Skip to content
Studio 3T - The professional GUI, IDE and client for MongoDB
  • Tools
    • Aggregation Editor
    • IntelliShell
    • Visual Query Builder
    • Export Wizard
    • Import Wizard
    • Query Code
    • SQL Query
    • Connect
    • Schema Explorer
    • Compare
    • SQL ⇔ MongoDB Migration
    • Data Masking
    • Task Scheduler
    • Reschema
    • More Tools and Features
  • Solutions
  • Resources
    • Knowledge Base
    • MongoDB Tutorials & Courses
    • Tool/Feature Documentation
    • Blog
    • Community
    • Testimonials
    • Whitepapers
    • Reports
  • Contact us
    • Contact
    • Sales Support
    • Feedback and Support
    • Careers
    • About Us
  • Store
    • Buy Now
    • Preferred Resellers
    • Team Pricing
  • Download
  • My 3T
search

Studio 3T Knowledge Base

  • Documentation
  • Tutorials
  • Workshops
Take the fastest route to learning MongoDB. Cover the basics in two hours with MongoDB 101, no registration required.
Start the free course

Getting Started with Studio 3T

Posted on: 26/04/2018 (last updated: 21/12/2021) by Kathryn Vargas

Got Studio 3T downloaded and installed on your machine? Then let’s get started with MongoDB using Studio 3T.

Connect to MongoDB

Have your connection details ready

Whether you’re MongoDB is hosted on-premise or through a cloud hosting service, the quickest way to connect to your database is to have a connection string ready.

mongodb://[username:[email protected]]host1[:port1][,host2[:port2],…[,hostN[:portN]]][/[database][?options]]

The standard connection string or URI format

The good news is, cloud hosting services like MongoDB Atlas, Compose, mLab, ObjectRocket, and ScaleGrid readily provide this connection string, so all you need to do is make a few modifications (e.g. insert SSH and/or SSL details), and paste it into Studio 3T.

Alternatively, you can also save the connection string as a URI file.

Create a new connection

Enter your connection string or upload your URI file in the Connection Manager following these steps.

Choose between light or dark theme

Choose between dark theme or the default light theme by going to Preferences > General and ticking the Enable dark theme checkbox.

Take a tour

Global toolbar

The global toolbar is available throughout your Studio 3T journey, providing you one-click access to the following features:

The tools at your disposal in the Studio 3T toolbar
  • Connection Manager (Connect)
  • Collection Tab (Collection)
  • IntelliShell
  • SQL Query (SQL)
  • Aggregation Editor (Aggregate)
  • Map-Reduce
  • Data Compare and Sync (Compare)
  • Schema Explorer (Schema)
  • Reschema
  • Tasks
  • Export
  • Import
  • Data Masking
  • User Manager (Users)
  • Role Manager (Roles)
  • Feedback

Connection Tree

On the left-hand side, you’ll always find the Connection Tree, which displays all your active MongoDB connections and their respective databases and collections.

The Connection Tree in Studio 3T

Avoid database mixups by color-coding your databases and collections.

Collection Tab

Double-click on any collection in the Connection Tree to open a collection tab.

The Collection Tab is the starting point for using Studio 3T. Here you can view, edit, and query your collection, and access other features.

We highly encourage you to get familiar with the Collection Tab and read the full documentation here.

Build your query

With Studio 3T, anyone can build a MongoDB query.

It doesn’t matter if you don’t know the MongoDB query language, use SQL, or write JSON documents like a pro – there’s a feature that’s right for you.

Drag-and-drop

If you have no knowledge of the MongoDB query language, you can still get some serious querying done with the Visual Query Builder.

Simply drag and drop the fields you want to query into the builder, define your operators, and let the feature do the work – no MongoDB query syntax required.

Read about Visual Query Builder in full.

mongo shell

Those familiar with the mongo shell will feel right at home with IntelliShell, which boasts an extra perk: rich, smart autocompletion which was even made more robust with Version 2018.4.

View the full documentation on IntelliShell here.

SQL

If you’re a SQL veteran new to MongoDB, you can be just as productive with your SQL querying skills.

Through SQL Query, you can write SQL statements and joins to query MongoDB.

You also get to see how your SQL queries translate to the MongoDB query language, which is a great learning tool.

Read about SQL Query in full here.

Aggregation pipeline

For a better way of building aggregation queries (which even the MongoDB pros will appreciate), there’s the Aggregation Editor.

It lets you define aggregation pipeline operators and check inputs and outputs one stage at a time, so that you know your pipeline is accurate each step of the way.

View the full documentation on Aggregation Editor here.

View your results

You’ve built your query – now it’s time to check the results.

Studio 3T lets you view your data in three ways.

Table View

View your data in the familiar spreadsheet format and enjoy features unique to Studio 3T like showing embedded fields, stepping into array-valued columns, showing/hiding columns, and more.

Read about Table View in full here.

Tree View

Tree View shows your data in hierarchies that you can expand or collapse as needed.

View the full documentation on Tree View here.

JSON View

Go old school and view your collection as JSON documents, complemented by a built-in JSON editor that validates your syntax as you go.

View the full documentation on JSON View here.

Query Code

In addition to viewing results, you can also see how your MongoDB, SQL, or aggregation queries translate to JavaScript (Node.js), Java (2.x and 3.x driver API), Python, C#, PHP, Ruby, and the mongo shell language.

Learn more about Query Code.

Explore your collections

Use Studio 3T’s many advanced features to dive deeper into your data.

Discover schema outliers

Find documents with missing fields, spot incorrect fields like duplicates and misspellings, and incorrect field types.

Visualize your schema

With charts like value histograms, top values, and date distributions, visualizing your data  can help teams glean important trends and insights.

Compare and sync collections

Use Data Compare and Sync to compare any two MongoDB collections across different databases and servers and sync differences as needed.

New to MongoDB? Get the breakdown in our Getting Started with MongoDB guide. Or if you’re already a Studio 3T pro, hone your skills and check out our latest MongoDB tutorials.


How helpful was this article?
This article was hideous
This article was bad
This article was ok
This article was good
This article was great
Thank you for your feedback!

About The Author

Kathryn Vargas

When she's not writing about working with MongoDB, Kathryn spends her free time exploring Berlin's food scene, playing the drums, learning languages (current mission: German), and hiking.

Article navigation

Related articles

  • Getting Started with MongoDB – An Introduction
  • Date Tags: Getting It Right On DateTime
  • What’s New in Studio 3T 2020.10 | Data Masking, Reschema & The Fastest Studio 3T Version Yet
  • What’s New in Studio 3T – A NoSQL and MongoDB Blog
  • How to Claim and/or Assign Studio 3T Licenses

Studio 3T

MongoDB Enterprise Certified Technology PartnerSince 2014, 3T has been helping thousands of MongoDB developers and administrators with their everyday jobs by providing the finest MongoDB tools on the market. We guarantee the best compatibility with current and legacy releases of MongoDB, continue to deliver new features with every new software release, and provide high quality support.

Find us on FacebookFind us on TwitterFind us on YouTubeFind us on LinkedIn

Education

  • Free MongoDB Tutorials
  • Connect to MongoDB
  • Connect to MongoDB Atlas
  • Import Data to MongoDB
  • Export MongoDB Data
  • Build Aggregation Queries
  • Query MongoDB with SQL
  • Migrate from SQL to MongoDB

Resources

  • Feedback and Support
  • Sales Support
  • Knowledge Base
  • FAQ
  • Reports
  • White Papers
  • Testimonials
  • Discounts

Company

  • About Us
  • Blog
  • Careers
  • Legal
  • Press
  • Privacy Policy
  • EULA

© 2023 3T Software Labs Ltd. All rights reserved.

  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie settings
  • Impressum

We value your privacy

With your consent, we and third-party providers use cookies and similar technologies on our website to analyse your use of our site for market research or advertising purposes ("analytics and marketing") and to provide you with additional functions (“functional”). This may result in the creation of pseudonymous usage profiles and the transfer of personal data to third countries, including the USA, which may have no adequate level of protection for the processing of personal data.

By clicking “Accept all”, you consent to the storage of cookies and the processing of personal data for these purposes, including any transfers to third countries. By clicking on “Decline all”, you do not give your consent and we will only store cookies that are necessary for our website. You can customize the cookies we store on your device or change your selection at any time - thus also revoking your consent with effect for the future - under “Manage Cookies”, or “Cookie Settings” at the bottom of the page. You can find further information in our Privacy Policy.
Accept all
Decline all
Manage cookies
✕

Privacy Preference Center

With your consent, we and third-party providers use cookies and similar technologies on our website to analyse your use of our site for market research or advertising purposes ("analytics and marketing") and to provide you with additional functions (“functional”). This may result in the creation of pseudonymous usage profiles and the transfer of personal data to third countries, including the USA, which may have no adequate level of protection for the processing of personal data. Please choose for which purposes you wish to give us your consent and store your preferences by clicking on “Accept selected”. You can find further information in our Privacy Policy.

Accept all cookies

Manage consent preferences

Essential cookies are strictly necessary to provide an online service such as our website or a service on our website which you have requested. The website or service will not work without them.

Performance cookies allow us to collect information such as number of visits and sources of traffic. This information is used in aggregate form to help us understand how our websites are being used, allowing us to improve both our website’s performance and your experience.

Google Analytics

Google Ads

Bing Ads

Facebook

LinkedIn

Quora

Hotjar

Functional cookies collect information about your preferences and choices and make using the website a lot easier and more relevant. Without these cookies, some of the site functionality may not work as intended.

HubSpot

Social media cookies are cookies used to share user behaviour information with a third-party social media platform. They may consequently effect how social media sites present you with information in the future.

Accept selected