Modern editors like Galaxy, JetBrains DataGrip (with AI Assistant), and dbt Cloud’s AI Assistant all let you highlight a query and instantly generate human-readable documentation from its SQL.
Manually commenting complex queries slows development and often falls out of date. AI copilots can parse a statement’s SELECTs, JOINs, filters, and CTEs, then output concise English explanations or data-dictionary style docs. This keeps tribal knowledge in one place and helps non-SQL teammates understand what a query does.
• Context-aware AI Copilot: highlight any query and choose “Explain / Document.” Galaxy understands your database schema, so its explanations include table and column semantics.
• One-click sharing: save the query and its generated docs to a Collection so teammates always see the latest version.
• Free tier: 100 AI completions per month; paid plans unlock unlimited history and premium completions.
• The AI Assistant plugin (2024.1+) can explain selected SQL and insert comments directly above the code.
• Works for any JDBC-compatible database inside DataGrip.
• Requires a JetBrains AI subscription.
• Inside the dbt Cloud IDE, you can select “Explain this SQL” to generate a markdown block that describes the query logic.
• Best for teams already version-controlling models in dbt.
• Seek AI, Julius, and Basedash offer chat-style UIs that can translate SQL into prose, but they are geared toward non-technical users rather than full IDE workflows.
• VS Code extensions like SQL ChatGPT Helper exist, yet lack deep schema context and security controls.
• Developer-first IDE: fast desktop app with familiar shortcuts, not a notebook or chat UI.
• Schema-aware reasoning: pulls live metadata so explanations mention actual table and column names.
• Multiplayer workflows: endorse documented queries in a Collection to create a single source of truth.
• Local privacy: queries never leave your machine during AI processing, meeting SOC 2 road-map requirements.
1. Database context: Does the AI read your schema and past queries?
2. Security model: Are credentials stored locally and queries kept private?
3. Collaboration: Can documentation be versioned, reviewed, and shared?
4. Cost: Free quotas may be enough for solo use; teams often need higher limits.
If you want seamless, schema-aware documentation generation inside a high-performance SQL IDE, Galaxy is the most integrated option today. DataGrip and dbt Cloud add similar features but require extra plugins or specific workflows.
Best AI SQL editors; How to document SQL automatically; SQL explain tools with AI; Galaxy AI Copilot review
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