Overview

Universal SQL Editor is a database query application that has everything you need to connect to any open database connectivity (ODBC for short) compliant database like Oracle, SQL Server, DB2, and Sybase. It provides you with many tools that allow you to create, view or alter SQL tables as well as features that will help you work faster and more convenient such as code completion and syntax highlighting. And while this program offers you all those tools, you can extend its abilities by adding plug-in DLLs for an even more productive job.

Installation

The setup is very easy and direct. You only have to make some basic settings just like in any other typical software setup, and then proceed normally with the installation which finishes in just a few moments. The only special requirement is that you need to have installed the appropriate ODBC drivers for the database you want to connect to, otherwise the program will not work properly. It can only run under a Windows NT 4.0, 2000, XP, 2003, Vista, 7, 2008 operating system.

Interface

The general user interface is very simple, with all the tools available in toolbars that you can adjust their position and place them anywhere you want. In the database explorer, which is located on the left side of the main window, you can view the contents of the database that you are connected to and edit them in the editor window. There is also support for multiple tabs if you want to view more than one file at the same time. And if you are working with files that have long scripts, you can switch to full screen mode to make the editing area bigger and more comfortable since you have less scrolling to do.

Pros

Once you connect to a database, you have the power to view and edit everything that it contains. You can script any database object in case you want to review a problem offline, or you can search and filter results after they have been retrieved from the database. The editor has many features as well. For instance, it has an error highlight feature so if an error occurs during the execution of a script then the part that caused the error will be highlighted. In addition, there are many tools to edit the format of the script, including case conversion or commenting a highlighted part.

Other features include support for exporting the query results as Excel spreadsheets and keeping track of all the past executions in a separate window that contains all the information about them. Moreover, you can develop plug-ins and add them to the program to enhance usability.

Cons

Not exactly a minus but be aware that this software is designed to be used by advanced users as it requires coding experience. It is not is easy to get familiar with SQL databases so you have to be a bit more experienced before you decide to try out this program.

Alternatives

RazorSQL (, , ) is an SQL query tool, just like Universal SQL Editor. It can be used to work with more databases than Universal SQL Editor since it supports connections to JDBC (“Java Database Connectivity”) databases too and not only ODBC. is a similar application that only has support for MySQL, SQL Server, SQLite, Oracle and PostgreSQL databases. There are different versions of Navicat depending on the database you want to work with, or you can get Navicat Premium (, , ) which supports all of the aforementioned databases in one package.

Conclusion

Universal SQL Editor is a trustworthy software with impressive features that will help you examine and administrate your databases carefully, without much hassle. It is a very good program that should be a top choice among database query tools.