[HN Gopher] Show HN: TextQuery - Query CSV, JSON, XLSX Files wit...
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Show HN: TextQuery - Query CSV, JSON, XLSX Files with SQL
Author : shubhamjain
Score : 99 points
Date : 2025-05-05 16:59 UTC (6 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (textquery.app)
(TXT) w3m dump (textquery.app)
| gkbrk wrote:
| Feels like `clickhouse local` or `duckdb` with a price tag.
| Especially since duckdb even has a nice UI now.
| shubhamjain wrote:
| Author here. It uses DuckDB under the hood, which is a
| fantastic piece of software.
|
| Yes, even DuckDB has UI now, but I didn't find it to my taste.
| There's no table view, filters are a bit weird, and not exactly
| keyboard accessible. TextQuery also has Visualize feature to
| quickly create charts and tabs to run things in parallel.
| Again, it's personal preference, but there are advantages in
| being a desktop-first app.
| mkayokay wrote:
| For CSV files you can also import them directly into a SQLite
| file using https://sqlitebrowser.org/
|
| XLSX would be the same workflow with "save as" CSV and then push
| it into SQLite.
| shubhamjain wrote:
| IIRC, SQLlite requires you to define a schema first, which can
| be a bit tedious. DuckDB is actually a better tool for this in
| every regard, since it can parse CSV files quite well. The
| latest version includes support for XLSX as well.
|
| My personal take is, yes, it's possible in multiple other ways,
| but I just like having a well-designed GUI app do it for me.
| Just how TablePlus does for Database Management.
| bob1029 wrote:
| > I just like having a well-designed GUI app do it for me.
|
| MSSQL/SSMS supports this with some fancy techniques.
|
| > This wizard was created to improve the current import
| experience leveraging an intelligent framework known as
| Program Synthesis using Examples (PROSE). For a user without
| specialized domain knowledge, importing data can often be a
| complex, error prone, and tedious task. This wizard
| streamlines the import process as simple as selecting an
| input file and unique table name, and the PROSE framework
| handles the rest.
|
| > PROSE analyzes data patterns in your input file to infer
| column names, types, delimiters, and more. This framework
| learns the structure of the file and does all of the hard
| work so users don't have to.
|
| https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/relational-
| databases/i...
| account-5 wrote:
| You can import CSV files into sqlite without a schema, and
| you can turn of the ability to auto guess a columns data type
| if needed.
| bdcravens wrote:
| Congrats on launching, but this feels like an uphill climb to get
| paying customers. You need to find the intersection of potential
| customers that know SQL but don't want to use one of the open
| source options. (perhaps data analysts working in restricted
| environments where the only option is a web browser)
| mritchie712 wrote:
| this is a tarpit idea I've fallen into multiple times. It's
| really hard to make money from a desktop SQL client, let alone
| now that DuckDB has a good, free UI.
| hultner wrote:
| Can you use that with for instance a postgres server? I
| thought it would only work with DuckDB (sqlite?) databases.
| Exuma wrote:
| As OSX user... if there is a nice pristine OSX app (like
| Postico) I will pay for it even if theres a free version
| (easily, hands down) if the UI/UX is nice, and pro version has
| extra features. So I'm definitely someone who would pay.
| zipping1549 wrote:
| I think someone who's willing to use SQL will also be willing to
| convert such files into, well, proper DB.
| flysand7 wrote:
| For a lot of files where you would want to perform a quick one-
| time analysis, I don't think it's worth starting up a new
| database, and write scripts that parse the file from the source
| format and import it into the database. The one time I did it
| for postgres it took me maybe 2-4 hours to finish the script
| and start looking at the data. Next time it would be maybe an
| hour, but it's still a time.
|
| So I guess I can see how not having to do the conversion for
| quick one-time analysis could be beneficial.
| imachine1980_ wrote:
| A few hours ago this would have been useful, I will probably give
| it a try in few days. On another note, I recommend clarifying in
| the heroes page that it's about a one-time purchase, because
| that's a really big plus.
| sidcool wrote:
| Pricing is too weird.
| ayhanfuat wrote:
| Congratulations. I do see value in quickly seeing, querying files
| in a nice desktop interface. I am curious why there is no parquet
| support though. If duckdb is running in the background it is
| probably easy to support it?
| dowager_dan99 wrote:
| parquet support would be pretty easy I think, but also way
| outside the target market user. These are the features that are
| really hard to avoid: easy, but not free, no benefit.
| dowager_dan99 wrote:
| I think I'm your target user, but I currently use DuckDB for this
| type of work, so unlikely to buy your product. That said, lots of
| devs pay for Rider and/or DataGrip - sometimes with their own
| money - so maybe there is a market here?
| account-5 wrote:
| To be completely honest I tend to use either powershell or
| Nushell to query these sorts of files. I do also use sqlite as
| well when needed.
| leftcenterright wrote:
| does that also work with xlsx files without much pain?
| account-5 wrote:
| Nushell has it built in:
| https://www.nushell.sh/commands/docs/from_xlsx.html
|
| Powershell can query excel files in various ways and there's
| a module for native powershell excel work:
| https://www.powershellgallery.com/packages/ImportExcel/5.4.2
| rad_gruchalski wrote:
| Fascinating, is there something like this for Word?
| account-5 wrote:
| Morning built-in I know of. There's COM or pandoc, but
| you'd need to script that yourself.
| snappr021 wrote:
| Why not in vanilla js html?
| tobilg wrote:
| Try https://sql-workbench.com if you'd like to do this directly
| in the browser, for free. Including Parquet and Arrow support as
| well.
| lowleveldesign wrote:
| Coongrats on the release.
|
| It reminds me of Log Parser Studio [1] on Windows. Using SQL to
| query text and log files is a great idea.
|
| [1]
| https://web.archive.org/web/20170710212920/http://gallery.te...
| whoomp12342 wrote:
| oh man, I remebmer solving this problem by connecting these files
| into SQL SERVER and joining agains them. Those were the days
| jamroom wrote:
| Quick question - is it possible to import multiple files at once?
| I frequently get ZIP files full of csv/xlsx files that I need to
| search through. I didn't see a way to import more than 1 file at
| a time. Thanks!
| hermitcrab wrote:
| >Pay Once, Use Forever ... Free updates
|
| I suspect the vendor is going to regret that, further down the
| line.
| _ink_ wrote:
| No worries. They will just break their promise, just like most
| companies that claimed something similar.
| hultner wrote:
| I actually have some apps still which I bought for life years
| back but doesn't offer that anymore. For instance blink shell
| for iOS devices.
| delusional wrote:
| I don't know. We had a pretty well established model that
| included free updates, but required a new purchase for a new
| major version down the line. I think that worked pretty well.
| rsstack wrote:
| > The license entitles you to receive lifetime updates for the
| major version. When we release the next major version, you can
| optionally renew the license.
|
| Fairly common. JetBrains started that way too. Will they one
| day have a major version that's using a subscription model?
| Perhaps. But they will likely not regret this too much.
| hermitcrab wrote:
| >The license entitles you to receive lifetime updates for the
| major version.
|
| Where does it say that?
|
| That is common and it is the model I use for my own software.
| But that isn't what I understood from their website.
|
| Home page: "Pay Once, Use Forever. We hate needless
| subscriptions as much as you do. TextQuery comes with a
| perpetual license with free updates."
|
| Pricing page: "Perpetual license Lifetime updates"
|
| Which strongly implies _every_ update is free, forever.
| hermitcrab wrote:
| Ok, it says that further down the pricing page. I don't see
| how that fits with "Perpetual license Lifetime updates". It
| feels deceptive.
| rsstack wrote:
| It's the first question/answer in the FAQ.
| flysand7 wrote:
| Is it just me, or the images on the website aren't loading? Using
| firefox, from what I searched it seems like it could be just a
| firefox issue. The cdn links are https bt when navigating there
| manually it says the connection is not private.
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