Both ODBC and JDBC connections are supported by Amazon Redshift. To load data, Amazon Redshift supports a variety of Redshift SQL Clients, including ETL/ELT tools and business intelligence tools. Many Redshift SQL client developers are familiar with the tools for running queries and manipulating data. Redshift IDE offers a seamless environment for developers to query and analyze data within Amazon Redshift clusters.

Most Redshift SQL client apps will function with Amazon Redshift. Because it is built on the industry-standard PostgreSQL. Standard JDBC or ODBC connections can be used to connect to Redshift by client applications. With Redshift client tools, developers can efficiently optimize queries and monitor performance within their Amazon Redshift environment.

Many firms are launching tools for best SQL Client for Redshift using the ODBC or JDBC driver. In this article, we’ll look at some of the greatest Amazon Redshift SQL client tools and SQL editors available. Let’s get started!

What are the Top Redshift SQL Clients?

Amazon Redshift data warehouses can be connected using SQL client tools over JDBC, Python, and ODBC connections. However, Amazon Redshift does not provide or install any SQL client tools. These tools or libraries must be installed on your client computer or Amazon EC2 instance to work with data in your data warehouses. Most SQL client tools that support JDBC, Python, or ODBC drivers can be used.

Let’s look into the top redshift SQL clients.

1) Redshift Query Editor

8 Best Redshift SQL Clients/Query Tools for Amazon Redshift | Redshift Query Editor
Source: Amazon

The Amazon Redshift console now allows you to write, run, and save queries. Running queries on databases hosted by your Amazon Redshift cluster is simplest when you use the query editor. You can execute queries right away after creating your cluster by using the query editor in the Amazon Redshift dashboard.

This is one of the most straightforward methods to get started with Redshift. All SQL queries can be written and performed. Please keep in mind that the Redshift query editor cannot be used to design procedures. Learn more.

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2) SQL Workbench

8 Best Redshift SQL Clients/Query Tools for Amazon Redshift | SQL Workbench/J
Source: MySQL

SQL Workbench/J is a Java-based SQL query tool that can operate on any operating system that has the Java Runtime Environment installed (JRE). This tool can connect to a variety of databases, including Oracle, Teradata, Snowflake, and others. This program may run queries in batch or interactive mode. You can also import data from a flat file and export data to a flat-file using its export and import functionality.

For demonstrations, many Redshift tutorials use SQL Workbench/J. Learn more.

3) Coginity Pro (Free and Paid) SQL Editor

Source: Coginity

Coginity Pro is a new SQL query analyzer. It is available in both a free and a premium edition. It’s a simple application that improves your productivity when working with Amazon Redshift data warehouses. JDBC drivers are used by Coginity Pro to connect to databases like Redshift.

The Coginity Pro comes with a slew of capabilities that make it simple for developers and administrators to operate Amazon Redshift. Learn more.

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4) Psql Command-Line Tool

8 Best Redshift SQL Clients/Query Tools for Amazon Redshift | Psql Command-Line Tool

This is a PostgreSQL-specific tool. Because Amazon utilizes PostgreSQL 8.x, you can connect to Redshift using the psql command-line tool.

Redshift, on the other hand, does not support all of the latest PostgreSQL capabilities. As a result, if you use the tool with your Amazon Redshift database, you can get an error. DB dumps, for example, will not function with Amazon Redshift SQL Clients.

If you’re using psql on Windows, though, you can run into encoding difficulties.

Before using psql, run the following command at the command prompt.

PGCLIENTENCODING=UTF8 is the default value.

5) Squirrel SQL

8 Best Redshift SQL Clients/Query Tools for Amazon Redshift | Squirrel SQL
Source: Squirrel SQL

Squirrel SQL is a Java-based software that works similarly to SQL Workbench/J. It’s also a cross-platform application that can connect to practically any JDBC-compliant database. Squirrel allows you to visually inspect the layout of your Amazon Redshift database, browse existing data in its tables, and run SQL queries against it. Learn more.

6) pgAdmin

8 Best Redshift SQL Clients/Query Tools for Amazon Redshift | pgAdmin
Source: pgAdmin

You can also use pgAdmin to connect. It’s a PostgreSQL community classic, and the most recent version, pgAdmin 4, is a complete remake of pgAdmin, constructed with Python and Javascript/jQuery. When connecting into websites or apps, two-factor authentication (2FA) adds an extra layer of protection.

You must log in with your username and password, as well as give an additional form of authentication that only you know or have access to, with 2FA. You can now disable database server auto-discovery. Set In config local.py or config distro.py, set AUTO DISCOVER SERVERS to False. Learn more.

7) Postico

8 Best Redshift SQL Clients/Query Tools for Amazon Redshift | Postico
Source: Postico

It offers a straightforward user interface that performs well. It’s Mac-only and supports PostgreSQL-based database solutions like Amazon Redshift. Because PostgreSQL is such a sophisticated database, there’s no reason why it should take a master’s degree in relational theory to use it. Postico is a user-friendly interface that makes Postgres more accessible to both newbies and experts. Anyone who has used a Mac previously will recognize Postico. Simply connect to a database and start manipulating tables and views. Begin with the fundamentals and work your way up to sophisticated PostgreSQL capabilities.

8) RazorSQL

8 Best Redshift SQL Clients/Query Tools for Amazon Redshift | RazorSQL
Source: RazorSQL

A fantastic Redshift SQL Clients in every way. The JDBC drivers required to connect to Amazon Redshift are included with RazorSQL. For Windows, macOS, Mac OS X, Linux, and Solaris, RazorSQL is a SQL query tool, database viewer, SQL editor, and database administration tool.

The Amazon Redshift database is supported by RazorSQL, a database client. Redshift’s database implementation is PostgreSQL, and RazorSQL contains numerous functions for working with PostgreSQL databases.

It includes a Redshift-specific database browser, a Redshift SQL editor with Redshift-specific features and syntax highlighting, Redshift-specific GUI tools, and Redshift-specific database administration tools. Learn more.

Conclusion

All these above-mentioned tools are the best and easiest Redshift SQL Clients. Their brief description here will help you to select the most convenient and reliable tool, which you can find easily through links provided with them.  

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FAQ on Redshift SQL Client

What is Redshift used for?

Amazon Redshift is a fully managed cloud data warehouse service provided by Amazon Web Services (AWS). It is used primarily for data warehousing and analytics.

Is Redshift an ETL tool?

No, Amazon Redshift is not an Extract Transform and Load Tool.

What is the free tool to connect to Redshift?

One of the free tools commonly used to connect to Amazon Redshift is SQL Workbench. It’s a client tool that supports various JDBC drivers, including the one for Amazon Redshift.

Is Redshift SQL or NoSQL?

Amazon Redshift is classified as an SQL-based data warehousing solution rather than a NoSQL database.

Is Redshift an AWS service?

Yes, Amazon Redshift is an AWS service provided by Amazon that can be used as a fully managed data warehousing solution.

Muhammad Faraz
Technical Content Writer, Hevo Data

Muhammad Faraz is an AI/ML and MLOps expert with extensive experience in cloud platforms and new technologies. With a Master's degree in Data Science, he excels in data science, machine learning, DevOps, and tech management. As an AI/ML and tech project manager, he leads projects in machine learning and IoT, contributing extensively researched technical content to solve complex problems.

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