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We are thrilled to announce the support of SQL within the RAW platform. This new feature enables developers to construct APIs directly using SQL, simplifying the process of connecting and integrating data in real-time from an array of data sources.
Why SQL, and why now?
Until now, the RAW platform has supported the Snapi language for building endpoints. Snapi is a data manipulation language designed for quick data delivery, complete with a rich built-in library and ready-to-use connectors for common data sources. It's user-friendly yet powerful enough to handle complex data manipulation tasks.
However, SQL is a staple in the data management world. We recognize that for certain users and specific queries, SQL might be the quicker choice. For example, if your goal is to create a data API that merges two relational tables, SQL would likely be the easiest option. Conversely, if you need to read data from a data lake, transform it, and possibly enhance it with data from an external web service, Snapi would be your preferred choice.
Despite their apparent differences, SQL and Snapi share key design similarities. Both are declarative languages, meaning you specify the transformations you want, and the engine automatically selects the best algorithm to execute them.
How does SQL support work?
Here are the key points to consider:
- Only SELECT operations are supported. The SQL variant used is the PostgreSQL syntax. Therefore, you can reference PostgreSQL's documentation to write RAW SQL queries. Most major features of SQL::2023 specification are supported.
- Each new data source typically appears as a new schema and set of tables available for querying. For instance, adding a MySQL data source named 'mysql01' will result in a new schema called "mysql01." This schema will contain all tables from the MySQL source system.
- For non-relational database sources, such as Salesforce, RAW provides a pre-defined set of tables within the newly-available schema. These "virtual tables" represent the business entities and data structures inherent to each specific data source. Queries to these tables are automatically translated into calls to the remote source. For example, a query to a virtual Salesforce table is translated into a remote call to the Salesforce API.
You can learn more in our SQL documentation.
Next Steps
The introduction of SQL into RAW underscores our commitment to evolving in tandem with our users' needs. We aim to provide them with the tools and resources you need to develop quickly and effectively.
To get started, simply sign up, navigate to your Workspace as usual, click "Add Endpoint," and you'll see the SQL option available. And, in the near future, look forward to more features such as additional AI integration for helping you write SQL queries.
