---
title: "13: Viewing the database as a whole | SurrealDB University"
description: "Viewing the database as a whole. A step in the guided Tour of SurrealDB, with examples you can run as you read."
url: https://surrealdb.com/learn/tour/page-13
---

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Course chapters

[Welcome to the Tour of SurrealDB!](https://surrealdb.com/learn/tour) [1: Connecting to a database](https://surrealdb.com/learn/tour/page-01) [2: Creating records](https://surrealdb.com/learn/tour/page-02) [3: Using the ONLY keyword](https://surrealdb.com/learn/tour/page-03) [4: Non-ASCII record IDs](https://surrealdb.com/learn/tour/page-04) [5: Parentheses, indexing, and fields](https://surrealdb.com/learn/tour/page-05) [6: Deleting records](https://surrealdb.com/learn/tour/page-06) [7: Field order in objects](https://surrealdb.com/learn/tour/page-07) [8: Tips when selecting records](https://surrealdb.com/learn/tour/page-08) [9: Casting and aliases](https://surrealdb.com/learn/tour/page-09) [10: Affixes](https://surrealdb.com/learn/tour/page-10) [11: Updating records](https://surrealdb.com/learn/tour/page-11) [12: Linking records](https://surrealdb.com/learn/tour/page-12) [13: Viewing the database as a whole](https://surrealdb.com/learn/tour/page-13) [14: Schemafull and schemaless](https://surrealdb.com/learn/tour/page-14) [15: Viewing the schema](https://surrealdb.com/learn/tour/page-15) [16: Literal types and assertions](https://surrealdb.com/learn/tour/page-16) [17: INSERT and using JSON](https://surrealdb.com/learn/tour/page-17) [18: FOR loops](https://surrealdb.com/learn/tour/page-18) [19: Basic graph relations](https://surrealdb.com/learn/tour/page-19) [20: Creating graph edges](https://surrealdb.com/learn/tour/page-20) [21: Querying graph relations](https://surrealdb.com/learn/tour/page-21) [22: Graph relations at greater depth](https://surrealdb.com/learn/tour/page-22) [23: Adding and improving data](https://surrealdb.com/learn/tour/page-23) [24: Defining events](https://surrealdb.com/learn/tour/page-24) [25: Defining indexes](https://surrealdb.com/learn/tour/page-25) [26: Improving the schema](https://surrealdb.com/learn/tour/page-26) [27: Visualising graph paths](https://surrealdb.com/learn/tour/page-27) [28: Recursive queries: setup](https://surrealdb.com/learn/tour/page-28) [29: Recursive queries](https://surrealdb.com/learn/tour/page-29) [30: More on recursive queries](https://surrealdb.com/learn/tour/page-30) [31: AI vector search](https://surrealdb.com/learn/tour/page-31) [Done the tour!](https://surrealdb.com/learn/tour/page-32)

# 13: Viewing the database as a whole

Now that we have some data in the database, let's see what it looks like as a whole. The [`INFO FOR DB`](https://surrealdb.com/docs/reference/query-language/statements/info) command will do this.

```
INFO FOR DB;
```

![Surrealist Icon](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/fdfe2c20f5941d5e.D0guSOhZ.webp) Run Query

The output shows three schemaless tables. These are automatically created every time you use a `CREATE` statement for a table that doesn't exist yet. If you want to disable this behaviour, you can start SurrealDB in [strict mode](https://surrealdb.com/docs/reference/cli/surrealdb-cli/commands/start#strict-mode). In strict mode, you need to manually [define](https://surrealdb.com/docs/reference/query-language/statements/define/overview) anything before you can use it.

All of the statements inside the `INFO FOR DB` output are followed by a `PERMISSIONS NONE` clause, meaning that they can't be accessed by [record users](https://surrealdb.com/docs/reference/query-language/statements/define/access/record) - users that aren't core database users.

But inside the Sandbox we are logged in as [a root user](https://surrealdb.com/docs/reference/query-language/statements/define/user#statement-syntax), so `PERMISSIONS NONE` doesn't affect us.

Response

```surql
{
  accesses: {},
  analyzers: {},
  configs: {},
  functions: {},
  models: {},
  params: {},
  tables: {
    place: 'DEFINE TABLE place TYPE ANY SCHEMALESS PERMISSIONS NONE',
    some_record: 'DEFINE TABLE some_record TYPE ANY SCHEMALESS PERMISSIONS NONE',
    town: 'DEFINE TABLE town TYPE ANY SCHEMALESS PERMISSIONS NONE'
  },
  users: {}
}
```

One of the tables is called `some_record`, which we created back on [page 6](https://surrealdb.com/learn/tour/page-06) for a simple demonstration. While we deleted all of its records, the `DEFINE TABLE` statement to create it in the first place wasn't touched, leaving our database with a `DEFINE TABLE some_record` that we never used again.

Since we won't be needing it, let's remove it with a [`REMOVE`](https://surrealdb.com/docs/reference/query-language/statements/remove) statement. Since the statement to create it was `DEFINE TABLE some_record...`, it can be removed with `REMOVE TABLE some_record`.

```
REMOVE TABLE some_record;
```

![Surrealist Icon](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/fdfe2c20f5941d5e.D0guSOhZ.webp) Run Query

Response

```surql
NONE
```

The output is `NONE`, showing that the statement succeeded and returned nothing. If you try to run the same `REMOVE` statement again, you'll see an error instead.

Response

```surql
"The table 'some_record' does not exist"
```

The statements `REMOVE DATABASE` or `REMOVE NAMESPACE` or `REMOVE INDEX` often require removing quite a bit of underlying data. When you execute one of these statements it will return immediately, after which physical deletion of the actual data takes place in the background.

Previous

12: Linking records

[Previous](https://surrealdb.com/learn/tour/page-12)

Next lesson

14: Schemafull and schemaless

[Next lesson](https://surrealdb.com/learn/tour/page-14)

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