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NetBeans IDE 6.5 Beta (released 8/13) includes a number of new features around general database development.  Since one of the 6.5 features is the new PHP editor, it was only natural that we also focused on improving tooling for database development, and in particular, for MySQL.  The following post will highlight the new and improved database features using MySQL and the Sakila sample database.

Connecting and Exploring your Schema

Developers can access and connect to a local install of MySQL by clicking on the Services tab in the top left window.  Right-clicking on the Database icon and selecting "New Connection" will bring up a dialog box like this:

Once a connection has been established, developers can then explore a schema via the Database Explorer, examine table layouts, indexes, etc... as well as browse data in the tables.

SQL Editor and Results Window

The SQL Editor now includes a number of improvements including code completion, and the ability to sort and edit results.  Code completion provides insight into the available tables and fields for the current query, this feature also works for multi-table queries.  A new results window is now generated with each executed query, so you no longer need to worry about re-running a previous query.

Developers can bring up a SQL Command window by right clicking on an established database connection and choose "Execute Command".  From there, developers can create and test your SQL queries directly.

SQL History Browser

A new addition with 6.5 is the ability to store and recall previously entered SQL commands.  By default, the IDE will recall your last 10,000 queries (yes, that really is 10,000).

Code Generator

Lastly, for PHP developers, the IDE now includes code snipets via wizards to create a MySQL database connection as well as a quick dump of table data.  You can activate this command with the keyboard shortcut Alt + Insert (Ctrl + i for Macs):

> Download the NetBeans IDE 6.5 Beta

> Learn more about 6.5

NetBeans IDE 6.5 Beta is the latest release of Sun's award-winning open-source IDE that enables developers to rapidly create web, enterprise, desktop, and mobile applications with Java, C/C++ , JavaScript^?, Ruby, Groovy, and PHP. Supported by a vibrant developer community and offering a diverse selection of third-party plugins, the NetBeans IDE is a must-download for developers.