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Sql Database Assistant

  • 647 installs
  • 23.5k repo stars
  • Updated July 17, 2026
  • alirezarezvani/claude-skills

sql-database-assistant is an agent skill that guides reading EXPLAIN plans, selecting optimal indexes, understanding query operators, and tuning connection pools so developers who run production databases diagnose and fi

About

sql-database-assistant is an alirezarezvani agent skill providing expert guidance on production SQL query optimization. The skill teaches how to read PostgreSQL EXPLAIN ANALYZE output with BUFFERS formatting, interpret query plan operators like Index Scan and Sequential Scan, choose the right index types for filter and sort patterns, and configure connection pooling for throughput. It includes concrete SQL examples showing cost estimates, actual execution times, buffer hits, and index condition usage. Developers reach for sql-database-assistant when production queries degrade, EXPLAIN plans show sequential scans on large tables, or connection pool exhaustion causes latency spikes in live database workloads.

  • Teaches how to read and interpret PostgreSQL EXPLAIN ANALYZE output including cost, rows, actual time, buffers and loops
  • Identifies red flags such as Seq Scan on filtered tables, cardinality misestimates, and excessive Nested Loops
  • Explains index selection strategies, query plan operators, and when to run ANALYZE for fresh statistics
  • Covers connection pooling configuration and work_mem tuning to prevent disk spills
  • Provides concrete SQL examples and interpretation tables for immediate application

Sql Database Assistant by the numbers

  • 647 all-time installs (skills.sh)
  • Ranked #108 of 911 Databases skills by installs in the Skillselion catalog
  • Security screen: LOW risk (skills.sh audit)
  • Data as of Jul 31, 2026 (Skillselion catalog sync)
npx skills add https://github.com/alirezarezvani/claude-skills --skill sql-database-assistant

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Listed on Skillselion
Installs647
repo stars23.5k
Security audit3 / 3 scanners passed
Last updatedJuly 17, 2026
Repositoryalirezarezvani/claude-skills

How do you read EXPLAIN plans and fix slow SQL?

Get expert guidance on reading EXPLAIN plans, selecting optimal indexes, understanding query operators, and tuning connection pools for production databases.

Who is it for?

Backend developers operating production PostgreSQL or SQL databases who need to diagnose slow queries via EXPLAIN plans and index tuning.

Skip if: Developers designing database schemas from scratch without existing queries, or teams using only NoSQL databases without SQL EXPLAIN workflows.

When should I use this skill?

User shares slow SQL queries, EXPLAIN ANALYZE output, index selection questions, or connection pool configuration problems.

What you get

Optimized SQL queries, correct index definitions, interpreted EXPLAIN ANALYZE plans, and tuned connection pool configurations.

  • Optimized query rewrites
  • Index recommendations
  • Connection pool configuration

Files

SKILL.mdMarkdownGitHub ↗

SQL Database Assistant - POWERFUL Tier Skill

Overview

The operational companion to database design. While database-designer focuses on schema architecture and database-schema-designer handles ERD modeling, this skill covers the day-to-day: writing queries, optimizing performance, generating migrations, and bridging the gap between application code and database engines.

Core Capabilities

  • Natural Language to SQL — translate requirements into correct, performant queries
  • Schema Exploration — introspect live databases across PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, SQL Server
  • Query Optimization — EXPLAIN analysis, index recommendations, N+1 detection, rewrite patterns
  • Migration Generation — up/down scripts, zero-downtime strategies, rollback plans
  • ORM Integration — Prisma, Drizzle, TypeORM, SQLAlchemy patterns and escape hatches
  • Multi-Database Support — dialect-aware SQL with compatibility guidance

Tools

ScriptPurpose
scripts/query_optimizer.pyStatic analysis of SQL queries for performance issues
scripts/migration_generator.pyGenerate migration file templates from change descriptions
scripts/schema_explorer.pyGenerate schema documentation from introspection queries

---

Natural Language to SQL

Translation Patterns

When converting requirements to SQL, follow this sequence:

1. Identify entities — map nouns to tables 2. Identify relationships — map verbs to JOINs or subqueries 3. Identify filters — map adjectives/conditions to WHERE clauses 4. Identify aggregations — map "total", "average", "count" to GROUP BY 5. Identify ordering — map "top", "latest", "highest" to ORDER BY + LIMIT

Common Query Templates

Top-N per group (window function)

SELECT * FROM (
  SELECT *, ROW_NUMBER() OVER (PARTITION BY department_id ORDER BY salary DESC) AS rn
  FROM employees
) ranked WHERE rn <= 3;

Running totals

SELECT date, amount,
  SUM(amount) OVER (ORDER BY date ROWS BETWEEN UNBOUNDED PRECEDING AND CURRENT ROW) AS running_total
FROM transactions;

Gap detection

SELECT curr.id, curr.seq_num, prev.seq_num AS prev_seq
FROM records curr
LEFT JOIN records prev ON prev.seq_num = curr.seq_num - 1
WHERE prev.id IS NULL AND curr.seq_num > 1;

UPSERT (PostgreSQL)

INSERT INTO settings (key, value, updated_at)
VALUES ('theme', 'dark', NOW())
ON CONFLICT (key) DO UPDATE SET value = EXCLUDED.value, updated_at = EXCLUDED.updated_at;

UPSERT (MySQL)

INSERT INTO settings (key_name, value, updated_at)
VALUES ('theme', 'dark', NOW())
ON DUPLICATE KEY UPDATE value = VALUES(value), updated_at = VALUES(updated_at);
See references/query_patterns.md for JOINs, CTEs, window functions, JSON operations, and more.

---

Schema Exploration

Introspection Queries

PostgreSQL — list tables and columns

SELECT table_name, column_name, data_type, is_nullable, column_default
FROM information_schema.columns
WHERE table_schema = 'public'
ORDER BY table_name, ordinal_position;

PostgreSQL — foreign keys

SELECT tc.table_name, kcu.column_name,
  ccu.table_name AS foreign_table, ccu.column_name AS foreign_column
FROM information_schema.table_constraints tc
JOIN information_schema.key_column_usage kcu ON tc.constraint_name = kcu.constraint_name
JOIN information_schema.constraint_column_usage ccu ON tc.constraint_name = ccu.constraint_name
WHERE tc.constraint_type = 'FOREIGN KEY';

MySQL — table sizes

SELECT table_name, table_rows,
  ROUND(data_length / 1024 / 1024, 2) AS data_mb,
  ROUND(index_length / 1024 / 1024, 2) AS index_mb
FROM information_schema.tables
WHERE table_schema = DATABASE()
ORDER BY data_length DESC;

SQLite — schema dump

SELECT name, sql FROM sqlite_master WHERE type = 'table' ORDER BY name;

SQL Server — columns with types

SELECT t.name AS table_name, c.name AS column_name,
  ty.name AS data_type, c.max_length, c.is_nullable
FROM sys.columns c
JOIN sys.tables t ON c.object_id = t.object_id
JOIN sys.types ty ON c.user_type_id = ty.user_type_id
ORDER BY t.name, c.column_id;

Generating Documentation from Schema

Use scripts/schema_explorer.py to produce markdown or JSON documentation:

python scripts/schema_explorer.py --dialect postgres --tables all --format md
python scripts/schema_explorer.py --dialect mysql --tables users,orders --format json --json

---

Query Optimization

EXPLAIN Analysis Workflow

1. Run EXPLAIN ANALYZE (PostgreSQL) or EXPLAIN FORMAT=JSON (MySQL) 2. Identify the costliest node — Seq Scan on large tables, Nested Loop with high row estimates 3. Check for missing indexes — sequential scans on filtered columns 4. Look for estimation errors — planned vs actual rows divergence signals stale statistics 5. Evaluate JOIN order — ensure the smallest result set drives the join

Index Recommendation Checklist

  • Columns in WHERE clauses with high selectivity
  • Columns in JOIN conditions (foreign keys)
  • Columns in ORDER BY when combined with LIMIT
  • Composite indexes matching multi-column WHERE predicates (most selective column first)
  • Partial indexes for queries with constant filters (e.g., WHERE status = 'active')
  • Covering indexes to avoid table lookups for read-heavy queries

Query Rewriting Patterns

Anti-PatternRewrite
SELECT * FROM ordersSELECT id, status, total FROM orders (explicit columns)
WHERE YEAR(created_at) = 2025WHERE created_at >= '2025-01-01' AND created_at < '2026-01-01' (sargable)
Correlated subquery in SELECTLEFT JOIN with aggregation
NOT IN (SELECT ...) with NULLsNOT EXISTS (SELECT 1 ...)
UNION (dedup) when not neededUNION ALL
LIKE '%search%'Full-text search index (GIN/FULLTEXT)
ORDER BY RAND()Application-side random sampling or TABLESAMPLE

N+1 Detection

Symptoms:

  • Application loop that executes one query per parent row
  • ORM lazy-loading related entities inside a loop
  • Query log shows hundreds of identical SELECT patterns with different IDs

Fixes:

  • Use eager loading (include in Prisma, joinedload in SQLAlchemy)
  • Batch queries with WHERE id IN (...)
  • Use DataLoader pattern for GraphQL resolvers

Static Analysis Tool

python scripts/query_optimizer.py --query "SELECT * FROM orders WHERE status = 'pending'" --dialect postgres
python scripts/query_optimizer.py --query queries.sql --dialect mysql --json
See references/optimization_guide.md for EXPLAIN plan reading, index types, and connection pooling.

---

Migration Generation

Zero-Downtime Migration Patterns

Adding a column (safe)

-- Up
ALTER TABLE users ADD COLUMN phone VARCHAR(20);

-- Down
ALTER TABLE users DROP COLUMN phone;

Renaming a column (expand-contract)

-- Step 1: Add new column
ALTER TABLE users ADD COLUMN full_name VARCHAR(255);
-- Step 2: Backfill
UPDATE users SET full_name = name;
-- Step 3: Deploy app reading both columns
-- Step 4: Deploy app writing only new column
-- Step 5: Drop old column
ALTER TABLE users DROP COLUMN name;

Adding a NOT NULL column (safe sequence)

-- Step 1: Add nullable
ALTER TABLE orders ADD COLUMN region VARCHAR(50);
-- Step 2: Backfill with default
UPDATE orders SET region = 'unknown' WHERE region IS NULL;
-- Step 3: Add constraint
ALTER TABLE orders ALTER COLUMN region SET NOT NULL;
ALTER TABLE orders ALTER COLUMN region SET DEFAULT 'unknown';

Index creation (non-blocking, PostgreSQL)

CREATE INDEX CONCURRENTLY idx_orders_status ON orders (status);

Data Backfill Strategies

  • Batch updates — process in chunks of 1000-10000 rows to avoid lock contention
  • Background jobs — run backfills asynchronously with progress tracking
  • Dual-write — write to old and new columns during transition period
  • Validation queries — verify row counts and data integrity after each batch

Rollback Strategies

Every migration must have a reversible down script. For irreversible changes:

1. Backup before executionpg_dump the affected tables 2. Feature flags — application can switch between old/new schema reads 3. Shadow tables — keep a copy of the original table during migration window

Migration Generator Tool

python scripts/migration_generator.py --change "add email_verified boolean to users" --dialect postgres --format sql
python scripts/migration_generator.py --change "rename column name to full_name in customers" --dialect mysql --format alembic --json

---

Multi-Database Support

Dialect Differences

FeaturePostgreSQLMySQLSQLiteSQL Server
UPSERTON CONFLICT DO UPDATEON DUPLICATE KEY UPDATEON CONFLICT DO UPDATEMERGE
BooleanNative BOOLEANTINYINT(1)INTEGERBIT
Auto-incrementSERIAL / GENERATEDAUTO_INCREMENTINTEGER PRIMARY KEYIDENTITY
JSONJSONB (indexed)JSONText (ext)NVARCHAR(MAX)
ArrayNative ARRAYNot supportedNot supportedNot supported
CTE (recursive)Full support8.0+3.8.3+Full support
Window functionsFull support8.0+3.25.0+Full support
Full-text searchtsvector + GINFULLTEXT indexFTS5 extensionFull-text catalog
LIMIT/OFFSETLIMIT n OFFSET mLIMIT n OFFSET mLIMIT n OFFSET mOFFSET m ROWS FETCH NEXT n ROWS ONLY

Compatibility Tips

  • Always use parameterized queries — prevents SQL injection across all dialects
  • Avoid dialect-specific functions in shared code — wrap in adapter layer
  • Test migrations on target engineinformation_schema varies between engines
  • Use ISO date format'YYYY-MM-DD' works everywhere
  • Quote identifiers — use double quotes (SQL standard) or backticks (MySQL)

---

ORM Patterns

Prisma

Schema definition

model User {
  id        Int      @id @default(autoincrement())
  email     String   @unique
  name      String?
  posts     Post[]
  createdAt DateTime @default(now())
}

model Post {
  id       Int    @id @default(autoincrement())
  title    String
  author   User   @relation(fields: [authorId], references: [id])
  authorId Int
}

Migrations: npx prisma migrate dev --name add_user_email Query API: prisma.user.findMany({ where: { email: { contains: '@' } }, include: { posts: true } }) Raw SQL escape hatch: prisma.$queryRaw\SELECT * FROM users WHERE id = ${userId}\``

Drizzle

Schema-first definition

export const users = pgTable('users', {
  id: serial('id').primaryKey(),
  email: varchar('email', { length: 255 }).notNull().unique(),
  name: text('name'),
  createdAt: timestamp('created_at').defaultNow(),
});

Query builder: db.select().from(users).where(eq(users.email, email)) Migrations: npx drizzle-kit generate:pg then npx drizzle-kit push:pg

TypeORM

Entity decorators

@Entity()
export class User {
  @PrimaryGeneratedColumn()
  id: number;

  @Column({ unique: true })
  email: string;

  @OneToMany(() => Post, post => post.author)
  posts: Post[];
}

Repository pattern: userRepo.find({ where: { email }, relations: ['posts'] }) Migrations: npx typeorm migration:generate -n AddUserEmail

SQLAlchemy

Declarative models

class User(Base):
    __tablename__ = 'users'
    id = Column(Integer, primary_key=True)
    email = Column(String(255), unique=True, nullable=False)
    name = Column(String(255))
    posts = relationship('Post', back_populates='author')

Session management: Always use with Session() as session: context manager Alembic migrations: alembic revision --autogenerate -m "add user email"

See references/orm_patterns.md for side-by-side comparisons and migration workflows per ORM.

---

Data Integrity

Constraint Strategy

  • Primary keys — every table must have one; prefer surrogate keys (serial/UUID)
  • Foreign keys — enforce referential integrity; define ON DELETE behavior explicitly
  • UNIQUE constraints — for business-level uniqueness (email, slug, API key)
  • CHECK constraints — validate ranges, enums, and business rules at the DB level
  • NOT NULL — default to NOT NULL; make nullable only when genuinely optional

Transaction Isolation Levels

LevelDirty ReadNon-Repeatable ReadPhantom ReadUse Case
READ UNCOMMITTEDYesYesYesNever recommended
READ COMMITTEDNoYesYesDefault for PostgreSQL, general OLTP
REPEATABLE READNoNoYes (InnoDB: No)Financial calculations
SERIALIZABLENoNoNoCritical consistency (billing, inventory)

Deadlock Prevention

1. Consistent lock ordering — always acquire locks in the same table/row order 2. Short transactions — minimize time between first lock and commit 3. Advisory locks — use pg_advisory_lock() for application-level coordination 4. Retry logic — catch deadlock errors and retry with exponential backoff

---

Backup & Restore

PostgreSQL

# Full backup
pg_dump -Fc --no-owner dbname > backup.dump
# Restore
pg_restore -d dbname --clean --no-owner backup.dump
# Point-in-time recovery: configure WAL archiving + restore_command

MySQL

# Full backup
mysqldump --single-transaction --routines --triggers dbname > backup.sql
# Restore
mysql dbname < backup.sql
# Binary log for PITR: mysqlbinlog --start-datetime="2025-01-01 00:00:00" binlog.000001

SQLite

# Backup (safe with concurrent reads)
sqlite3 dbname ".backup backup.db"

Backup Best Practices

  • Automate — cron or systemd timer, never manual-only
  • Test restores — untested backups are not backups
  • Offsite copies — S3, GCS, or separate region
  • Retention policy — daily for 7 days, weekly for 4 weeks, monthly for 12 months
  • Monitor backup size and duration — sudden changes signal issues

---

Anti-Patterns

Anti-PatternProblemFix
SELECT *Transfers unnecessary data, breaks on schema changesExplicit column list
Missing indexes on FK columnsSlow JOINs and cascading deletesAdd indexes on all foreign keys
N+1 queries1 + N round trips to databaseEager loading or batch queries
Implicit type coercionWHERE id = '123' prevents index useMatch types in predicates
No connection poolingExhausts connections under loadPgBouncer, ProxySQL, or ORM pool
Unbounded queriesNo LIMIT risks returning millions of rowsAlways paginate
Storing money as FLOATRounding errorsUse DECIMAL(19,4) or integer cents
God tablesOne table with 50+ columnsNormalize or use vertical partitioning
Soft deletes everywhereComplicates every query with WHERE deleted_at IS NULLArchive tables or event sourcing
Raw string concatenationSQL injectionParameterized queries always

---

Cross-References

SkillRelationship
database-designerSchema architecture, normalization analysis, ERD generation
database-schema-designerVisual ERD modeling, relationship mapping
migration-architectComplex multi-step migration orchestration
api-design-reviewerEnsuring API endpoints align with query patterns
observability-platformQuery performance monitoring, slow query alerts

Related skills

How it compares

Pick sql-database-assistant over schema-design skills when the task is diagnosing and tuning existing production SQL queries rather than modeling new tables.

FAQ

Which database does sql-database-assistant focus on?

sql-database-assistant centers on PostgreSQL EXPLAIN ANALYZE with BUFFERS formatting, teaching developers to read cost estimates, actual execution times, index scan conditions, and buffer hit counts from query plan output.

What production issues does sql-database-assistant address?

sql-database-assistant addresses slow SQL queries, suboptimal index selection, misunderstood query plan operators, and connection pool misconfiguration causing latency or exhaustion in live database workloads.

Is Sql Database Assistant safe to install?

skills.sh reports 3 of 3 security scanners passed. Review the Security Audits panel on this page before installing in production.

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