Re: Graphical ER Editor / Graphical Query Edito

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Tim Finch, FosterFinch Ltd [mailto:tim@fosterfinch.co.uk]
> Sent: 26 February 2002 22:50
> To: pgadmin-hackers@postgresql.org
> Cc: pgadmin-support@postgresql.org
> Subject: [pgadmin-support] Graphical ER Editor / Graphical
> Query Editor
>
>
> <Big Ideas>
>
> Well, I'm toying with the idea of getting into helping
> pgAdmin development
> specifically on one or both of the above potential features.
> In order to
> assess whether I can/should/will etc. I thought I'd put out a general
> thread starter by asking those present here about requested /
> hoped-for
> list of features.
>
> My starting point would be to assess Access 97/2000 style ER
> and Query
> editor, and cross it a bit with the DaVinci toolset ones for
> M$ $QL $erver,
> but see if we can work into it some features to cope with
> other facilities
> that neither access or DaVinci cope with.
>
> Whilst thinking big, I also wondered what people think about
> possibility or
> otherwise of putting in
>
> 1. Graphical Query Plan screen (a la $QL $erver front end
> tools)

Sounds good so far.

> 2. Query Debugger. I reckon this would only be feasible as a
> cross-development thing with the postmaster boys-and-girls.

This is one of those things that will go a long way to replicating
PostgreSQLs parser - i.e., masses of work without a huge benefit.

I would suggest a system that uses the existing parser by attempting to
execute the query, and interpreting any error messages that are returned
followed by whatever highlighting of the dodgy syntax can be achieved.

The downside of this is that if a large query is OK, then it will be
executed. It is possible to prevent this by prepending EXPLAIN, but that
will only work for SELECT queries.

Regards, Dave.