This was so much of a pain in the ass to figure out that I decided that I would compile a whole post specifically around useful information for this topic.

To get started, download SQLDeveloper through Oracle’s site (you’ll need to register). So far I’ve tested this on macOS.

Establishing a connection

1. Under the Connections tab, click the green plus button
2. Specify Basic for the connection type
3. Put in the Connection name, Username, Password, Hostname, and Port
4. For SID, put in the hostname without the domain. For example, if you have database.organization.com, you would put in database for the SID.
5. Click Test
6. If there is no error message, click Connect.

If tables are filtered

1. Right click on Tables (Filtered) for your given database
2. Click Apply Filter
3. Check Include Synonyms
4. Click OK
5. Right click on Views for your given database
6. Click Apply Filter
7. Check Include Synonyms
8. Click OK

Resource: https://www.thatjeffsmith.com/archive/2013/03/why-cant-i-see-my-tables-in-oracle-sql-developer/

Run a SQL Query

1. Go to Tools
2. Click SQL Worksheet
3. Select the connection you want to query, click OK
4. Enter in your query, click the green Play button