Usql offers a single user interface for managing multiple database systems

Databases

Article from Issue 240/2020

Author(s): Marco Fioretti

Usql is a useful tool that lets you manage many different databases from one prompt.

These days, databases are everywhere, from official Census records to personal music playlists. Linux offers many tools for creating, populating, and querying databases. Some users may even say too many, and this tutorial is an answer to that complaint. I will introduce you to usql, a little tool that is a lifesaver for many users who work with databases.

The most ubiquitous and flexible way to work with any database is in a text-based interface. Inside a client application, you type queries at a prompt. The syntax might vary depending on the implementation of Standard Query Language (SQL) [1] the database is using. Depending on the database type, the client either executes the query directly or, much more frequently, forwards it to a server that actually handles the data. The result of the query is then printed out, usually in a tabular format. Alternatively, you can store sequences of queries or commands in a text file and pass it to the client that will execute them automatically, possibly saving the result to a file.

If you always work with one type of database (for example, only SQLite), you can just choose a client for that specific database and get good at using it. However, if you frequently switch back and forth between different database clients, each with its own personality and feature set, it can get very confusing. It is a little like having to edit text files all day long and being forced to continuously alternate between the vi and emacs.

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