SQuirreL SQL Client is a mature, open source, Java based, universal SQL Client — which means that it is a tool for exploring any SQL database. It doesn’t matter if the database is Oracle, Microsoft, MySQL, Postgre, etc. If there is a Java JDBC driver for it, then SQuirreL can connect to it. Squirrel was developed with a plug-in architecture, and there are dialect-specific plug-ins for it. This is definitely not a lowest-common-denominator solution.
SQuirreL is an ideal tool to have handy for anyone who deals with a diverse array of database dialects. It means there is only one tool taking up memory. It means there is only one, consistent user interface to know.
SQuirreL is also well suited for anyone who deals mostly with one database type, but is occasionally thrown at some random secondary database type.
Because it’s portable, SQuirreL is also a good choice for anyone who hops around between platforms (Windows, Linux, Mac).
Diagnostic Tip: Even if SQuirreL does not become your SQL client of choice, it can be handy to have around just as an aid in debugging SQL connectivity issues. If your normal SQL client fails to connect, but SQuirreL works, then you know the problem is at your end of the connection; otherwise, the problem may be at the server end.
These are just some of the features that SQuirreL offers, to give you a rough idea of what it is capable of:
- Export SQL data to an Excel spreadsheet, as well as tab-separated and CSV
- Tools for generating SQL source code based on data (reverse engineering)
- Plug-ins for viewing data graphically, and hierarchically
- Dialect specific plug-ins that know about triggers, views, etc. (MySQL, Oracle, Firebird, Microsoft MSSQL)
- Advanced SQL editing features, including code completion and syntax highlighting
SQuirreL SQL Client
Latest Version: 2.5 (7-Apr-2007)
Platform: Any platform running Java 5 (a.k.a. Java 1.5)
Price: Free (FOSS)
Download Link: squirrel-sql.sourceforge.net/