I recently started testing PrimalSQL as a way to build SQL commands. Now there are some aspects I believe deserve some optimization:
Report Query execution time
How am I going to optimize query performance if the tool isn't telling me how long it takes to execute a query and receive the result? Since query optimization is one of my major tasks in SQL, that'd be fairly important for me.
Primal Sense for fields
While in a query, I'd appreciate Primal Sense for field-names from tables listed in the 'FROM' section of the query.
Execute marked query
I like to piece together and assemble multiple queries in a single file (before storing the finished product properly). PrimalSQL however will only allow me to execute all queries in the file at once. A function to only execute the one where the cursor is in or only those that have been marked would be much appreciated.
Indent Automation during editing
A finished query of mine looks similar to this example:
Code: Select all
SELECT
*
FROM
example;
Displaying the Log
The log is by default nigh illegible, compressed in the lower left corner es it is. I can move it elsewhere if I want, but what I'd actually like is the option to add it as a tab to the result-list, which is currently impossible. The only way to display it horizontally - which is helpful to read the reports without massive scrolling - is at the direct expense of either editor or Results area.
Syntax Validation
It would be great if the editor could validate a query as I write it and highlight any errors.
Database browser context menu
I'd love to have additional options in the Database browser context menus when right-clicking on a view or table, particularly "drop" and "truncate" would be great to make testing creating or filling queries faster. That way I wouldn't have to write a query to do it for me for every table or view I'm creating / filling (and store it in a separate script file right now, see above suggestion).
Auto-Complete and writing conventions
I really like auto-complete. In PowerShell Studio 2012. NOT however in PrimalSQL 2012. It is actually not that I would dislike it in the usual way of things, my problem stems from the fact that it violates my writing conventions, and that aggressively so. My usual convention is to write command words all upper-case and variables, names, etc all lowercase. Makes for easy reading, since the naming conventions for commands aren't as ... distinct as in PowerShell.
However, all auto-completed commands I have yet encountered - thankfully only a select few so far - insist on being lowercase. Now you'll likely argue in favor of disabling auto-complete and enjoy scripting SQL without (which would be OK with me) ... but that doesn't work out as well as I'd like: Once I finish typing SELECT, the drop-down menu will mark its own select so when I press enter next - which in my usual workflow I ought to - it will turn my perfectly nice SELECT into a perfectly nice but non-conformist select. I can prevent this from happening by pressing ESC or CTRL-Z, but I really would prefer not to have to mind it. Breaks concentration and I still mess up occasionally, my habit simply being that strong.
So can I get an option to either turn commands into upper-case versions instead (perfect) or just into stopping messing with me (Well enough)?
Fixing TAB-based snippet insertion
Please not that this is with auto-complete already disabled. Let's assume I type the name of a field while creating a table and name that field "status" (one of the default names for table-fields in our database conventions). It then proposes in the usual drop-down menu what commands, names or snippets I might have been meaning to type, but - as I disabled auto-complete - does not select any one option (just that slight frame around what it would have highlighted had I not disabled autocomplete). That frame in this case would be around the default snippet insert. Now I press tab, as all CREATE TABLE commands Must Be Properly Readable, which means I create a nice table of fields and property types. PrimalSQL 2012 however intelligently detects my desire to have the select snippet inserted and decides to fullfil this desire. Yay.
Primal Sense for data types
it would be nice-to-have Primal Sense detect the declaration of a CREATE TABLE statement and provide suggestions for datatypes and secondary attributes (like NOT NULL) where appropriate.
Manually sortable result tables
I'd love to be able to sort the result tables by any column (and without reloading a query, as some of them usually take some time to complete). This would help a lot in verifying a query result.
Marking braces
I don't know whether I translated the term correctly, anyway, "(", "{", "}" and ")" are fairly useful for structuring things (and often their use is mandatory). Given what a complex statement can thus look, I' dreally appreciate to have the same functionality as in PowerShell Studio, where selecting an opening brace will cause the corresponding closing brace to be highlighted.
Cheers,
Fred
P.s.: Yes, I know, I've assembled quite a list so far. I'm a user, so I am greedy