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Ask HN: What’s the best GUI you’ve ever used for managing/querying databases?

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Re: Ask HN: What’s the best GUI you’ve ever used for managing/querying databases?

#21

Post by briHass »

I have a love/hate, but SQL Server Management Studio. Especially if you load a couple of the Redgate tools, it is insanely powerful and the intellisense completion is amazing.

I've used almost all of the major tools for other DBs, and they feel like toys or simple query runners in comparison. The biggest downside to SSMS is that it does feel and perform like the bloated, kitchen sink it is, but honestly, things that do more than run queries, like pgAdmin are just as slow or slower and don't offer nearly as nice of an experience.

Re: Ask HN: What’s the best GUI you’ve ever used for managing/querying databases?

#27

Post by garciasn »

seeknotfind wrote: post #13
garciasn wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mean, you're not wrong: there is absolutely a big place for API/CLI support with DB tools, but in this specific instance, the OP specifically asked for a GUI, not CLI or APIs to roll their own. If you're a MacOS user and your DB of choice is supported, this is my choice: https://www.beekeeperstudio.io/ If you're a Postgres user, pgAdmin had previously been my go to: https://www.pgadmin.org/

If OP asked which cliff he should jump off, will you point to one? GUIs are written on top of DB APIs - in many cases, the same ones you can use. You can do anything with these tools. Given a DB viewing program, you are always experiencing someone else using these APIs for you. There will always be some feature you need. For many types of applications, there are no other choices except the GUI, but DBs are programmer…

Dude. Are you for real right now?

I work with data all day and have for 20+ years. I *STRONGLY PREFER* to develop my code in a UI and then later deploy it to the production infrastructure via CLI/API. I just cannot possibly fathom how you could seriously tell someone working with data that they should interact with their systems in a CLI/API way all the time; it just doesn't make any sense whatsoever, unless you are dealing with queries and their results that are not at all complex.

There is a place and a time for both paradigms and to suggest that we should direct someone away from their preferred use case is really over the top.

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