Modelling databases in a web browser

When folk in the MariaDB world think about a GUI front-end, they tend to think of HeidiSQL, which has been shipping as part of MariaDB Server since 5.2.7. If one has a MariaDB Enterprise subscription, you get the Visual Query Editor which is SQLyog by Webyog. In fact the Knowledge Base lists a fairly lengthy list of Graphical and Enhanced Clients.

Modelling databases in a web browser

This past week I got a quick demo of Vertabelo. It is a SaaS based database design tool, that allows you to model within a web browser. They do have an on-site option too that costs a bit more. Now we don’t have a direct offering for this, but I’ve always thought that this is the kind of complementary product today’s developers will ask for: data modelling with a friendly UI, having a chat with people about a query (so if you the DBA find that the query looks odd, you can immediately start a chat with the developer to get it fixed and all this gets logged), and one of the cool things is the live validation (I saw this and enjoyed the hints it also provides you). And naturally there is also the idea of “reverse engineering” between PostgreSQL, SQL Server, Oracle, DB2, and others. The feature list is wide and varied.

I’m hoping to see more support of MariaDB Server within their offering, after all they did talk about the history of MySQL as well as Problems With Naming a Product: SOLVED in the past.