Fixing CTE Tab SQL Editing: Re-decomposition Explained

by Luna Greco 55 views

Hey guys! Let's dive into a pretty crucial discussion about a bit of a snag we've hit with the CTE (Common Table Expression) tab functionality. It's causing some contradictions, and we need to iron them out to make sure everything's smooth sailing.

Problem Description

We've got a fundamental contradiction in how the CTE tab works right now, and it's something we really need to address to keep things intuitive and user-friendly. Here’s the gist of it:

Current Behavior Contradiction

Here’s where things get a little tangled:

  1. CTE Tab Runtime Composition: Our CTE tabs are designed to handle CTE composition at the time the query is run. This means that, in theory, the editor shouldn’t need to display the CTE syntax.
  2. CTE Tab SQL Editing: Users have the ability to directly edit the SQL within these CTE tabs, which includes adding new CTE clauses.
  3. Contradiction Alert: Here’s the rub. When users start adding CTE clauses by editing the SQL, the query now contains CTE syntax. But according to point 1, this syntax shouldn't be displayed in the editor. It's a bit of a head-scratcher, right? This contradiction can confuse users and lead to unexpected behavior, hindering their workflow.

Expected Resolution

So, how do we untangle this? Here’s the plan for when a user adds CTE clauses by editing SQL in a CTE tab:

  1. The modified query should be re-decomposed automatically: Think of this as the system recognizing that things have changed and needing to reorganize a bit.
  2. The CTE tab should return to a non-CTE display state: Basically, it should go back to showing the final SELECT statement without all the CTE syntax cluttering things up.
  3. The newly written CTE clauses should appear as separate items in the left menu: This is all about keeping things organized and easy to find.
  4. The query execution should continue to work with proper CTE composition: Crucially, all these changes shouldn’t break how the query runs. It should still use the CTEs correctly behind the scenes. This ensures that the user's edits are correctly interpreted and executed, providing a seamless experience.

Example Scenario

Let's walk through a specific example to make this crystal clear.

User Action

Imagine a user edits the CTE tab content from this:

SELECT * FROM products WHERE category_id = 1

To this:

WITH active_products AS (
 SELECT * FROM products WHERE status = 'active'
),
category_products AS (
 SELECT * FROM active_products WHERE category_id = 1 
)
SELECT * FROM category_products

Expected System Response

Here’s what we want the system to do:

  1. Detect CTE Addition: The system needs to be smart enough to recognize that CTE clauses have been added.
  2. Auto Re-decomposition: The query should be automatically re-decomposed, breaking it down into its constituent parts.
  3. Update Left Menu: The left menu should reflect these changes:
    • active_products appears as a new CTE item.
    • category_products appears as a new CTE item.
  4. Update CTE Tab Display: The CTE tab should now show only the final SELECT statement, without the CTE syntax.
  5. Maintain Functionality: The query execution should still work perfectly, with proper CTE composition happening behind the scenes. This ensures that the added CTEs are correctly processed, and the query returns the expected results.

Technical Requirements

Okay, let's get a little technical about what needs to happen under the hood.

Detection

  • Monitor SQL content changes in CTE tabs: We need to keep an eye on what’s being typed in those tabs.
  • Parse SQL to detect newly added WITH clauses: This is about identifying when someone's adding CTEs.
  • Identify new CTE definitions vs existing ones: We need to know if a CTE is brand new or just being modified. This involves analyzing the SQL syntax to distinguish between newly defined CTEs and modifications to existing ones, ensuring accurate processing and organization.

Re-decomposition Process

  • Extract new CTE clauses using rawsql-ts parsing: We'll use this tool to break down the SQL.
  • Add new CTEs to workspace CTE collection: This is about organizing the CTEs in our system.
  • Update CTE tab to show decomposed query: Get that tab displaying the final SELECT statement.
  • Refresh left menu to display new CTE items: Keep that menu up-to-date.

State Management

This is all about keeping things consistent across the board. It is important to keep everything synced up:

  • Maintain consistency between:
    • CTE tab content
    • Left menu CTE list
    • Runtime CTE composition
    • Query execution results

Implementation Priority

High – This isn't just a minor annoyance; this contradiction affects the core user workflow and could lead to data inconsistencies. We need to tackle this ASAP to ensure a smooth and reliable experience for our users.

Related Components

This fix will touch several parts of our system:

  • CTE Tab Editor
  • Left Menu CTE List
  • CTE Composition Engine
  • Query Decomposition Service
  • rawsql-ts Parser Integration

This issue addresses a fundamental workflow contradiction that impacts user experience.