FAQs

Isn't this the same as what my developers can already do with their DBA tools (e.g. DBeaver, TablePlus, pgAdmin)?

DBA tools allow for both editing of data and manipulating the database schema (e.g. adding new tables and columns, defining constraints, specifying primary keys). Basedash is focuses on the editing of data and making sure that data can be presented in an easy to read manner. The reason Basedash doesn't allow for manipulation of the database schema is because developers usually prefer writing migration scripts that will be able to change the database schema on all their environments (e.g. development, staging, production).

What is edit history?

Basedash tracks all manual edits made on records, along with who made them. This lets you keep track of changes made by collaborators in your workspace, and revert them if necessary. Enterprise tiers can choose how long this record is kept, or if it's kept at all.

What databases does Basedash support?

Basedash currently supports MySQL, PostgreSQL, Amazon Redshift, SQL Server, MariaDB, and Airtable. Let us know if you're using a different database.

Can I share my views with people outside of my organization?

Yes, you can. We recommend that any external collaborators be invited as read-only or non-admin members, and are working on more granular permissions for who gets access to the views within your Workspace.

Does everyone have the ability to edit everything?

Not unless that's what you want! By default, all data is editable when it's connected, but only admins who make the connections have access to that data. Changing entire data sources or tables to be read-only just takes a single click in the configuration panel. You can be global if you want, or you can be granular and disconnect or restrict edits by the attribute if you want.

Is Basedash a database?

No, Basedash integrates with existing databases, but does not host or allow for database creation.

How do you prevent someone from making an invalid edit?

Basedash uses the validation rules of your database, but we also do some of the syntax work for you and make attributes like datetime, for example, into a data picker that transforms to the proper syntax behind the scenes. We're working on ways of integrating data via APIs in the future for more specific validation.

What happens when Basedash is down? Does my product go down too?

A Basedash outage has no impact on your production server, as we don't host or manage your data. Outages are very rare—you can see our status page here: https://status.basedash.com.

Connecting directly to the production database for data edits and entry isn't a best practice. Whats your solution?

Giving everyone direct and full access and credentials to a production database is not a best practice, and it's also not a Basedash best practice. Some early stage teams may be able to adopt this level of autonomy, as many of those teams are fully technical, but we advise teams to configure each of their data sources to restrict what can be seen & edited, and to create views for your team that restrict the data they can actually consume. Only admins can access the unfiltered raw data from your database.

Also, we understand that there are many attributes that have business logic or more complex validation which a database wouldn't be aware of. To avoid this issue, we advise admins to disable edits for these attributes so that their team can't break things. We have plans to implement API-based views and actions in the coming months.

My business is in a space with very high privacy requirements like Medical or Fintech. How can I make this secure?

For those types of businesses, on-prem is the best solution and one that is coming soon. In the meantime, you can still try Basedash out and join our demo workspace to understand how it is used, or connect non-production data sources if you have them.

Do you have a way of tracking who made a specific edit or an audit trail?

Yes! We track edits made in your workspace in the Activity panel. We're working on ways to make this better and require more oversight, so let us know if you'd like to be an early pilot of those features.

Can I connect to a database in a VPC or behind a firewall?

Yes, you can connect through a server or bastion host via SSH, or deploy Basedash on-premises for full control.

Why integrate right with the database and not use the APIs for integration like other tools and apps?

Direct connection with the database means that your views, data, and reports are always 100% up-to-date with the source of truth. Many companies have separate API teams, which have their own priorities, so building and maintaining APIs for internal use can slow teams down.

That being said, we are planning to support API based views in the coming months. Let us know if you'd like to be involved in that pilot.

How can you prevent non-technical people from breaking production?

We allow admins to enable read-only what attributes can cause issues to their database and recommend creating views that only show the information that is relevant to specific non-technical users.

Are there any promotions for other early stage startups?

We offer some extended trial periods so that teams can make sure that Basedash is a good fit for their workflows, and also offer a partnership program where teams who use Basedash can pay with their feedback. Contact us if you'd like to learn more about that.

Do you have special pricing for non-profits?

Yes we do! Contact us for details on how you can take advantage of this.

Are you hiring? What roles?

Yes! You can see our open positions here.

What are your benefits?

You can see our benefits here.

Where are you located?

We're a fully remote team with employees working in the US, Canada, and the UK. We're open to hiring within 5 hours of Eastern Time. We currently require work eligibility for either the US or Canada.