June 14, 2026
How to add a live ER diagram to a Confluence page
A step-by-step guide to adding an interactive, editable entity-relationship diagram to your Confluence page with the Database Schema Diagram macro — no screenshots required.
Most teams document their database schema with a screenshot from a desktop ER tool, pasted into a Confluence page. It looks fine on the day you paste it — and then the schema changes, and the picture doesn’t. Here’s how to keep the diagram itself, live, on the page.
1. Insert the macro
In any Confluence page, type / and search for Database Schema Diagram. Insert it — you’ll
get an empty canvas.
2. Add your tables
Click Add table, give it a name, and add columns one at a time. Mark primary keys as you go — the macro uses these to offer matching columns when you draw a relationship.
3. Draw the relationships
Drag from a foreign key column to the primary key it references. The macro draws the connector and keeps it attached to both columns, so moving a table doesn’t break the diagram.
4. Arrange the layout
Drag tables around the canvas until the diagram reads cleanly — group related tables, route around overlaps. This is a one-time layout pass; viewers get the same arrangement you set.
5. Save and view
Save the page. Anyone viewing it sees the same interactive canvas — they can pan and zoom, but editing stays behind the macro’s edit mode, so the diagram can’t drift by accident.
6. Exporting to Word or PDF
When the page is exported, the diagram renders exactly as it appears on screen — same layout, same colors, same connectors. No re-drawing, no “the export looks different from the page” surprises.
That’s it — one macro, one source of truth for your schema. If you’re tracking an architecture decision record (ADR) or prepping for a design review, keep the diagram in the same space as the doc it supports, and it’ll stay accurate as the schema evolves.