SQL Parser

How It Works

  1. 1

    Paste SQL Query

    Enter SQL statements including SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE with table names, column names, WHERE conditions, JOIN clauses, subqueries, CTEs, aggregate functions, and window functions. Supports MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, Oracle, and SQLite dialects.

  2. 2

    Tokenize and Parse SQL Syntax

    Lexer tokenizes SQL into keywords (SELECT, FROM, WHERE, JOIN), identifiers (table/column names with aliases), operators (=, AND, OR, IN, EXISTS), literals (strings, numbers, dates), and comments. Parser builds Abstract Syntax Tree (AST) representing query structure with clause hierarchy and relationships.

  3. 3

    Extract Metadata and Analyze

    Extracts referenced tables, selected columns, filter conditions, join types (INNER, LEFT, RIGHT, CROSS), aggregate functions, subqueries, and CTEs. Detects SQL dialect, validates syntax, identifies SQL injection risks, suggests query optimizations, and provides performance analysis including index usage and join efficiency.

Manual Analysis vs SQL Parser

Feature Manual Reading SQL Parser
Query Understanding Read line by line Visual structure breakdown
Table Extraction Manual search Auto-extract all tables
Syntax Validation Run on database Instant validation
Dialect Detection Manual identification Auto-detect database
Security Analysis Manual code review Auto-detect SQL injection
Query Optimization Trial and error Suggest improvements

SQL Parsing Examples

Example: Complex SQL Query Parsing

SQL Query Input
SELECT 
  u.id, 
  u.name, 
  u.email,
  COUNT(o.id) as order_count,
  SUM(o.total) as total_spent
FROM users u
LEFT JOIN orders o ON u.id = o.user_id
WHERE u.created_at >= '2024-01-01'
  AND u.status = 'active'
GROUP BY u.id, u.name, u.email
HAVING COUNT(o.id) > 5
ORDER BY total_spent DESC
LIMIT 10;
Parsed Structure Output
Parsed SQL Structure:

Query Type: SELECT
Dialect: Standard SQL (compatible with PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite)

SELECT Clause:
  Columns:
    - u.id (from users table)
    - u.name (from users table)
    - u.email (from users table)
    - COUNT(o.id) AS order_count (aggregate function)
    - SUM(o.total) AS total_spent (aggregate function)

FROM Clause:
  Primary Table: users (alias: u)

JOIN Clauses:
  - Type: LEFT JOIN
    Table: orders (alias: o)
    Condition: u.id = o.user_id
    Relationship: One-to-Many (users → orders)

WHERE Clause:
  Conditions:
    1. u.created_at >= '2024-01-01' (date filter)
       Operator: >=
       Type: Date comparison
    
    2. u.status = 'active' (status filter)
       Operator: =
       Type: String equality
    
  Logic: AND (both conditions must be true)

GROUP BY Clause:
  Grouping Columns:
    - u.id
    - u.name
    - u.email
  Purpose: Aggregate orders per user

HAVING Clause:
  Condition: COUNT(o.id) > 5
  Purpose: Filter users with more than 5 orders
  Applied After: GROUP BY aggregation

ORDER BY Clause:
  Sort Column: total_spent
  Direction: DESC (descending, highest first)

LIMIT Clause:
  Row Count: 10 (top 10 results)

Tables Referenced:
  1. users (alias: u)
     Columns: id, name, email, created_at, status
  
  2. orders (alias: o)
     Columns: id, user_id, total

Aggregate Functions:
  - COUNT(o.id): Counts orders per user
  - SUM(o.total): Sums order totals per user

Query Purpose:
  Find top 10 active users (created after 2024-01-01) 
  with more than 5 orders, sorted by total spending

Performance Considerations:
  ✓ Uses indexes on: users.created_at, users.status, orders.user_id
  ⚠️ LEFT JOIN may include users with 0 orders (filtered by HAVING)
  ✓ LIMIT 10 reduces result set size

Key Changes:

The parser deconstructs complex SQL into structured components, revealing query logic and data relationships. The SELECT clause includes both direct column references (u.id, u.name) and aggregate functions (COUNT, SUM) with aliases for readability. The LEFT JOIN connects users to orders via foreign key (user_id), creating one-to-many relationship—each user can have multiple orders. The WHERE clause filters before aggregation, applying date range (>= '2024-01-01') and status check (= 'active') using AND logic. The GROUP BY clause groups rows by user attributes (id, name, email) enabling aggregate calculations per user. The HAVING clause filters after aggregation, keeping only users with more than 5 orders—this differs from WHERE which filters before aggregation. The ORDER BY clause sorts by calculated total_spent in descending order, showing highest spenders first. The LIMIT clause restricts output to top 10 results for pagination. The parser identifies table aliases (u for users, o for orders) used throughout the query for brevity. This parsing enables query optimization—identifying missing indexes, suggesting query rewrites, or detecting inefficient JOINs. Database administrators use SQL parsers to audit query patterns, enforce naming conventions, and migrate queries between database dialects (MySQL to PostgreSQL).

Frequently Asked Questions

What SQL dialects and database-specific syntax does the parser support?

The parser handles standard ANSI SQL and dialect-specific syntax for MySQL (LIMIT, backtick identifiers, AUTO_INCREMENT), PostgreSQL (RETURNING clause, :: type casting, SERIAL types), SQL Server (TOP, square bracket identifiers, OUTPUT clause), Oracle (ROWNUM, dual table, CONNECT BY hierarchical queries), and SQLite (WITHOUT ROWID, AUTOINCREMENT). It recognizes database-specific functions like MySQL's CONCAT_WS, PostgreSQL's array_agg, SQL Server's STRING_AGG, and Oracle's LISTAGG. The parser detects dialect based on syntax patterns: backticks suggest MySQL, double quotes suggest PostgreSQL/Oracle, square brackets suggest SQL Server. For queries mixing dialects, it attempts best-effort parsing and flags incompatibilities. This makes the parser useful for migrating queries between databases or ensuring cross-database compatibility in multi-database applications.

How does the parser handle subqueries, CTEs, and complex nested queries?

The parser fully supports subqueries in SELECT (scalar subqueries), FROM (derived tables), WHERE (IN, EXISTS, ANY, ALL operators), and HAVING clauses. It parses Common Table Expressions (CTEs) with WITH clause, including recursive CTEs using UNION ALL. For nested queries, the parser builds a hierarchical AST showing parent-child relationships between outer and inner queries. Each subquery is parsed independently, extracting its tables, columns, and conditions. The parser identifies correlation between outer and inner queries (correlated subqueries) where inner query references outer query columns. For example, "SELECT * FROM users WHERE id IN (SELECT user_id FROM orders WHERE total > 100)" shows users table in outer query, orders table in subquery, and correlation via user_id. The parser also handles window functions (ROW_NUMBER, RANK, PARTITION BY) and aggregate functions within subqueries. This deep parsing enables query optimization analysis, identifying opportunities to convert subqueries to JOINs for better performance.

Can the parser detect SQL injection vulnerabilities and security issues?

Yes. The parser identifies potential SQL injection patterns: unparameterized string concatenation in WHERE clauses, dynamic table/column names without validation, UNION-based injection attempts (multiple SELECT statements), comment-based injection (-- or /* */), and time-based blind injection patterns (SLEEP, WAITFOR DELAY). It flags queries with suspicious patterns like "1=1" conditions, OR clauses that always evaluate true, or excessive UNION SELECT statements. The parser also detects privilege escalation attempts (GRANT, REVOKE statements), data exfiltration risks (INTO OUTFILE, LOAD_FILE), and dangerous functions (xp_cmdshell in SQL Server, UTL_FILE in Oracle). For parameterized queries, it validates placeholder syntax (?, :name, @param) ensuring parameters are used correctly. This security analysis helps developers identify vulnerable queries during code review, preventing SQL injection attacks that could expose sensitive data or compromise database integrity. The parser is essential for security audits and compliance checks in applications handling user input.