SQL Developer for VS Code Features

Features topics

Core features

  • Free
  • Includes Oracle SQLcl, our modern command-line interface
  • Self-contained with no installation prerequisites
  • More than 20 application commands available from Command Palette
  • In-place application updates will be released quarterly, using a YY.Q numbering scheme, e.g. 23.4, 24.1, 24.2
  • Oracle Database customers with valid support and maintenance contracts can open Services Requests for SQL Developer for VS Code via My Oracle Support

Connectivity

Everything required to connect to your database is included in the extension. If you have a TNSNames.ORA file, you can use that to define your database connections.

Easily point and click through creating connections using an EZCONNECT/BASIC connection list of properties, or reference a TNS entry, or use your Oracle Cloud Autonomous Database Wallet.ZIP files.

Quickly test your connection via the test button
  • Named connections
  • Create, save, test, and clone connections
  • Preferences for location of TNSNames.ora and auto-execute startup SQL scripts

Once connected, right-click to open a worksheet. For any code editor, use the connection selector in the bottom right-hand corner to switch to a different database.

If a connection is interrupted, you'll be prompted to automatically reconnect.

Schema navigation

Your connection can be expanded to display a tree representation of your schema and of the other schemas in your database.

To open an object, simply click on it. You can also drag and drop items to a code editor to have the desired SQL or DML code generated.

An alternative navigation aid is via the VS Code breadcrumbs. SQL Developer will present the contents of your database as a virtual file system. Simply use the drop-down controls to change up the schema, type of object, or object you wish to browse.

Easily navigate your schema via the breadcrumbs

Objects supported

  • Tables
  • Views
  • Indexes
  • Packages
  • Procedures
  • Functions
  • Operators
  • Queues
  • Queues tables
  • Triggers
  • Types
  • Sequences
  • Materialized views
  • Materialized view logs
  • Synonyms
  • Public synonyms
  • Database links
  • Public database links
  • Directories
  • Editions
  • Application express
  • XML DB repository
  • DBMS jobs
  • Recycle bin

Object browser features

  • More than 300 context menu operations such as “Disable all foreign key constraints” for a selected TABLE or “Make unusable” for a selected INDEX
  • Drag and drop to editor to insert name or generated code (INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, SELECT)
  • Detailed reports for each object, for example list of partitions on a TABLE or constraints on a VIEW
  • DDL generation for the object on the SQL page
  • Additionally, for tables and views
  • Insert, update, and delete rows via Data Grid
  • Upload/download files to and from BLOBs/CLOBs

SQL worksheet

The worksheet is where most of your work as an Oracle Database professional will take place. Running ad hoc queries or even complex SQL scripts can easily be achieved using our productivity features such as completion insight, SQL History, and our code snippets.

Automatic insight or invoke on demand via ctrl+spacebar

Existing SQL Developer users will find their familiar keyboard shortcuts intact, including ctrl+Enter for executing a statement and ctrl+Up arrow for recalling the previous item from your SQL History.

  • Execute SQL statements
  • Execute scripts
  • Execute via integrated SQLcl (command line interface)
    • Explain plan
      • ALL
      • Basic
      • Serial
      • Typical
  • SQL History/SQL Recall
  • SQL Formatter
  • SQL Parser (detect problems in your code)
  • Code completion
    • Oracle command syntax
    • Data Dictionary
    • Editor contents
  • Go To Declaration, open dictionary objects directly from editor
  • Peek Declaration, get the PL/SQL definition for program at cursor
  • Access to advanced SQLcl scripting Commands, including:
    • CTAS
    • INFO
    • DDL
    • OERR
    • CODESCAN
    • SODA
Easily query and generate output files using your favorite SQL Developer scripting commands

Data grids

Browsing data and/or your query results becomes a breeze with our intuitive and friendly spreadsheet-style displays.

Invoke our Single Record View to easily browse one record at a time using our vertical, index-card like viewer.

Vertical vs horizontal display in our Single Record View

Intuitively drag and drop columns around to achieve the desired display, or simply double-click toggle your way through apply SORTS on your columns.

When your results are ready to share, simply right-click to EXPORT them to the desired format.

  • Easily browse and interact with SQL query results and contents of TABLES and VIEWS
  • Single Record View
  • Optimized column sizing based on data and column headers
  • Reorder and/or hide columns
  • Multi-column sorts
  • Double-click column to toggle sort ASC, DESC, off, column sort indicators
  • Count rows
  • Export
  • CSV
  • Delimited
  • Fixed width
  • HTML
  • INSERT
  • JSON
  • JSON (pretty)
  • SQL*Loader
  • Text
  • XML
  • BLOB/CLOB/JSON contents preview
Inspect the contents of your LOB and JSON columns

PL/SQL Code Editor

Whether you're working directly with PL/SQL programs in your database, or working from your local workspace, SQL Developer makes it easy to develop your stored procedures, functions, packages, triggers, and more.

As you're coding, problems will be immediately detected via our PL/SQL and SQL Parser. Compiler errors are also automatically displayed as you save your work to the database.

When it's time to test or execute your program, SQL Developer provides an interactive panel where you can input the required parameters. The resulting PL/SQL anonymous block can be executed immediately or saved to a new code editor for further customization.

Execute your PL/SQL, generated scripts, see the results

OUT and RETURN parameters are automatically captured and displayed post-execution, including your SYS_REFCURSORS.

  • Compile stored procedures and PL/SQL programs
  • Client error detection as you code
  • Compiler error feedback
  • Execute programs, view results
  • Work with files or directly with database objects from your connections

Code snippets

All your favorite analytic functions, date format options, and conversion functions with examples are at your fingertips via VS Code's integrated code completion support for your active extension's code snippets.

  • Aggregate Functions
  • Analytic Functions
  • Character Functions
  • Conversion Functions
  • Date Formats
  • Date/Time Functions
  • Number Formats
  • Numeric Functions
  • Numberic Functions
  • Optimizer Hints
  • PL/SQL Programming Techniques
  • Predictive Analytics
  • Pseudocolumns
  • Flashback

    • Integrated command line interface via Oracle SQLcl

    We recognize that many developers feel more comfortable at a command or bash prompt. With the SQL Developer for VS Code, no compromise is required. Connections defined in the extension can also be used to spawn command line sessions to your database.

    Oracle SQLcl is your modern command line interface (CLI) for Oracle Database. Popular features from SQL Developer, such as code completion, SQL History, and generation of DDL, have been implemented. In addition, Oracle's enhanced implementation of Liquibase for schema versioning is delivered in SQLcl via the Liquibase (lb) command.

    Spawn a CLI session on demand or take any code editor and execute the contents immediately in a brand new, independent session—in a single click.

    Use the powerful editor, execute in the terminal, it's your choice!