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Data lake and analytics · AutessaDB

SQL Workbench

The AutessaDB SQL Workbench is where you query the data lake with read-only ANSI SQL. It pairs an editor that knows your tables, columns and measures with a results grid built for hundreds of thousands of rows, estimates how much data a query will scan as you type, keeps your history, and downloads results as CSV or Parquet.

A database essential, built in
SQL WorkbenchScans ~1.2 GBSAMPLE
SELECT region, date_trunc('month', order_date) AS month,
       SUM(net_amount) AS revenue
FROM order_lines
WHERE order_date >= DATE '2026-01-01'
GROUP BY 1, 2 ORDER BY 2, 1
regionmonthrevenue
NA2026-012,411,093.20
EMEA2026-011,502,118.45
APAC2026-01612,077.40
Download CSVDownload ParquetSave as verified query

-- the problem

One-off questions should not need a dashboard project

Checking that a load landed, answering a quick question, or writing the query an agent will reuse is easier in SQL than in a report builder. The workbench makes that safe: read-only, estimated before it runs, and private to you.

What you get

  • Schema sidebar with every data lake table you can read, its columns, types and measures; click to insert.
  • Completion for table names, column names and measures.
  • Run (Ctrl+Enter), Run selection (Ctrl+Shift+Enter), Estimate, Cancel and a row limit.
  • Estimates like "Scans ~1.2 GB" refresh shortly after you stop typing.
  • Typed results: exact decimals, local timestamps with UTC on hover, muted nulls.
  • Download CSV, Download Parquet, Copy, and Save as verified query.
  • Drafts per table in your browser, and a History drawer; a long query keeps running if you navigate away.
  • Ask turns a plain-language question into SQL in the editor; nothing runs until you click Run.

-- how it works

How does sql workbench work in AutessaDB?

  1. Open it

    Build, then AutessaDB, then SQL Workbench, or Open workbench from a table.

  2. Write and estimate

    Write a SELECT and watch the estimate; add a partition filter if it is large.

  3. Run

    Results appear when the job finishes, usually in seconds; leave and come back from History if it takes longer.

  4. Keep it

    Download, copy, or save it as a verified query for agents.

-- every option

SQL you can write

optionwhat it does
StatementsOne read-only SELECT, with WITH, UNION, joins, subqueries and window functions.
DialectANSI SQL; analytical functions such as date_trunc, approx_distinct and format_datetime.
Date literalsDATE '2026-01-01'.
RejectedAnything that changes data or settings.
Unknown tablesTables you cannot read are reported as unknown.

-- example

Monthly revenue by regionsql
SELECT region, date_trunc('month', order_date) AS month, SUM(net_amount) AS revenue
FROM order_lines
WHERE order_date >= DATE '2026-01-01'
GROUP BY 1, 2
ORDER BY 2, 1

Full reference in the AutessaDB CLI docs and the API reference.

-- permissions

Who can do what?

accesscan
READ on every table in the queryRun it.
The person who ran it (and company Admins)List the job, read and download its result.

◆ AI assist

Where AI helps

Ask proposes SQL from a plain-language question, using the tables' descriptions, measures and verified queries, and places it in the editor for you to run.

AI in AutessaDB works inside the same access rules as the person using it, and schema changes always wait for a person to apply them.

-- relations

How it connects

autessadb feature

Columnar data lake tables

What the workbench queries.

autessadb feature

Ask in plain language

Start from a question instead of a blank editor.

autessadb feature

Semantic layer

Measures complete in the editor; verified queries help agents.

autessa platform

Dashboards in custom apps

Apps run the same read-only queries and render them as dashboards.

-- faq

Questions about sql workbench

Can the SQL Workbench change data?

No. Each run is one read-only statement; anything that changes data or settings is rejected before it runs.

How do I know a query will be expensive?

Watch the estimate, which reports roughly how much data it will scan, and filter on a partition column if it is large.

Who can see my query results?

Only you and company Admins. Query jobs and results are private to whoever ran them.

$ autessa autessadb tables create

Try sql workbench in AutessaDB

A SQL editor that knows your tables and measures, estimates scan size as you type, keeps history, and downloads results as CSV or Parquet.

Read the AutessaDB guide or install the CLI.

100% customizable, code and all

Make AutessaDB fully your own.

Use it out of the box, then change anything. Ask Autobot, Autessa’s AI builder, for a new field, screen, report, workflow or agent and it builds it into your copy of the app. Or open the code and edit it yourself. Nothing is locked: the app, its data and its code are yours.

Start free and make it yours