SQL Formatter and Beautifier

What is an SQL Formatter?

SQL Formatter is a piece of software or a tool that formats and beautifies SQL code to make it more readable and organized. It has the capability to automatically adjust the indentation, spacing, and line breaks in SQL queries, which makes them much simpler to understand, review, explain, and maintain. This helps improve and enhance the readability of the code and lowers the number of syntax errors.

Now, let's understand what you can do with SQL Formatter/Beautifier.

What can you do with the SQL Formatter?

SQL Formatter can do many things, including, but not limited to, the following:

1. Code formatting: It can format an SQL query or code by adjusting the indentation, line breaks, and spacing to make it more readable and organized.
2. Syntax highlighting: It can highlight different SQL elements, such as keywords, identifiers, strings, variables, and comments, to improve code or query readability.
3. Validation of code: It can validate and check SQL code or queries for syntax errors and potential problems that could arise when fixing bugs.

Now, let's check all customizations and settings offered by our SQL Formatter.

Settings and Customizations

• Tab width (input box): This option helps you set the number of spaces used to represent a tab character in the formatted SQL code. The user can specify and set the number of spaces to be used by entering a value in the respective input box.
• Use tabs (checkbox): This option specifies whether to use spaces or tabs for indentation. The user can select the checkbox to use tabs for indentation. Otherwise, spaces are used. By default, spaces are used.
• Language (Dropdown): This option helps you select the SQL dialect to be used for formatting and is accessed via a dropdown menu. The user has access to a list of various SQL language options from which they can select. This list includes SQL, AWS Redshift, BigQuery, DB2, Hive, MariaDB, MySQL, N1QL, PL/SQL, PostgreSQL, Spark, SQLite, and Transact-SQL.
• Case (Dropdown): This option specifies the case for keywords, identifiers, and function names in the formatted SQL code. The user can select from options including "Preserve", "Uppercase", and "Lowercase". By default, it is set to "Preserve.".
• Indentation style (Dropdown): With this option, you can set the style of indentation used in the formatted SQL code. The user can select from options including "Standard", "Tabular Left", and "Tabular Right". By default, the indentation style is set to "Standard" mode.
• Multiline lists (Dropdown): This option determines whether list items in SELECT statements or queries should be displayed one per line or all in the same line. The user can select from options including "Always", "Avoid", "Expression width", and "Item count". By default, it is set to "Always" mode.
• AND/OR newlines (Dropdown): This option allows you to put AND/OR operators on a new line in the formatted SQL query. The user can select from options including "before and after". By default, it is set to "before".
• AS in alias (Dropdown): This setting option determines whether the "AS" keyword should be used in the formatted SQL code for column and table aliases. The user can select from options including "Preserve", "SELECT Only", "Always", and "Never". By default, it is set to "Preserve".
• Align aliases (Checkbox): This optional feature allows you to choose to align aliases in SELECT statements in the formatted SQL code. The user can select the checkbox to enable the alignment of aliases. By default, Align aliases option is unchecked.
• Comma position (Dropdown): This all you to choose the position of commas in the formatted SQL code. The user can select from options including "After", "Before", and "Tabular". By default, "After" is selected.
• "\n before (" (checkbox): This option lets you choose whether to insert a new line before an opening parenthesis in the formatted SQL query or not. The user can select the checkbox to enable this option. By default, it is selected.
• "\n before )" (checkbox): This option allows you to choose whether to insert a new line before a closing parenthesis in the formatted SQL query or not. The user can select the checkbox to enable this option. By default, it is selected.
• Expression width (input): This option permits you to set the maximum width of expressions in the formatted SQL code. The user can specify the maximum width by entering a required value in the input box.
• Lines between queries (input): This option allows you to enter the number of blank lines to insert between individual SQL queries in the formatted SQL query. The user can specify the number of blank lines by entering a value in the input box.
• Dense operators (checkbox): This option determines whether to use compact or dense formatting for operators in the generated output SQL code. The user can select the checkbox to use dense formatting for operators.
• Semicolon on a separate line (checkbox): This setting allows you to choose to place the semicolon terminating a statement on a new line in the output formatted SQL code. The user can select the checkbox to enable this option. By default, this option is unchecked.

How to Format or Beautify SQL Query Code Online

The steps to use our SQL formatter/beautifier with the customizations and settings described above may vary depending on your requirements. However, a general outline of the steps to format a SQL query or SQL code might look like this:

1. Open the SQL formatter and beautifier tool in your browser.
2. Copy and paste your unformatted SQL code or SQL query into the formatter's input box on the left side.
3. Customize the settings and options as desired by adjusting the options in the formatter's interface, including:

• Tab width
• Use tabs
• Language
• Case
• Indentation style
• Multiline lists
• AND/OR newlines
• AS in alias
• Align aliases
• Comma position
• "\n before ("
• "\n before )"
• Expression width
• Lines between queries
• Dense operators
• Semicolon on separate line

4. Click on the "Format" button to apply the formatting to your SQL code. Our SQL formatter supports auto output generated mode. Hence, you don't need to click on this button repeatedly.

5. Next, review the formatted SQL code/query in the formatter's output box. If you are satisfied with the formatting, just copy and paste the output code into your text editor, document, or database management system.

Let's check out the examples of input and output generated.

SQL Formatter Online Example

Here is an example of input and output produced using our SQL Formatter tool.

Example:

Input:

SELECT name, age, salary FROM employees WHERE age > 25 AND salary > 50000;

Output (with default settings):

SELECT

  name,

  age,

  salary

FROM

  employees

WHERE

  age > 25

  AND salary > 50000;

Applications

SQL formatter has several applications, including but not limited to the following:

1. Code Readability: SQL formatter or SQL Beautifier organise the code into a structure that is neat, consistent, and simple to understand, which helps to make the code more readable. This makes it simpler for developers to comprehend the code, find bugs in it, and keep it maintained.
2. Team Collaboration: When working on a project together, multiple developers should use a formatting style that is consistent throughout. This helps to avoid confusion and ensures that everyone is working with the same conventions and settings. SQL formatters assist in ensuring that all members of a team adhere to the same formatting style.
3. Database Management: When working with a database management system, it is frequently necessary to format SQL code or SQL query in order to guarantee that it will execute without error. The SQL formatter has the ability to improve the performance of the code by identifying and fixing syntax errors.
4. Sharing and Presentation: When you share SQL code with other people like testers and developers, it is helpful if the code is clean and well-formatted. This makes it simpler for the recipient to understand the code and provide feedback on it. Also, SQL formatter can help when showing SQL code in workshops or presentations. 
5. Database Migration: An SQL formatter can be of assistance in the process of migrating a database from one system to another by helping to ensure that the code is compatible with the new system and runs without any hiccups.

Just the top five applications are listed above. There are an infinite number of applications and use cases for SQL formatter.

Conclusion

A developer, database administrator, or data analyst can greatly benefit from using a free online SQL formatter. It can help with database management and migration, promote consistency and collaboration among team members and developers, and help improve the readability and maintainability of SQL code and query.

Our free online SQL formatter is a tool that is both efficient and cost-effective for formatting SQL code. This is because of the ease with which it can be accessed online and its extensive personalization options. 

With this tool, your SQL code appears more professional and polished, regardless of whether you are working on a small personal project or a large application for an enterprise-level business.