SQL IN Clause Generator for Azure Data Studio & VS Code

Description

SQL IN Clause Generator is a powerful extension for Azure Data Studio and VS Code that streamlines the creation of SQL IN and NOT IN clauses. Instantly generate SQL IN/NOT IN clauses from lists, Excel, or tabular data. It supports smart data type detection, batch processing, deduplication, and advanced formatting, making it ideal for working with large datasets and complex queries.

Feature Overview

Installation

1. Open Azure Data Studio or VS Code
2. Go to the Extensions view (Ctrl+Shift+X)
3. Search for "SQL IN Clause Generator"
4. Click Install

How to Use

1. Paste as IN Statement

• Copy values from a table, spreadsheet, or any source.
• In your SQL editor, right-click and select Paste IN Statement (or use Ctrl+Shift+V).
• The extension formats and inserts the values as an SQL IN clause.

2. Copy as IN Statement

• Select values in your editor.
• Right-click and select Copy as IN Statement (or use Ctrl+Shift+I).
• Preview the generated IN clause and choose to copy or insert it.

3. Paste Special In Statement (3-Stage Flow)

• Right-click and select Paste Special In Statement (or use Ctrl+Alt+V) for advanced options with a 3-stage workflow:

  Stage 1: Deduplication Choice

  • Choose whether to remove duplicate values (distinct) or keep all values for this operation.

  Stage 2: Action Selection

  • Paste IN Statement: Standard IN clause.
  • Paste NOT IN Statement: Standard NOT IN clause.
  • Paste Column + IN Statement: Select a column from tabular data (with headers).
  • Paste Column + NOT IN Statement: Same as above, but for NOT IN.

  Stage 3: Data Type Override ✨ NEW

  • Auto-detect (Smart): Default behavior - automatically detects and formats numbers, dates, GUIDs, and text appropriately.
  • Force Text (Quote All): Forces ALL values to be quoted as text - perfect for numeric IDs like 123 that should be '123'.
  • Force Number (Unquote All): Forces all values to be unquoted as numbers (non-numeric values are automatically quoted as fallback).

4. Process Table Data as IN Statement

• Select tabular data (with headers) in your editor.
• Right-click and select Process Table Data as IN Statement (or use Ctrl+Shift+B).
• Select the column for the IN clause and optionally specify a column name.

Data Type Override ✨ NEW in v0.14.0

The Data Type Override feature gives you precise control over how values are formatted in SQL IN clauses. This is especially useful when working with numeric IDs or values that need special formatting.

Use Cases

1. Numeric IDs that should be text: Some databases store IDs as VARCHAR even though they look like numbers (123, 456). Use Force Text to ensure they're quoted: IN ('123', '456', '789').

2. Mixed data with specific requirements: When you have data that auto-detection doesn't handle correctly, you can override the behavior.

3. Consistency requirements: Ensure all values follow the same formatting pattern regardless of their content.

How It Works

When using Paste Special In Statement, you'll be prompted to choose a data type mode:

• Auto-detect (Smart) - Default behavior:

  • Numbers: 123 → 123 (unquoted)
  • Dates: 2024-01-15 → '2024-01-15' (quoted)
  • GUIDs: 550e8400-... → '550e8400-...' (quoted)
  • Text: abc → 'abc' (quoted)
  • NULL: NULL or empty → NULL (always unquoted)

• Force Text (Quote All):

  • Everything: 123 → '123' (quoted)
  • NULL still handled: NULL → NULL (unquoted)

• Force Number (Unquote All):

  • Valid numbers: 123 → 123 (unquoted)
  • Non-numeric values: abc → 'abc' (automatic fallback to quoted)
  • NULL still handled: NULL → NULL (unquoted)

Analytics & Telemetry

The extension tracks usage of the Data Type Override feature (when telemetry is enabled) to help improve the feature:

• Which data type modes are most commonly used
• How the feature is accessed (Paste Special workflow)
• Correlation with deduplication choices

You can disable telemetry at any time via inQueryGenerator.telemetry.enabled setting.

Deduplication (Distinct Values)

• Global Setting:

  • inQueryGenerator.distinctValues (default: true): Remove duplicate values before generating statements.
  • inQueryGenerator.distinctCaseSensitive: Treat values as distinct if their case differs.
  • inQueryGenerator.distinctTrimWhitespace: Ignore leading/trailing whitespace when deduplicating.

• Per-Use Override:

  • When using Paste Special In Statement, you can choose to remove duplicates or keep all values for that operation.

• Feedback:

  • The extension displays a message indicating how many duplicates were removed.

Status Bar Customization

• The status bar provides quick access to extension features.
• You can configure which actions appear via inQueryGenerator.statusBarActions (e.g., show a dropdown or pin a specific command).

Configuration

This extension contributes the following settings:

• inQueryGenerator.telemetry.enabled: Enable or disable telemetry data collection for SQL IN Clause Generator. If disabled, no usage data will be sent.
• inQueryGenerator.splitOnWhitespace: Split values on whitespace when generating IN statements.
• inQueryGenerator.useNotIn: Generate NOT IN statements instead of IN statements.
• inQueryGenerator.defaultColumnName: Default column name to use in the IN clause.
• inQueryGenerator.detectDataTypes: Automatically detect and format dates, GUIDs, and numeric values.
• inQueryGenerator.alwaysShowPreview: Always show a preview of the generated IN statement before inserting or copying.
• inQueryGenerator.formatOptions: Formatting options for IN statements:
  • oneValuePerLine: Put each value on a separate line.
  • maxValuesPerLine: Maximum number of values per line when not using oneValuePerLine.
  • indentSize: Number of spaces to use for indentation in multi-line format.
• inQueryGenerator.statusBarActions: List of actions to show in the status bar (dropdown or pinned commands).
• inQueryGenerator.distinctValues: Remove duplicate values before generating statements.
• inQueryGenerator.distinctCaseSensitive: Case sensitivity for deduplication.
• inQueryGenerator.distinctTrimWhitespace: Ignore whitespace when deduplicating.

Keyboard Shortcuts

• Ctrl+Shift+I (Cmd+Shift+I): Copy selected text as IN statement
• Ctrl+Shift+V (Cmd+Shift+V): Paste clipboard content as IN statement
• Ctrl+Alt+V (Cmd+Alt+V): Paste Special In Statement - Access the 3-stage workflow with data type override
• Ctrl+Shift+B (Cmd+Shift+B): Process selected table data as IN statement

Examples

Basic Example

Input:

123
456
789

Output:

IN (123, 456, 789)

Example with Duplicates

Input:

A
B
A
C
B

Output (Distinct ON):

IN ('A', 'B', 'C')

Message: "2 duplicates removed."

Output (Distinct OFF):

IN ('A', 'B', 'A', 'C', 'B')

Data Type Override Example ✨ NEW

Input (numeric IDs stored as VARCHAR):

123
456
789

Output with Auto-detect (default):

IN (123, 456, 789)

Output with Force Text (Quote All):

IN ('123', '456', '789')

Perfect for numeric IDs that should be treated as text in your database!

Column-Based Example

Input (copied with header):

Asset_Number
1336
138804
8869

• Use Paste Column + IN Statement and select "Asset_Number".
• Output:

Asset_Number IN (1336, 138804, 8869)

Best Practices & Tips

• Copy with headers for best results when using column-based features.
• Use the Paste Special In Statement for advanced options and deduplication control.
• Adjust configuration settings to match your workflow and data conventions.
• The extension provides feedback on duplicates removed and errors encountered.

Troubleshooting

• If you see "Clipboard data does not appear to be tabular with headers," ensure you copied both the header and data rows.
• For large datasets, the extension will warn you if processing may take time.
• If you encounter issues, check your configuration settings and review the feedback messages.

Documentation & Support

• All features and configuration options are documented in this ReadMe and in the extension's settings UI.
• For further help or to report issues, visit the GitHub repository.
• 📄 Privacy Statement — Learn what data we collect, what we don’t, and how you can control your privacy.

Changelog

Version 0.14.0 - January 2026 ✨

New Feature: Data Type Override

• Added 3-stage workflow for Paste Special with data type control
• Three data type modes:
  • Auto-detect (Smart) - Intelligent detection of numbers, dates, GUIDs, and text
  • Force Text (Quote All) - Perfect for numeric IDs that should be quoted
  • Force Number (Unquote All) - Force numeric formatting with automatic fallback
• NULL values always handled correctly regardless of mode
• Enhanced telemetry to track feature usage and improve user experience

Other Changes

• Improved pure function architecture with TypeScript enum for type safety
• Added comprehensive unit tests (51 tests passing)
• Added exhaustive switch pattern for compile-time safety
• Enhanced documentation with use cases and examples

See the GitHub Releases for complete version history.