HeidiSQL

Ansgar Becker has been developing a lean database client using Delphi since 1999. In the beginning it was only meant for MySQL, but over the years HeidiSQL has established itself worldwide as a very popular and frequently used OpenSource tool, as have SQL Server, PostgreSQL, and SQLite.

HeidiSQL would never have progressed so fast without the new features of Delphi. The diverse components of the VCL offer lean solutions for many practical purposes.

Ansgar Becker

Challenge

In 1998, the author and web developer was not satisfied with the programs available to him at that time to manage a MySQL server. The desire arose to visualize the database structures as intuitively as possible. Due to school knowledge in Turbo Pascal, the Delphi 3 license of the employer, and the still very young Internet, a whole world of possibilities was available to him. At the same time, Matthias Fichtner published his Delphi translation of the mysql.h header file. With this, the first connections to the MySQL server were established. Equipped with these prerequisites, a customized user interface had to be designed and implemented. Since then, the Delphi Form-Designer and the endless possibilities of the VCL have inspired Becker again and again to improve usability.

Application

The first published versions were offered as freeware starting in 1999, but at that time under a different name. Many users quickly recognized the advantages of a local application over a web browser application: except for the server-dependent connection speed, the application was extremely fast to use. In addition, the interface offered an intuitive display of the otherwise abstract database contents. Even users without any database knowledge could suddenly look behind the scenes of their servers without any additional tools.

Conclusion

Delphi offers a huge range of database functionalities. Even and especially today, 20 years after the emergence of HeidiSQL, Delphi is made for applications with database backgrounds. The execution speed of Delphi applications is remarkable.

The self-explanatory Pascal language has inspired me for 30 years. It is a high-level language with natural elements, which is very easy to learn and always a welcome change for me as a web developer.

Ansgar Becker