Format SQL queries with proper indentation and capitalization while validating syntax. Makes your database queries readable and error-free instantly.
A simple tool to format and validate your SQL queries with proper indentation and syntax checking.
The SQL Formatter & Validator is a powerful yet user-friendly online tool designed to help developers, database administrators, and SQL beginners format and validate their SQL queries efficiently. This free tool automatically formats SQL commands with proper indentation, capitalization, and spacing according to standard SQL syntax rules, making your queries more readable and maintainable. Additionally, it performs validation checks to identify common syntax errors before you execute them against your database, potentially saving hours of debugging time. Whether you're writing complex database queries, learning SQL, or simply need to clean up messy SQL code, this formatter and validator provides an intuitive interface to improve your SQL workflow instantly.
Using the SQL Formatter & Validator is straightforward:
The interface is designed to be intuitive and responsive, working seamlessly on both desktop and mobile devices.
The formatter automatically capitalizes SQL keywords such as SELECT, FROM, WHERE, JOIN, etc., making them stand out from table and column names. This improves readability and follows standard SQL style conventions.
SQL queries are indented according to their logical structure:
The formatter inserts line breaks at logical points in your query:
Proper spacing is also added around operators, parentheses, and between clauses to enhance readability.
The validator checks for common SQL syntax errors and provides clear feedback:
The validator also identifies common logical errors:
When errors are detected, they are displayed in a clear, user-friendly format:
The SQL formatter follows these specific rules to ensure consistent, readable SQL:
All SQL keywords are capitalized, including:
Before Formatting:
1select u.id, u.name, o.order_date from users u join orders o on u.id = o.user_id where o.status = "completed" group by u.id order by u.name;
2After Formatting:
1SELECT
2 u.id,
3 u.name,
4 o.order_date
5FROM users u
6 JOIN orders o ON u.id = o.user_id
7WHERE
8 o.status = "completed"
9GROUP BY
10 u.id
11ORDER BY
12 u.name;
13The validator checks for the following issues:
Invalid SQL with Errors:
1SELECT user_id, COUNT(*) FROM orders
2JOIN users
3WHERE status =
4GROUP BY
5HAVING count > 10;
6Validation Errors:
The SQL Formatter & Validator is valuable in numerous scenarios:
While our SQL Formatter & Validator provides essential functionality, there are alternatives to consider:
SQL (Structured Query Language) was developed in the 1970s at IBM, with the first commercial implementation released in 1979. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) published the first SQL standard in 1986, followed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in 1987.
As SQL evolved through multiple standards (SQL-86, SQL-89, SQL-92, SQL:1999, SQL:2003, SQL:2008, SQL:2011, SQL:2016, and SQL:2019), formatting practices also developed to improve code readability and maintainability.
In the early days of SQL, formatting was inconsistent and largely based on individual preferences. As database systems became more complex and team-based development became common, the need for standardized formatting grew.
Key milestones in SQL formatting history:
SQL validation has evolved from simple syntax checking to more sophisticated analysis:
Unformatted:
1select id, first_name, last_name, email from customers where status = 'active' order by last_name, first_name;
2Formatted:
1SELECT
2 id,
3 first_name,
4 last_name,
5 email
6FROM
7 customers
8WHERE
9 status = 'active'
10ORDER BY
11 last_name,
12 first_name;
13Unformatted:
1select c.id, c.name, o.order_date, o.total_amount from customers c left join orders o on c.id = o.customer_id where o.order_date >= '2023-01-01' and o.status != 'cancelled' order by o.order_date desc;
2Formatted:
1SELECT
2 c.id,
3 c.name,
4 o.order_date,
5 o.total_amount
6FROM
7 customers c
8 LEFT JOIN orders o ON c.id = o.customer_id
9WHERE
10 o.order_date >= '2023-01-01'
11 AND o.status != 'cancelled'
12ORDER BY
13 o.order_date DESC;
14Unformatted:
1select d.department_name, (select count(*) from employees e where e.department_id = d.id) as employee_count, (select avg(salary) from employees e where e.department_id = d.id) as avg_salary from departments d where d.active = true having employee_count > 0 order by avg_salary desc;
2Formatted:
1SELECT
2 d.department_name,
3 (
4 SELECT
5 COUNT(*)
6 FROM
7 employees e
8 WHERE
9 e.department_id = d.id
10 ) AS employee_count,
11 (
12 SELECT
13 AVG(salary)
14 FROM
15 employees e
16 WHERE
17 e.department_id = d.id
18 ) AS avg_salary
19FROM
20 departments d
21WHERE
22 d.active = TRUE
23HAVING
24 employee_count > 0
25ORDER BY
26 avg_salary DESC;
27Here are examples of how to implement SQL formatting in various programming languages:
1// JavaScript SQL formatting example using sql-formatter library
2const sqlFormatter = require('sql-formatter');
3
4function formatSQL(sql) {
5 return sqlFormatter.format(sql, {
6 language: 'sql',
7 uppercase: true,
8 linesBetweenQueries: 2,
9 indentStyle: 'standard'
10 });
11}
12
13const rawSQL = "select id, name from users where status='active'";
14const formattedSQL = formatSQL(rawSQL);
15console.log(formattedSQL);
161# Python SQL formatting example using sqlparse
2import sqlparse
3
4def format_sql(sql):
5 return sqlparse.format(
6 sql,
7 reindent=True,
8 keyword_case='upper',
9 identifier_case='lower',
10 indent_width=2
11 )
12
13raw_sql = "select id, name from users where status='active'"
14formatted_sql = format_sql(raw_sql)
15print(formatted_sql)
161// Java SQL formatting example using JSqlParser
2import net.sf.jsqlparser.parser.CCJSqlParserUtil;
3import net.sf.jsqlparser.statement.Statement;
4
5public class SQLFormatter {
6 public static String formatSQL(String sql) throws Exception {
7 Statement statement = CCJSqlParserUtil.parse(sql);
8 return statement.toString()
9 .replaceAll("(?i)SELECT", "\nSELECT")
10 .replaceAll("(?i)FROM", "\nFROM")
11 .replaceAll("(?i)WHERE", "\nWHERE")
12 .replaceAll("(?i)ORDER BY", "\nORDER BY");
13 }
14
15 public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
16 String rawSQL = "select id, name from users where status='active'";
17 String formattedSQL = formatSQL(rawSQL);
18 System.out.println(formattedSQL);
19 }
20}
211<?php
2// PHP SQL formatting example
3function formatSQL($sql) {
4 // Replace keywords with uppercase versions
5 $keywords = ['SELECT', 'FROM', 'WHERE', 'JOIN', 'LEFT JOIN', 'RIGHT JOIN',
6 'INNER JOIN', 'GROUP BY', 'ORDER BY', 'HAVING', 'LIMIT'];
7
8 $formattedSQL = $sql;
9 foreach ($keywords as $keyword) {
10 $formattedSQL = preg_replace('/\b' . preg_quote($keyword, '/') . '\b/i', "\n$keyword", $formattedSQL);
11 }
12
13 // Add indentation
14 $lines = explode("\n", $formattedSQL);
15 $result = '';
16 $indentLevel = 0;
17
18 foreach ($lines as $line) {
19 $trimmedLine = trim($line);
20 if (!empty($trimmedLine)) {
21 $result .= str_repeat(" ", $indentLevel) . $trimmedLine . "\n";
22 }
23 }
24
25 return $result;
26}
27
28$rawSQL = "select id, name from users where status='active'";
29$formattedSQL = formatSQL($rawSQL);
30echo $formattedSQL;
31?>
32SQL formatting is the process of structuring SQL code with proper indentation, line breaks, and capitalization to make it more readable and maintainable. Good SQL formatting follows established conventions like capitalizing keywords, placing clauses on separate lines, and using consistent indentation for nested structures.
Formatting SQL queries offers several benefits:
This SQL formatter supports standard SQL syntax that works across most major database systems, including:
While the formatter handles standard SQL well, some dialect-specific features may not be formatted optimally.
The validator checks for common syntax errors and structural issues but cannot detect all possible errors, especially those related to:
It's best used as a first line of defense before executing queries against your database.
Currently, the formatter uses a standard style based on widely accepted SQL conventions. Future versions may include customization options for:
Yes, this tool processes all SQL entirely in your browser. Your SQL queries are never sent to any server or stored anywhere. This makes it safe to use with sensitive or proprietary SQL code.
For very large SQL queries:
This web-based tool requires an internet connection to load initially. However, once loaded, it functions entirely in your browser. For completely offline usage, consider:
The validator focuses on syntax elements common across SQL versions (SQL-92 and later). It may not recognize some features specific to the latest SQL standards or proprietary extensions. For version-specific validation, consider using tools provided by your database vendor.
While this web tool doesn't offer direct integration, many IDEs have similar formatting capabilities through extensions or plugins. For automated workflows, consider command-line tools like:
Try our SQL Formatter & Validator today to improve your SQL code quality, readability, and correctness!
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