SQueAl

SQueAl is a software application for executing SQL statements on database connections, and viewing and editing the resulting data. It is similar to SQL Server's Query Analyzer, Oracle's SQL Plus or Access's Queries tab - each of which serve this purpose only for their associated DBMS. SQueAl is a generic application that works with almost any database, and offers a number of useful features that put it in a league of its own. SQueAl is a free alternative, and in many cases a better option, to these tools.

SQueAl uses ADO, which uses OLE DB, which is capable of using ODBC - enabling it to connect to a vast range of data sources, right from full-scale DBMS's like Oracle and SQL Server down to plain-text CSV files. Most applications written today use OLE DB or ODBC; which means that the way a query works under SQueAl will be close to the way it works from your application. This makes SQueAl a great tool to analyse (debug) as well as synthesise (prepare) queries used in your application.

SQueAl is meant for use mainly by software professionals - or amateurs for that matter. In particular, it will benefit software developers and students. But it is easy to use even for administrators, support executives and the slightly-above-average non-phobic home user.

SQueAl expects that you know a sufficient amount of SQL. It has features for quickly building the most common SQL statements, but these are aimed more at laying the foundation of more complex queries, than at helping you get around without knowing any SQL: there are no grid-like 'design views' where you choose each of the fields in a query from combo boxes. There are no features to graphically design database objects like tables, or display execution plans, etc. - you need to use SQL for all tasks.

What SQueAl does is give you the space to work with all the SQL statements you want. Its most useful features are the ones for executing queries and viewing, editing and converting data. Purists may frown upon the ad hoc execution of queries and use of data editing features from an 'out-of-process' tool. But in practice, this is often needed: simply because no interface has been developed for certain procedures (typically management of configuration data and other tasks not in the purview of end users) or when the 'real' system is not working properly.