2 min read

SQL for Advanced Users

A single SQL query sometimes may take multiple pages and include many subqueries. Such a complex query can be quite overwhelming if it’s not broken up into smaller, easily digestible pieces. Active Query Builder helps advanced SQL database users work with SQL queries, and offers a set of advanced structural and visualization tools:

  • Write queries in a modern SQL text editor with everything a professional can expect.
  • Preview the subquery result data simply by clicking a tab and looking at what’s going to the main query funnel.
  • Store query templates in a built-in repository and reuse them as views in other queries.

Necessary tools for SQL professionals

Let’s review some of the tools you’ll want to use every day.

Fully-fledged text editor

A good SQL query text editor is something users expect up front:

  • Auto-suggestions in a dropdown list will help you write query text quicker and prevent you from getting stuck. Select objects and fields in your database schema, SQL functions, and keywords as you type.
  • Subquery and expression boundary indication to immediately see the context.
  • Straightforward formatting to embrace the query structure.

Edit subqueries

It’s hard to tell where a subquery begins and ends in the body of a larger query. Proper formatting and boundary highlighting is a great help, but when a subquery takes more than one page of scrolling, it stops serving you.

There is a solution though: extract the subquery and work with it like you would with a standalone query. Active Query Builder makes the transition from parent query to subquery smooth and automatic. You’ll see and be able to edit its text and visual diagram in a separate tab. Also, you can preview what data this subquery returns.

Tame your subqueries

You can see the subquery structure on the upper part of the screen while you’re editing the query text down below. You can dive into every subquery by clicking on it, and it’ll be opened in a separate tab. Check what data it returns, modify if needed, and get back to the parent query.


Repository for your queries

During day-to-day work, you deal with typical tasks, so you probably have a bunch of patterns or subquery snippets to quickly address them. If you simply copy-paste them into your final queries, it makes them heavier and may lead to the issue where a subquery modification will require changing it everywhere. Sometimes it’s neither convenient nor technically wise to store these queries in a database as views, so it’s a good alternative to have a quickly accessible repository at hand. In database terms, we can call it a client-side view.

With Active Query Builder, you can save your subquery snippets to the Reusable Queries repository and refer to them from final queries whenever you need. Every change you make to a query will change all the query instances across all the other queries where it was used.

Try it out now

This tool is equally useful for both professionals and newcomers. Advanced users will benefit from query text structuring and extended tools for storing and editing subqueries, while those who don’t know SQL very well will appreciate the visual drag-and-drop editor. Try out a fully functional Active Query Builder trial today!