The Schema Explorer

The Schema Explorer provides a way to explore the schema of databases so that you can retrieve the names of tables, views, commands, and their components. You can navigate to the Schema Explorer by selecting Schema Explorer from the View menu or by pressing Ctrl+Shift+D.

To Add a New Connection to Schema Explorer

1. Click the Manage Data Sources toolbar button to open the Data Source Manager dialog box.

2. Click the Add button to open the Data Source dialog box.

3. Enter a name for the new data source, select an appropriate provider, and enter a connection string.

4. Click Test to verify your settings.

5. Click OK to create the new connection.

6. Click Close to close the Data Source Manager.

Extended Properties

Extended Properties are a way to create and customize the metadata from your Schema Provider Types.  A feature new to 4.0, the Schema Explorer provides an easy and graphical way to manage your schema extended properties inside of CodeSmith Studio.

Read More: Managing Extended Properties