Top 5 Benefits of Universal Database GUI

by Oct 13, 2021

Universal database graphical user interfaces (GUIs) are among the most productive tools available to database administrators (DBAs) and developers. A well-crafted universal database GUI can greatly assist team members to maintain and implement new features to their systems.  

In this post:

What is a Database GUI?

Database GUIs are graphical user interfaces for interacting with databases. 

GUIs offer an alternative to command-line interfaces (CLI) and help us interact more intuitively with all sorts of electronic devices and software applications – from smartphones to ATMs. 

Just like the GUIs we are familiar with in our day-to-day lives, database GUIs are aimed at reducing complexity and increasing efficiency. 

Database management systems like MySQL and SQL Server are complex entities. Interacting with them directly via CLI can often be inefficient for the technical user, and unwelcoming for the business user.

Database GUIs help tame the complexity by making it easier to perform the tasks necessary to maintain performance, perform regular maintenance activities, and modify the systems to address evolving business objectives. 

Database GUIs offer various tools designed to streamline the support team’s work and organize them in a graphical and user-friendly interface. A quality database GUI will enable DBAs to access their systems to perform routine and ad-hoc maintenance tasks. 

It may supply the functionality to build and test SQL queries and statements. For developers, a GUI might provide the ability to compare data in various ways and reverse engineer databases. A database GUI can be seen as the software equivalent of a Swiss Army knife. The tools included are at the discretion of the application’s developer and can vary widely in utility and functionality. 

What is a Universal Database GUI?

A universal database GUI provides a single interface for interacting with many different databases and database types – from on-premises to hybrid, to cloud instances.

Due to the complexity of databases, many GUIs are developed to address one, or a narrow set of data sources. However, modern enterprises often utilize a range of databases. Additionally, the nature of data-driven business and digital transformation all but guarantees organizations will eventually migrate from one database to another. With dedicated GUIs, this means purchasing, learning, and managing multiple GUIs. 

With a universal database GUI, organizations can manage multiple data sources from one GUI.

Universal database GUIs provide the functionality of a dedicated GUI, enhanced to support multi-platform environments. This allows for the advantages that come with using a dedicated GUI, while also helping organizations consolidate their application use.

Universal Database GUI Benefits

Teams using the right universal database GUI can expect to enjoy the following benefits.

  • Eliminating the learning curve involved in acclimatizing to several tools to handle multi-platform environments as opposed to one. 
  • Improving productivity by accessing multiple tools through a single and familiar interface. Shortcuts developed when working with one platform can also be used with others.
  • Fostering collaboration by enabling ideas to be shared across platform support boundaries. For example, tool tricks discovered by the SQL Server team can be passed on to other teams, saving everyone time and encouraging communication.
  • Increasing innovation by exposing users to tools that might be slightly outside their usual frame of reference. For instance, DBAs playing with data visualization tools might see something that influences their performance tuning activities.
  • Lowering licensing fees and reducing installation complexity compared to that required by deploying several tools. 

Aqua Data Studio – A GUI for Any Database

Aqua Data Studio is a GUI and integrated development environment (IDE) for for virtually any database platform they deploy in their environment. The application supports over 40 different database platforms ranging from relational databases like Oracle and SQL Server to NoSQL databases like MongoDB. It also supports cloud database instances, providing a flexible tool that belongs in every database team’s software toolbox. 

Organizations will save on licensing fees, installation time, and training requirements by using this one tool to support their diverse set of database platforms. 

Aqua Data Studio provides an excellent set of tools for DBAs and developers that include the ability to:

  • Connect to all supported instances to manage and administer databases;
  • Automate database tasks using the tool’s scripting capabilities and open application programming interfaces;
  • Visually build and execute high-performing SQL queries;
  • Edit SQL code and debug queries;
  • Compare the DDL of scheme objects from different database platforms;
  • Model entity-relationship (ER) diagrams to assist in reverse and forward engineering databases;
  • View and execute previously run SQL queries from a history file;
  • Create dashboards and visualizations to make the knowledge contained in enterprise data resources understandable to any audience;
  • Access all of an organization’s on-premises and cloud database instances from a unified interface.

Database teams will soon come to rely on Aqua Data Studio in the same way an experienced hiker does their Swiss Army knife. They’ll reach for a familiar tool when they need to perform all kinds of database support activities. Gains in productivity will be enjoyed throughout the team, resulting in more time for individuals to engage in value-added projects. 

You can view a demonstration of the visual analytics capabilities of Aqua Data Studio by following this link.

Try Aqua Data Studio for free!