Exasol Extension for Visual Studio Code

A Visual Studio Code extension for working with Exasol databases. Provides comprehensive database management, intelligent SQL editing, and powerful query execution capabilities.

⚠️ Note: this extension is currently a community-supported prototype and not officially supported by Exasol. Exasol cannot guarantee the functionality and performance of this extension.

Quickstart

Step 1: Install

From the Marketplace (recommended)

1. Open VS Code
2. Extensions view: Cmd+Shift+X (Mac) or Ctrl+Shift+X (Windows/Linux)
3. Search for "Exasol"
4. Click Install

Or from VSIX

Download the latest .vsix from the releases page, then:

code --install-extension exasol-vscode-<version>.vsix

Step 3: Connect to Exasol

1. Add Connection

   • Click the Exasol icon ("X") in the left sidebar under Extensions
   • Click the + button
   • Enter: Local Exasol, localhost:8563, sys, exasol

2. Browse Database

   • Expand connection → schemas → tables → columns
   • See row counts and column types

3. Execute Query

   • Create test.sql
   • Type: SELECT * FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.TABLES LIMIT 10;
   • Press Cmd+Enter (Mac) or Ctrl+Enter (Windows/Linux)

Features

🔐 Connection Management

• Multiple connections with secure password storage (VS Code Secret Storage API)
• Switch between connections easily
• Test connections before saving
• Active connection shown in status bar

🚀 SQL Query Execution

• Execute full file: Ctrl+Enter / Cmd+Enter
• Execute selection: Ctrl+Shift+Enter / Cmd+Shift+Enter
• Cancellable queries - stop long-running operations
• Export results to CSV/JSON
• Automatic LIMIT clause for SELECT queries
• Query timeout and row limits

🎯 IntelliSense & Autocomplete

• Context-aware completions: keywords, functions, tables, views, columns
• 140+ SQL keywords, 180+ built-in functions
• Smart suggestions based on current schema
• Schema-qualified names (SCHEMA.TABLE.COLUMN)
• 5-minute metadata cache for performance

🗂️ Advanced Object Explorer

• Complete hierarchy: Connection → Schema → Tables/Views → Columns
• Table row counts displayed
• Column types and nullable status
• System schemas filtered
• Lazy loading for performance

🔍 Object Actions (Right-Click)

• Preview Table Data - First 100 rows instantly
• Show DDL - Generate CREATE TABLE/VIEW statements
• Generate SELECT - Auto-create queries with all columns
• Describe Table - Detailed column information
• Set Active Schema - Change session context

📊 Results Viewer

• Interactive table with real-time filtering
• Sortable columns - click headers to sort
• Column tooltips for long values
• Row counter (visible/total)
• Export CSV/JSON with proper formatting
• Performance metrics (execution time, row count)

🎭 Session Management

• Active schema tracking per connection
• Persistent session state across VS Code restarts
• Status bar integration
• Quick schema switching

📜 Query History

• Automatic tracking of all executed queries
• Configurable size (default: 1000 queries)
• Execution time, row counts, and errors
• Query previews with tooltips
• Success/error indicators

📝 SQL Language Support

• Syntax highlighting for Exasol SQL
• Comment support (line and block)
• Code folding with region markers
• File extensions: .sql, .exasol, .exs

Installation

Method 1: Development Mode (Recommended for Testing)

Clone this repo to your local machine then run:

cd exasol-vscode
npm install
npm run compile
code .

Option A: Using F5 Key

• Just press F5
• A new VS Code window opens with "[Extension Development Host]" in the title
• ✅ Extension is now running!

Option B: Using Run Menu

• Click Run menu → Start Debugging
• Or click the green play button in the debug panel
• ✅ Extension is now running!

Benefits:

• Hot reload on changes (press F5 again)
• Debug console and breakpoints
• Extension logs visible

Method 2: Package and Install (.vsix)

Clone this repo to your local machine then run:

1. Install vsce (VSCode Extension Manager)

   npm install -g @vscode/vsce
   

2. Package the extension

   cd exasol-vscode
   npm install
   vsce package
   

   This creates exasol-vscode-<version>.vsix

3. Install the Package

code --install-extension exasol-vscode-<version>.vsix

Commands

General

• Exasol: Add Connection - Add database connection
• Exasol: Refresh Connections - Refresh tree
• Exasol: Execute Query - Execute entire file
• Exasol: Execute Selected Query - Execute selection
• Exasol: Show Query History - View history
• Exasol: Export Results to CSV - Export current results
• Exasol: Clear Autocomplete Cache - Clear IntelliSense cache

Context Menu (Right-Click Objects)

• Preview Table Data - Show 100 rows
• Describe Table - View column definitions
• Show Table DDL - Generate CREATE TABLE
• Show View DDL - Generate CREATE VIEW
• Generate SELECT Statement - Create SELECT with all columns
• Set as Active Schema - Make schema active

Keyboard Shortcuts

Configuration

File > Preferences > Settings → Search "Exasol":

{
  "exasol.maxQueryHistorySize": 1000,
  "exasol.queryTimeout": 300,
  "exasol.maxResultRows": 10000,
  "exasol.connectionValidationTimeout": 1,
  "exasol.autoComplete": true
}

Settings Details

• maxQueryHistorySize - Queries to keep in history (default: 1000)
• queryTimeout - Timeout in seconds (default: 300)
• maxResultRows - Max rows to fetch (default: 10000)
• connectionValidationTimeout - Stale detection timeout (default: 1s)
• autoComplete - Enable IntelliSense (default: true)

Troubleshooting

Extension Not Loading

rm -rf out node_modules
npm install
npm run compile

• Close ALL VS Code windows
• Reopen and press F5

"Command not found" Error

npm run compile

Connection Fails

telnet localhost 8563  # Verify Exasol is running

• Check credentials (sys:exasol)
• Verify port 8563 accessible
• Check firewall settings

IntelliSense Not Working

• Check: "exasol.autoComplete": true
• Run: "Exasol: Clear Autocomplete Cache"
• Verify active connection set

Queries Fail

• Check status bar shows active connection
• Verify SQL syntax
• Check user permissions

Development

Setup

git clone <repository-url>
cd exasol-vscode
npm install
npm run compile

Common Commands

npm run watch          # Auto-compile on changes
npm run compile        # Compile once
npm test              # Run all tests
npm run test:unit     # Unit tests only
npm run test:watch    # Watch mode

Watch Mode

npm run watch  # Terminal 1: auto-compile
# Press F5     # VS Code: launch extension

Project Structure

exasol-vscode/
├── src/
│   ├── extension.ts              # Entry point
│   ├── connectionManager.ts      # Connections & credentials
│   ├── queryExecutor.ts          # Query execution
│   ├── sessionManager.ts         # Schema context
│   ├── objectActions.ts          # Table actions
│   ├── providers/
│   │   ├── completionProvider.ts    # IntelliSense
│   │   ├── objectTreeProvider.ts    # Object browser
│   │   └── queryHistoryProvider.ts  # Query history
│   ├── panels/
│   │   └── resultsPanel.ts          # Results viewer
│   └── test/                         # 32 tests
├── package.json                  # Extension manifest
└── syntaxes/
    └── exasol-sql.tmLanguage.json  # Syntax highlighting

Publishing (Maintainers)

Prepare Release

1. Update version in package.json
2. Update CHANGELOG.md
3. Test: npm run compile && npm test

Create GitHub Release

vsce package
# Upload .vsix to GitHub release

⚠️ CRITICAL: Always use vsce package (NOT --no-dependencies). Extension requires @exasol/exasol-driver-ts and ws at runtime (~1.07 MB, 198 files).

Uninstalling

Via Command:

code --uninstall-extension exasol.exasol-vscode

Via UI: Extensions → "Exasol" → Gear icon → Uninstall

Limitations

• Very large result sets (>10,000 rows) may impact rendering performance
• Query cancellation relies on driver support; some queries may not cancel immediately
• This extension uses the Exasol TypeScript driver, which currently only supports cloud file uploads. You will get an error trying to upload local files. In that case, stage the file in a cloud location for upload.

Support

• Issues: GitHub Issues
• Tests: src/test/README.md
• AI Agents: See CLAUDE.md for AI coding agent instructions

Contributing

Contributions welcome! Please submit issues or pull requests.

License

MIT