Multi-Agent Database Discovery System

Overview

This document describes a multi-agent database discovery system implemented using Claude Code's autonomous agent capabilities. The system uses 4 specialized subagents that collaborate via the MCP (Model Context Protocol) catalog to perform comprehensive database analysis.

Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                     Main Agent (Orchestrator)                       │
│  - Launches 4 specialized subagents in parallel                     │
│  - Coordinates via MCP catalog                                      │
│  - Synthesizes final report                                        │
└────────────────┬────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                 │
    ┌────────────┼────────────┬────────────┬────────────┐
    │            │            │            │            │
    ▼            ▼            ▼            ▼            ▼
┌────────┐  ┌────────┐  ┌────────┐  ┌────────┐  ┌────────┐
│Struct. │  │Statist.│  │Semantic│  │Query   │  │  MCP   │
│ Agent  │  │ Agent  │  │ Agent  │  │ Agent  │  │Catalog │
└────────┘  └────────┘  └────────┘  └────────┘  └────────┘
     │            │            │            │            │
     └────────────┴────────────┴────────────┴────────────┘
                          │
                   ▼              ▼
              ┌─────────┐  ┌─────────────┐
              │ Database│  │   Catalog   │
              │ (testdb)│  │ (Shared Mem)│
              └─────────┘  └─────────────┘

The Four Discovery Agents

1. Structural Agent

Mission: Map tables, relationships, indexes, and constraints

Responsibilities:

• Complete ERD documentation
• Table schema analysis (columns, types, constraints)
• Foreign key relationship mapping
• Index inventory and assessment
• Architectural pattern identification

Catalog Entries: structural_discovery

Key Deliverables:

• Entity Relationship Diagram
• Complete table definitions
• Index inventory with recommendations
• Relationship cardinality mapping

2. Statistical Agent

Mission: Profile data distributions, patterns, and anomalies

Responsibilities:

• Table row counts and cardinality analysis
• Data distribution profiling
• Anomaly detection (duplicates, outliers)
• Statistical summaries (min/max/avg/stddev)
• Business metrics calculation

Catalog Entries: statistical_discovery

Key Deliverables:

• Data quality score
• Duplicate detection reports
• Statistical distributions
• True vs inflated metrics

3. Semantic Agent

Mission: Infer business domain and entity types

Responsibilities:

• Business domain identification
• Entity type classification (master vs transactional)
• Business rule discovery
• Entity lifecycle analysis
• State machine identification

Catalog Entries: semantic_discovery

Key Deliverables:

• Complete domain model
• Business rules documentation
• Entity lifecycle definitions
• Missing capabilities identification

4. Query Agent

Mission: Analyze access patterns and optimization opportunities

Responsibilities:

• Query pattern identification
• Index usage analysis
• Performance bottleneck detection
• N+1 query risk assessment
• Optimization recommendations

Catalog Entries: query_discovery

Key Deliverables:

• Access pattern analysis
• Index recommendations (prioritized)
• Query optimization strategies
• EXPLAIN analysis results

Discovery Process

Round Structure

Each agent runs 4 rounds of analysis:

Round 1: Blind Exploration

• Initial schema/data analysis
• First observations cataloged
• Initial hypotheses formed

Round 2: Pattern Recognition

• Read other agents' findings from catalog
• Identify patterns and anomalies
• Form and test hypotheses

Round 3: Hypothesis Testing

• Validate business rules against actual data
• Cross-reference findings with other agents
• Confirm or reject hypotheses

Round 4: Final Synthesis

• Compile comprehensive findings
• Generate actionable recommendations
• Create final mission summary

Catalog-Based Collaboration

# Agent writes findings
catalog_upsert(
    kind="structural_discovery",
    key="table_customers",
    document="...",
    tags="structural,table,schema"
)

# Agent reads other agents' findings
findings = catalog_list(kind="statistical_discovery")

Example Discovery Output

Database: testdb (E-commerce Order Management)

True Statistics (After Deduplication)

Critical Findings

1. Data Quality: 5/100 (Catastrophic) - 67% data triplication
2. Missing Index: orders.order_date (P0 critical)
3. Missing Constraints: No UNIQUE or FK constraints
4. Business Domain: E-commerce order management system

Launching the Discovery System

# In Claude Code, launch 4 agents in parallel:
Task(
    description="Structural Discovery",
    prompt=STRUCTURAL_AGENT_PROMPT,
    subagent_type="general-purpose"
)

Task(
    description="Statistical Discovery",
    prompt=STATISTICAL_AGENT_PROMPT,
    subagent_type="general-purpose"
)

Task(
    description="Semantic Discovery",
    prompt=SEMANTIC_AGENT_PROMPT,
    subagent_type="general-purpose"
)

Task(
    description="Query Discovery",
    prompt=QUERY_AGENT_PROMPT,
    subagent_type="general-purpose"
)

MCP Tools Used

The agents use these MCP tools for database analysis:

• list_schemas - List all databases
• list_tables - List tables in a schema
• describe_table - Get table schema
• sample_rows - Get sample data from table
• column_profile - Get column statistics
• run_sql_readonly - Execute read-only queries
• catalog_upsert - Store findings in catalog
• catalog_list / catalog_get - Retrieve findings from catalog

Target Scoping Requirement

Discovery and catalog/LLM tools are target-scoped. Always pass target_id:

• discovery.run_static(target_id=..., schema_filter=...)
• catalog.*(target_id=..., run_id=...)
• agent.run_start(target_id=..., run_id=...)
• llm.*(target_id=..., run_id=...)

run_id resolution is no longer global. The same schema name can exist on multiple targets, so target_id is required to resolve the correct discovery run.

Benefits of Multi-Agent Approach

1. Parallel Execution: All 4 agents run simultaneously
2. Specialized Expertise: Each agent focuses on its domain
3. Cross-Validation: Agents validate each other's findings
4. Comprehensive Coverage: All aspects of database analyzed
5. Knowledge Synthesis: Final report combines all perspectives

Output Format

The system produces:

1. 40+ Catalog Entries - Detailed findings organized by agent
2. Comprehensive Report - Executive summary with:
   • Structure & Schema (ERD, table definitions)
   • Business Domain (entity model, business rules)
   • Key Insights (data quality, performance)
   • Data Quality Assessment (score, recommendations)

Future Enhancements

• Additional specialized agents (Security, Performance, Compliance)
• Automated remediation scripts
• Continuous monitoring mode
• Integration with CI/CD pipelines
• Web-based dashboard for findings

Related Files

• simple_discovery.py - Simplified demo of multi-agent pattern
• mcp_catalog.db - Catalog database for storing findings

References

• Claude Code Task Tool Documentation
• MCP (Model Context Protocol) Specification
• ProxySQL MCP Server Implementation