OpenEdge DataDigger

Browse, query and edit your Progress OpenEdge (ABL/4GL) databases without leaving VS Code.

OpenEdge DataDigger brings a rich, spreadsheet-style database client into the editor: connect to your OpenEdge databases, explore tables and fields, run filtered queries, and add, edit, delete, import or export records — all from a dedicated panel. It also exposes its data operations as AI/Copilot tools and a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server, so AI agents can safely inspect and work with your data.

Inspired by the classic desktop DataDigger tool by Patrick Tingen. This extension is an independent VS Code implementation by AI4YOU / KH-IT BV and is not affiliated with, nor a port of, the original DataDigger.

Features

Data browsing & editing

• Browse tables and fields across every connected database from the DataDigger activity-bar panel.
• Query data with a custom WHERE clause, multi-column sorting and pagination.
• Add / Edit / Delete records directly in the data grid, with automatic per-write backups you can revert.
• Favorite frequently used tables for quick access.

Import & export

• Export query results to Progress .d dump files, XML, JSON, CSV, TXT, 4GL, XLSX or HTML — or copy to the clipboard.
• Import .d dump files (and XML/CSV content) back into a table.

Connections

• Configure database connections at Project, Workspace, User or Folder scope.
• Manage user/workspace/folder connections inside DataDigger — no manual file editing required.

AI & Copilot integration

• Ships a set of Language Model tools that GitHub Copilot and other VS Code AI agents can call to list databases/tables, describe schema, query and count rows, and (with explicit confirmation) insert, update, delete, import and export data.
• Registers a bundled MCP server (OpenEdge DataDigger) so external MCP-aware assistants can use the same operations. Write operations require an explicit confirm flag and a reason.

Requirements

Getting Started

1. Install OpenEdge DataDigger from the VS Code Marketplace (or from the .vsix provided by your team).
2. Configure a connection (see below).
3. Open DataDigger in one of three ways:
   • Click the DataDigger icon in the Activity Bar (left sidebar).
   • Right-click any .p / .cls file in the Explorer → 🔍 DataDigger.
   • Run the command palette command 🔍 DataDigger.

The backend starts automatically. The first launch may take a few seconds while OpenEdge initialises.

Configure a database connection

Connections can be defined at four scopes:

Project scope example — add to openedge-project.json:

{
  "dbConnections": [
    {
      "name": "sports2020",
      "connect": "-db sports2020 -H localhost -S 10001"
    }
  ]
}

For User / Workspace / Folder scope, manage connections directly inside DataDigger via Settings → Connections.

Full details: docs/USERGUIDE.md → Connection scopes.

Extension Settings

This extension contributes the following settings:

Commands

Known Issues & Limitations

• Requires a working local OpenEdge installation and the OpenEdge ABL extension; DataDigger does not bundle an OpenEdge runtime.
• Connectivity depends on abl.configuration.runtimes pointing at a valid DLC directory.
• If the backend fails to start, check the DataDigger Backend output channel and verify the configured HTTP / ABL socket ports are free.
• AI-driven write operations always require an explicit confirmation and are logged; they are not performed silently.

See the issue tracker for the current list.

Release Notes

See CHANGELOG.md for the full version history.

License

This is proprietary software. See LICENSE.txt for the full terms. Copyright © KH-IT BV / AI4YOU. All rights reserved.