What is SqlDBM?
I am exploring SqlDBM out of curiosity and no one from SqlDBM incented me to write this blog.
Last week I signed up for a trial of SqlDBM and I wanted to share my ‘unboxing’ of the tool and my thoughts around its capabilities and value. I have built and programmed databases for 30 years now starting with SQL Server 4.x and have kept current with RDBMS technologies ever since. I can’t think of a database platform that I have not done some sort of work with, so I guess you could call me an expert.
I am just getting started with SqlDBM and I am sure I am not doing justice to all of its capabilities. I do want to share my first impressions. What I look for are tools I can use to increase my productivity: SqlDBM is definitely one of those tools. Below are just some of the reasons:
Easy to get started: It is a web tool and there is nothing to install. You sign up and get to work in less than five minutes. The environment is clean, elegant, and simple to navigate. I can work from anywhere, on any device, at anytime, with anyone I wish. It also has a series of simple video guides to take first time users through the basics of the environment. This is very cool!
It works where I want to work: With SqlDBM I can work with the classics: Oracle, SQL Server, MySQL, and PostgreSQL. I can also work in the new modern data platforms like Databricks, Snowflake, Google, Azure and Redshift. Why is this important? The old classics are not going away anytime soon but tools like SqlDBM make it simple to reverse engineer and forward engineer migration efforts.
It’s a beautiful interface: SqlDBM is elegant. It is an enjoyable experience. I want to work in this tool. The experience is predictable and well thought through. Software is an experience and not different the experience of driving a car. When I buy a car I want to be thrilled by the looks and aesthetics, I want the driving experience to be something I can pickup quickly, and I want a reliable experience. SqlDBM is all all about the experience.
Easy to collaborate: This is huge. I love this feature. It is so easy to work on a project with a group of people. In just a few minutes I added members from my team and asked them to collaborate. SqlDBM also comes with version control and version compare and contrast. This is a very big deal and the fact that I can add people from anywhere in the world makes global software development much easier and governable.
Help is there and easy to find if you need it: I didn’t need a lot of help. I know what I want to do and SqlDBM makes things easy to find and do. I don’t have the muscle memory of using the tool down yet but in six months I will and wow will I be more productive — Especially when I learn more of the advanced features. Yes, future blogs coming soon! The product documentation reads more like a guide than a feature catalog. I didnt have to pour through hundreds of pages of “thought leadership” either! Product documentation is critical. SqlDBM is much like Snowflake documentation: it quickly tells you what some feature is and then walks you through examples. Again, this is elegance. Nothing turns me off of a product like underdone or overdone <-(Wink Wink AWS) documentation.
Things we take for granted: Again, I am just getting started and can’t wait to learn more about this tool and other tools from the vendor. I can’t wait to look at Snowflake schema monitoring, its governance features, naming conventions, and database documentation features and I am sure so much more than I can write about in an introduction. One of the most critical aspects of building OLTP, OLAP, or Lakehouse implementations is ‘Development Governance” — SqlDBM is a must if this is important to you and your team.
CONCLUSION: I enjoy working in SqlDBM and that is a big deal because I spend a lot of time modeling data. I also look for products and people that make me more efficient. I look for things that help me time travel! I want to be fast, nimble, flexible, and reliable. SqlDBM is all of those things and more. I do recommend you take SqlDBM out for a test drive yourself and would love to read your comments. Stay tuned and dont take my word for it check it out for yourself: https://app.sqldbm.com/CreateNew/
