Do you really need a Visual Query Builder?

In this post, we try to guess the questions you might ask yourself while reading about Active Query Builder our website and give you clear answers.

Q: Do my users really need a query builder?

A: No. What they need is the data from your DB.

Active Query Builder just helps them get hold of the data as quickly as possible.

Q: Do users not need any knowledge of SQL to work with Active Query Builder?

A: To put together elementary queries, they don't.

Building more complex queries doesn't require a deep knowledge SQL language, but it does require basic knowledge of how to get information from a relational DB and how it’s stored there.

Q: But wouldn't it be easier to write the query manually?

A: For programmers and command-line fans it probably would be easier.

But most ordinary users prefer to see their queries set out visually, at a glance, rather than having to write them out as text under strict rules.

When you're using Active Query Builder, you never forget to insert a comma when you add a new column to a query!

Q: But there are people like that! What do they need Active Query Builder for?

A: They don't have to start by using it.

They can start by typing SQL queries, and Active Query Builder will display a visual representation of them. If they change something in the visual representation, they will follow the way the text changes, and then they can get back to the query text editing.

Users can switch between visual query building and edit the query text whenever they need.

What is more, for people who do prefer to edit SQL queries in text form, we have provided a text editor with SQL syntax colouring and code auto-completion. We are sure they'll like it!

Q: We have written an enormous quantity of complex queries. Will we have to rewrite them using your builder?

A: Of course not.

Active Query Builder can load any SQL query in text form and build a visual diagram of it so that users can understand its structure and purpose.

Q: The names of objects and fields in my DB do not give the user any idea what they are for. So what use is your builder for me?

A: Active Query Builder is exactly what you need!

It will hide difficult-to-read names from the user and show comprehensible aliases instead.

It can even build the text of an SQL query using the aliases instead of the real names and then put the real names back in when the query needs to be executed.

Q: Impressive. What else can your component do?

A: Lots of stuff!

Go to the Full Feature List page and learn it right now!

PS: If you have a question we haven't answered, ask me in person or look on our forum.