-key-owned support indexes may need relationship cleanup first.
• An initial parallel validation attempt hit a transient compiler output lock;
  the affected tests were rerun sequentially after shutting down the build
  server and passed.