Duckdb Operations

CRM DuckDB Operations

This skill covers DuckDB schema, field types, PIVOT views, and SQL CRUD. For workspace fundamentals, naming conventions, and startup, see the parent crm skill (crm/SKILL.md).

DuckDB Schema

Initialize via exec with duckdb {{WORKSPACE_PATH}}/workspace.duckdb:

-- Optional: nanoid32 macro (generates 32-char IDs matching Supabase format)
-- Not required — gen_random_uuid()::VARCHAR is the default for all tables.
CREATE OR REPLACE MACRO nanoid32() AS (
  SELECT string_agg(
    substr('0123456789ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz_-',
      (floor(random() * 64) + 1)::int, 1), '')
  FROM generate_series(1, 32)
);

-- NOTE: Object icons live ONLY in `<objectDir>/.object.yaml` under the
-- `icon:` key. There is intentionally no `icon` column on `objects` —
-- never include one in INSERT/UPDATE statements.
CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS objects (
  id VARCHAR PRIMARY KEY DEFAULT (gen_random_uuid()::VARCHAR),
  name VARCHAR NOT NULL,
  description VARCHAR,
  default_view VARCHAR DEFAULT 'table',
  parent_document_id VARCHAR,
  sort_order INTEGER DEFAULT 0,
  source_app VARCHAR,
  immutable BOOLEAN DEFAULT false,
  created_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT now(),
  updated_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT now(),
  UNIQUE(name)
);

CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS fields (
  id VARCHAR PRIMARY KEY DEFAULT (gen_random_uuid()::VARCHAR),
  object_id VARCHAR NOT NULL REFERENCES objects(id),
  name VARCHAR NOT NULL,
  description VARCHAR,
  type VARCHAR NOT NULL,
  required BOOLEAN DEFAULT false,
  default_value VARCHAR,
  related_object_id VARCHAR REFERENCES objects(id),
  relationship_type VARCHAR,
  enum_values JSON,
  enum_colors JSON,
  enum_multiple BOOLEAN DEFAULT false,
  sort_order INTEGER DEFAULT 0,
  created_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT now(),
  updated_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT now(),
  UNIQUE(object_id, name)
);

CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS entries (
  id VARCHAR PRIMARY KEY DEFAULT (gen_random_uuid()::VARCHAR),
  object_id VARCHAR NOT NULL REFERENCES objects(id),
  sort_order INTEGER DEFAULT 0,
  created_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT now(),
  updated_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT now()
);

CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS entry_fields (
  id VARCHAR PRIMARY KEY DEFAULT (gen_random_uuid()::VARCHAR),
  entry_id VARCHAR NOT NULL REFERENCES entries(id),
  field_id VARCHAR NOT NULL REFERENCES fields(id),
  value VARCHAR,
  created_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT now(),
  updated_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT now(),
  UNIQUE(entry_id, field_id)
);

CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS statuses (
  id VARCHAR PRIMARY KEY DEFAULT (gen_random_uuid()::VARCHAR),
  object_id VARCHAR NOT NULL REFERENCES objects(id),
  name VARCHAR NOT NULL,
  color VARCHAR DEFAULT '#94a3b8',
  sort_order INTEGER DEFAULT 0,
  is_default BOOLEAN DEFAULT false,
  created_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT now(),
  updated_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT now(),
  UNIQUE(object_id, name)
);

CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS documents (
  id VARCHAR PRIMARY KEY DEFAULT (gen_random_uuid()::VARCHAR),
  title VARCHAR DEFAULT 'Untitled',
  icon VARCHAR,
  cover_image VARCHAR,
  file_path VARCHAR NOT NULL UNIQUE,
  parent_id VARCHAR REFERENCES documents(id),
  parent_object_id VARCHAR REFERENCES objects(id),
  entry_id VARCHAR REFERENCES entries(id),
  sort_order INTEGER DEFAULT 0,
  is_published BOOLEAN DEFAULT false,
  created_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT now(),
  updated_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT now()
);

CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS action_runs (
  id VARCHAR PRIMARY KEY DEFAULT (gen_random_uuid()::VARCHAR),
  action_id VARCHAR NOT NULL,
  field_id VARCHAR NOT NULL,
  entry_id VARCHAR NOT NULL,
  object_id VARCHAR NOT NULL,
  status VARCHAR NOT NULL DEFAULT 'pending',
  started_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT now(),
  completed_at TIMESTAMPTZ,
  result VARCHAR,
  error VARCHAR,
  stdout VARCHAR,
  exit_code INTEGER
);

ID Generation

All ID columns default to gen_random_uuid()::VARCHAR. You can also use nanoid32() if the macro is loaded. When inserting manually, always generate an ID — never use a placeholder.

For entry detail markdown pages, documents.entry_id links a document row to a specific CRM entry while file_path stores the human-readable markdown path (for example marketing/influencer/yt-mikemurphy-001.md).

Auto-Generated PIVOT Views

After every object or field mutation, regenerate the PIVOT view for each affected object. Views are stored queries (zero data duplication) that make the EAV pattern invisible.

CRITICAL: Always use the IN (...) clause to list field names explicitly. Without it, column names depend on whatever data happens to exist, causing unpredictable view schemas and broken queries.

-- CORRECT: list all non-action field names in the IN clause
CREATE OR REPLACE VIEW v_lead AS
PIVOT (
  SELECT e.id as entry_id, e.created_at, e.updated_at,
         f.name as field_name, ef.value
  FROM entries e
  JOIN entry_fields ef ON ef.entry_id = e.id
  JOIN fields f ON f.id = ef.field_id
  WHERE e.object_id = (SELECT id FROM objects WHERE name = 'lead')
    AND f.type != 'action'
) ON field_name IN ('Full Name', 'Email Address', 'Phone Number', 'Status', 'Score', 'Source', 'Notes') USING first(value);

Naming convention: v_{object_name} (e.g., v_lead, v_company, v_people).

To get the field list for the IN clause, query non-action fields first:

SELECT name FROM fields
WHERE object_id = (SELECT id FROM objects WHERE name = 'lead')
  AND type != 'action'
ORDER BY sort_order;

Then construct the PIVOT view with those names in the IN (...).

Now query like a normal table:

SELECT * FROM v_lead WHERE "Status" = 'New' ORDER BY created_at DESC LIMIT 50;
SELECT "Status", COUNT(*) FROM v_lead GROUP BY "Status";
SELECT * FROM v_lead WHERE "Email Address" LIKE '%@gmail.com';

Field Types Reference

"API Create" column: "yes" means the field can be created via POST /api/workspace/objects/{name}/fields. "SQL only" means you must create it directly in DuckDB (the API endpoint does not accept user or relation types).

System Timestamp Columns (Always Present)

Every entry row always has:

• created_at (TIMESTAMPTZ in entries)
• updated_at (TIMESTAMPTZ in entries)

Important:

• These are system columns, so they are NOT listed in the fields table.
• If SELECT * FROM fields shows no date fields, you still have created_at and updated_at.
• Use these as date fallbacks for calendar/timeline views and date-based natural language requests.

Field Type Details

user fields: Resolve member name to ID from workspace_context.yaml members list BEFORE inserting. User fields store IDs like usr_abc123, NOT names.

enum fields: Field definition stores enum_values as JSON array. Entry stores the selected value string. enum_multiple = true for multi-select (value stored as JSON array string).

relation fields: Field stores related_object_id (the ID of the target object) and relationship_type (many_to_one for single select, many_to_many for multi-select). Entry field value stores the related entry ID (or JSON array of IDs for many-to-many). Relation fields can only be created via direct DuckDB SQL (not the API). The UI renders them as a searchable dropdown of entries from the related object. This is the default for foreign-table, lookup, linked-record, or "connect this column to another table" requests. Do NOT use text/richtext to store another object's label when a real linked object exists.

Creating a relation field (SQL — the only way):

INSERT INTO fields (object_id, name, type, related_object_id, relationship_type, sort_order)
VALUES (
  (SELECT id FROM objects WHERE name = 'people'),
  'Company',
  'relation',
  (SELECT id FROM objects WHERE name = 'company'),
  'many_to_one',
  3
) ON CONFLICT (object_id, name) DO NOTHING;

Setting a relation value on an entry:

INSERT INTO entry_fields (entry_id, field_id, value)
VALUES (
  '<person_entry_id>',
  (SELECT id FROM fields WHERE object_id = (SELECT id FROM objects WHERE name = 'people') AND name = 'Company'),
  '<company_entry_id>'
) ON CONFLICT (entry_id, field_id) DO UPDATE SET value = excluded.value, updated_at = now();

For many_to_many, store a JSON array of entry IDs: '["id1","id2","id3"]'.

tags fields: Free-form string arrays for labels, domains, skills, keywords, etc. Value stored as JSON array string: '["tag1","tag2","tag3"]'. No predefined values — users can type any value. Displayed as removable chips in the UI.

SQL Operations Reference

All operations use exec with duckdb {{WORKSPACE_PATH}}/workspace.duckdb. Batch related SQL in a single exec call with transactions.

Create Object

Icons are not part of the objects row — set icon: in <objectDir>/.object.yaml after the INSERT, or use the icon picker in the web UI.

INSERT INTO objects (name, description, default_view)
VALUES ('lead', 'Sales leads tracking', 'table')
ON CONFLICT (name) DO NOTHING RETURNING *;

Create Fields

Use this only for scalar fields. If the field is meant to reference another object/table, skip this section and use Create Relation Field instead.

INSERT INTO fields (object_id, name, type, required, sort_order)
VALUES
  ((SELECT id FROM objects WHERE name = 'lead'), 'Full Name', 'text', true, 0),
  ((SELECT id FROM objects WHERE name = 'lead'), 'Email Address', 'email', true, 1),
  ((SELECT id FROM objects WHERE name = 'lead'), 'Phone Number', 'phone', false, 2)
ON CONFLICT (object_id, name) DO NOTHING;

Create Enum Field

INSERT INTO fields (object_id, name, type, enum_values, enum_colors, sort_order)
VALUES (
  (SELECT id FROM objects WHERE name = 'lead'), 'Status', 'enum',
  '["New","Contacted","Qualified","Converted"]'::JSON,
  '["#94a3b8","#3b82f6","#f59e0b","#22c55e"]'::JSON, 3
) ON CONFLICT (object_id, name) DO NOTHING;

Create Relation Field

Relation fields link entries across objects. You MUST create these via SQL — the API does not support relation type.

Use a relation field by default when:

• the user says the column should connect/link/reference another table or object
• the field name matches or strongly aliases an existing object
• the column is really a lookup/select field rather than free-form text

Do NOT create surrogate string columns like Company Name, Client Name, Deal Name, Project Name, or similar when the corresponding object already exists, unless the user explicitly wants denormalized snapshot text.

Default to many_to_one. Use many_to_many only for clearly plural or multi-select relationships.

-- Link people → company (many people belong to one company)
INSERT INTO fields (object_id, name, type, related_object_id, relationship_type, sort_order)
VALUES (
  (SELECT id FROM objects WHERE name = 'people'),
  'Company',
  'relation',
  (SELECT id FROM objects WHERE name = 'company'),
  'many_to_one',
  3
) ON CONFLICT (object_id, name) DO NOTHING;

-- Link deal → contact (each deal has a primary contact)
INSERT INTO fields (object_id, name, type, related_object_id, relationship_type, sort_order)
VALUES (
  (SELECT id FROM objects WHERE name = 'deal'),
  'Primary Contact',
  'relation',
  (SELECT id FROM objects WHERE name = 'people'),
  'many_to_one',
  5
) ON CONFLICT (object_id, name) DO NOTHING;

-- Link project → team members (many-to-many)
INSERT INTO fields (object_id, name, type, related_object_id, relationship_type, sort_order)
VALUES (
  (SELECT id FROM objects WHERE name = 'project'),
  'Team Members',
  'relation',
  (SELECT id FROM objects WHERE name = 'people'),
  'many_to_many',
  4
) ON CONFLICT (object_id, name) DO NOTHING;

Create Entry with Field Values

IMPORTANT: The duckdb CLI cannot capture RETURNING output and reuse it in the same exec call. Instead, pre-generate the entry ID so both statements can reference it:

BEGIN TRANSACTION;

-- Pre-generate the entry ID so we can use it in both INSERT statements
INSERT INTO entries (id, object_id)
VALUES (
  (SELECT gen_random_uuid()::VARCHAR),
  (SELECT id FROM objects WHERE name = 'lead')
);

-- Get the ID we just inserted (last entry for this object)
INSERT INTO entry_fields (entry_id, field_id, value) VALUES
  ((SELECT id FROM entries WHERE object_id = (SELECT id FROM objects WHERE name = 'lead') ORDER BY created_at DESC LIMIT 1),
   (SELECT id FROM fields WHERE object_id = (SELECT id FROM objects WHERE name = 'lead') AND name = 'Full Name'),
   'Jane Smith'),
  ((SELECT id FROM entries WHERE object_id = (SELECT id FROM objects WHERE name = 'lead') ORDER BY created_at DESC LIMIT 1),
   (SELECT id FROM fields WHERE object_id = (SELECT id FROM objects WHERE name = 'lead') AND name = 'Email Address'),
   'jane@example.com'),
  ((SELECT id FROM entries WHERE object_id = (SELECT id FROM objects WHERE name = 'lead') ORDER BY created_at DESC LIMIT 1),
   (SELECT id FROM fields WHERE object_id = (SELECT id FROM objects WHERE name = 'lead') AND name = 'Status'),
   'New')
ON CONFLICT (entry_id, field_id) DO UPDATE SET value = excluded.value, updated_at = now();

COMMIT;

Alternative (cleaner for multiple entries): Query the object_id and field_ids first, then use literal IDs:

OBJ_ID=$(duckdb {{WORKSPACE_PATH}}/workspace.duckdb -noheader -list "SELECT id FROM objects WHERE name = 'lead'")
FLD_NAME=$(duckdb {{WORKSPACE_PATH}}/workspace.duckdb -noheader -list "SELECT id FROM fields WHERE object_id = '$OBJ_ID' AND name = 'Full Name'")
FLD_EMAIL=$(duckdb {{WORKSPACE_PATH}}/workspace.duckdb -noheader -list "SELECT id FROM fields WHERE object_id = '$OBJ_ID' AND name = 'Email Address'")
FLD_STATUS=$(duckdb {{WORKSPACE_PATH}}/workspace.duckdb -noheader -list "SELECT id FROM fields WHERE object_id = '$OBJ_ID' AND name = 'Status'")
ENTRY_ID=$(duckdb {{WORKSPACE_PATH}}/workspace.duckdb -noheader -list "SELECT gen_random_uuid()::VARCHAR")

duckdb {{WORKSPACE_PATH}}/workspace.duckdb "
BEGIN TRANSACTION;
INSERT INTO entries (id, object_id) VALUES ('$ENTRY_ID', '$OBJ_ID');
INSERT INTO entry_fields (entry_id, field_id, value) VALUES
  ('$ENTRY_ID', '$FLD_NAME', 'Jane Smith'),
  ('$ENTRY_ID', '$FLD_EMAIL', 'jane@example.com'),
  ('$ENTRY_ID', '$FLD_STATUS', 'New')
ON CONFLICT (entry_id, field_id) DO UPDATE SET value = excluded.value, updated_at = now();
COMMIT;
"

Entry creation is not complete until the connected entry document exists on disk and is registered in documents. After the SQL commit, follow the default sync workflow in crm/documents/SKILL.md.

Search Entries (via view)

-- Simple search
SELECT * FROM v_leads WHERE "Full Name" ILIKE '%john%';

-- Filter by field
SELECT * FROM v_leads WHERE "Status" = 'New' ORDER BY created_at DESC;

-- Aggregation
SELECT "Status", COUNT(*) as count FROM v_leads GROUP BY "Status";

-- Pagination
SELECT * FROM v_leads ORDER BY created_at DESC LIMIT 20 OFFSET 0;

Update Entry

INSERT INTO entry_fields (entry_id, field_id, value)
VALUES ('<entry_id>', (SELECT id FROM fields WHERE object_id = '<obj_id>' AND name = 'Status'), 'Qualified')
ON CONFLICT (entry_id, field_id) DO UPDATE SET value = excluded.value, updated_at = now();

After updating entry_fields, immediately sync the connected entry document and append a timestamped activity log entry describing the change. This still applies when the user explicitly asks for the Notes field/column.

Delete (with cascade)

-- Delete entry (cascades to entry_fields)
DELETE FROM entries WHERE id = '<entry_id>';

-- Delete field (cascades to entry_fields)
DELETE FROM fields WHERE id = '<field_id>';

-- Delete object (cascades to fields, entries, entry_fields) — check immutable first!
DELETE FROM objects WHERE id = '<obj_id>' AND immutable = false;

Bulk Import from CSV

CRM data follows the EAV pattern (entries + entry_fields), so you can't COPY directly into entries. Instead, load the CSV into a temp table, then insert into entries and entry_fields:

-- 1. Load CSV into a temporary staging table
CREATE TEMP TABLE staging AS SELECT * FROM read_csv_auto('{{WORKSPACE_PATH}}/exports/import.csv');

-- 2. Get object and field IDs
-- (Assumes CSV columns match field names exactly)

-- 3. For each row, create an entry and insert field values
-- Use a script/loop for this — DuckDB doesn't have procedural FOR loops.

For bulk import, prefer a shell script that reads the CSV row by row:

OBJ_ID=$(duckdb {{WORKSPACE_PATH}}/workspace.duckdb -noheader -list "SELECT id FROM objects WHERE name = 'lead'")

# Read CSV and insert each row
tail -n +2 {{WORKSPACE_PATH}}/exports/import.csv | while IFS=',' read -r name email status; do
  ENTRY_ID=$(duckdb {{WORKSPACE_PATH}}/workspace.duckdb -noheader -list "SELECT gen_random_uuid()::VARCHAR")
  duckdb {{WORKSPACE_PATH}}/workspace.duckdb "
    BEGIN TRANSACTION;
    INSERT INTO entries (id, object_id) VALUES ('$ENTRY_ID', '$OBJ_ID');
    INSERT INTO entry_fields (entry_id, field_id, value) VALUES
      ('$ENTRY_ID', (SELECT id FROM fields WHERE object_id = '$OBJ_ID' AND name = 'Full Name'), '${name//'/''}'),
      ('$ENTRY_ID', (SELECT id FROM fields WHERE object_id = '$OBJ_ID' AND name = 'Email Address'), '${email//'/''}'),
      ('$ENTRY_ID', (SELECT id FROM fields WHERE object_id = '$OBJ_ID' AND name = 'Status'), '${status//'/''}')
    ON CONFLICT (entry_id, field_id) DO UPDATE SET value = excluded.value;
    COMMIT;
  "
done

Export to CSV

COPY (SELECT * FROM v_lead) TO '{{WORKSPACE_PATH}}/exports/lead.csv' (HEADER true);

Common DuckDB Pitfalls

These are the most common reasons DuckDB commands fail on the first try. Read these BEFORE writing any SQL.

1. Field names with spaces MUST be double-quoted

-- WRONG: unquoted field name with space
SELECT Full Name FROM v_lead;

-- CORRECT: double-quote field names that contain spaces
SELECT "Full Name" FROM v_lead;

This applies everywhere: SELECT, WHERE, GROUP BY, ORDER BY, PIVOT IN (...).

2. Use BEGIN TRANSACTION not BEGIN

-- WRONG:
BEGIN;

-- CORRECT:
BEGIN TRANSACTION;

3. Single quotes inside string values must be escaped with ''

-- WRONG: unescaped apostrophe
INSERT INTO entry_fields (...) VALUES (..., 'O'Brien Corp');

-- CORRECT: doubled single quote
INSERT INTO entry_fields (...) VALUES (..., 'O''Brien Corp');

4. ::JSON cast requires valid JSON

-- WRONG: not valid JSON (missing quotes around strings)
'[New, Old]'::JSON

-- CORRECT: valid JSON array
'["New","Old"]'::JSON

5. PIVOT view with explicit field list prevents schema drift

-- WRONG: columns depend on whatever data exists
PIVOT (...) ON field_name USING first(value);

-- CORRECT: explicit field list ensures deterministic columns
PIVOT (...) ON field_name IN ('Full Name', 'Email Address', 'Status') USING first(value);

6. Exclude action fields from PIVOT views

Action fields have no entry_fields values. Include AND f.type != 'action' in the WHERE clause or simply exclude them from the IN (...) list.

7. Shell escaping when running duckdb CLI

When running SQL via the duckdb CLI, single quotes in SQL conflict with shell quoting. Use double-quote wrapping for the SQL argument:

# WRONG: shell interprets the inner single quotes
duckdb workspace.duckdb 'SELECT * FROM v_lead WHERE "Status" = 'New''

# CORRECT: use double-quote wrapper
duckdb workspace.duckdb "SELECT * FROM v_lead WHERE \"Status\" = 'New'"

8. DuckDB may be locked by another process

If you get a "database is locked" error, another process (the web server, another CLI call) has the DB open. For read-only queries, retry or use -readonly:

duckdb -readonly {{WORKSPACE_PATH}}/workspace.duckdb "SELECT COUNT(*) FROM entries"

9. Always use ON CONFLICT for idempotent operations

Avoid UNIQUE constraint errors by using upsert patterns:

-- For objects:
INSERT INTO objects (...) VALUES (...) ON CONFLICT (name) DO NOTHING;

-- For fields:
INSERT INTO fields (...) VALUES (...) ON CONFLICT (object_id, name) DO NOTHING;

-- For entry field values:
INSERT INTO entry_fields (...) VALUES (...)
ON CONFLICT (entry_id, field_id) DO UPDATE SET value = excluded.value, updated_at = now();

10. Empty PIVOT views are not errors

If an object has no entries, the PIVOT view will return 0 rows but still be created successfully. This is expected behavior — do not treat it as a failure.