Effective database management requires one or more tools regardless of the platform your databases run on. The benefit of these tools is, whether they are operating on Windows, macOS, Linux, or the cloud, the tools mentioned below don’t require the same platform as the databases.
Thanks to plenty of choices when it comes to SQL management tools, it may seem difficult to select the ones that will work best as per your specific needs. In this blog, we’ve picked out the best paid and free SQL tools for Windows along with their essential features.
Free SQL Tools for Windows with a Graphical User Interface (GUI)
Consider the following free SQL tools for Windows to help you with efficient database management:
- SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT)
The SSDT is designed for a variety of databases such as Azure SQL, SQL Server relational databases, RS reports(Reporting Services), IS packages(Integration Services), and AS data models (Analysis Services). It is a development tool that allows users to create and implement any SQL Server content form with a convenience identical to that of Visual Studio.
- SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)
The SQL Server Management Studio tool comes with an interactive Graphical User Interface that helps users control a SQL Server database or an instance. Users can gain access to any part of the SQL Server, Azure Synapse Analytics, or the Azure SQL Database and make changes, regulate, supervise, and develop them.
You may want to look for this tool when you download free SQL Server as it also offers an all-encompassing utility which brings together a wide range of graphical tools along with several rich script editors. These are useful to DBAs and developers of varying skill levels.
- Visual Studio Code
The Visual Studio Code enables users to write T-SQL scripts using a compact editor. We are talking about the mssql extension – the official extension for Visual Studio Code that supports SQL Server linking and offers a productive T-SQL editing experience.
- Azure Data Studio
This is also a compact and handy editor capable of running SQL various functions including –
- Executing SQL statements whenever required
- Organizing preferred database connections
- Viewing and storing results in text, JSON, or Excel format
- Exploring database objects in a familiar environment
- Editing information
Tosska’s Range of SQL Tuning & Query Optimizer Tools
Tosska Technologies offers several solutions to improve database performance through query optimization in SQL. With the goal of introducing new technologies that will help users overcome SQL-related obstacles, they provide a range of software designed using AI technology capable of solving a broad range of database performance issues.
Here’s what this range includes:
- Tosska SQL Tuning Expert (TSES™) for SQL Server® – Unlike some of the free SQL tools for Windows, this is a powerful tool that doesn’t require professional expertise to tune your SQL queries. The AI engine does all the work, generating the most useful hints and alternate SQL statements that are semantically equivalent to the query that’s been entered to know whether there are better execution plans. You may pick the best option among the ones provided by the engine.
- Tosska SQL Tuning Expert (TSEM™) for MySQL® – The TSEM™ comes with the A.I. capabilities of the TSE product range. However, this one-button-solution tool is tailored specifically for the MySQL database, tuning MySQL SQL queries without the users’ intervention. Users don’t have to perform manual rewriting or use the hit-and-trial method for each troublesome query, since it’s all handled by our embedded AI engine.
- Tosska SQL Tuning Expert for Oracle® (TSE™ and TSE Pro™) version 4 – This tool comes with features exclusive to this family of tools, such as SQL rewrite, index exploration, and injecting Oracle hints to help tune SQL queries and boost their performance. It may or may not access your source code depending on the requirements, and the tool comes with a smart Indexes Advisor that offers cost-efficient indexes as per the workload. Make sure you get it when you download free tool and take advantage of this cutting-edge technology!
- Tosska In-Memory Maestro (TIM™) for Oracle® – The TIM™ transforms the in-memory SQL optimization process into an automatic one and gives suggestions according to the SQL workload in question through our proprietary A.I. engine. It also offers a user-friendly simulation feature that virtually assesses table objects present in the memory for a SQL workload but doesn’t occupy those table objects.