I like the look of this. It's amazing how nothing ever really grew to fill the void Access/FileMaker pro left - yeah I know they're still around but barely used.
Also, and off-topic, but I wish PostgreSQL had some official 'test' databases that people could download to learn SQL with, Northwind-style.
Not exactly what you're looking for, but Splitgraph [3] has some solid datasets you can mess with.
Also, seekwell [0] might be able to fill that void depending on your use case and we're rapidly making improvements. So far we have highly customizable Forms [1] and editable tables [2] which you can add to a dashboard and expose to non-technical people on your team. We have a company with over 100 people in sales and operations using this daily. Supports Postgres, MySQL, Snowflake and SQL Server.
Well, there is Chinook ( https://github.com/lerocha/chinook-database ) which was inspired by Northwinds, available for most popular RDBMSs. I used it to teach an intro to SQL course. It has some issues, but that's to be expected (and probably ideal for real-world considerations).
Thanks for the kind words! I've been building database client GUIs since the old Delphi days in the late 90s. There's so much about those RAD tools that I miss.
After many years of building custom web applications for employers and clients, I wanted to build a tool that does the regular (and always required) data entry parts of the application for you ... Instead of always having to start from scratch on each new project.
After many months of hard work, it's a pleasure to release DataSpeeder. Thanks again for the nice comment!
Not to knock this product; it's really impressive, and I like it, but it makes me wonder: does nobody just use phpmyadmin (or some phpmyadmin-like) for this kind of thing?
I have, and it's worked for me; even if it's a little daunting at first.
Come on, it's the last thing I want to show to a non dev, or even to a dev. phpMyAdmin's interface is so cluttered, and way harder in the eyes for anyone who just want to go through the data and not deal with every part of the database with knobs all over the place, it's like sitting in a cockpit.
> Come on, it's the last thing I want to show to a non dev, or even to a dev. phpMyAdmin's interface is so cluttered, and way harder in the eyes for anyone who just want to go through the data and not deal with every part of the database with knobs all over the place, it's like sitting in a cockpit.
Thanks for replying, because that's a good description for part of the motivation to build the tool, and it's nice to hear that others are of the same mind.
I've worked on many projects over the years and typically I've seen need for different tools at both ends ... the complex "cockpit" for the power-user, and then the easy front end for something simple.
Building all of time-consuming little custom web utilities were the inspiration for this product. I hope others like me will find it useful.
I also got into the more nitty-gritty nuances of mysql through with phpmyadmin. Many things I find being done on client side "dashboard" applications can be handled by a mysql view, which can then be pulled up in phpmyadmin.
The idea here is that DataSpeeder enables the power user doing the db work to provide a simple web GUI for "non-admin" users who need to see some subset of the data in an easy way.
It's been my experience on projects over the years that there comes along a requirement to provide a simple view into a complex system.
All of those little custom web utilities were the inspiration for this product.
Rather than building a custom web app utility from scratch (because we're already too busy with day-to-day tasks and deadlines), DataSpeeder gives you a simple and easy end-user web GUI to the MySQL data that you can get up and running immediately.
Perhaps a scaled-down PhpMyAdmin deployment might get you there with some work and user-training, but DataSpeeder gets you something simple online very quickly ... Take a look at the "Create An Application" tutorial videos to see how fast it can be done: https://www.dataspeeder.com/support
I think you need to adjust pricing to differentiate between big corporate users and small developers. I'd pay $199 once (not per year) for my own use. But if I were running an IT shop at a larger corp, I'd pay a lot more. See if there is a way to expand your pricing both at the high and the low end.
Like all simple apps, I expect I'd run into roadblocks quickly without some customizability. The trick for you is to figure out how to add some of that without losing your main value prop, which is simplicity.
In particular, I'm sure I would want to customize screens. I didn't download the app and try it so I don't know if that's there, but I didn't see it in the video.
Also, consider supporting Postgres. MySQL and SQL Server usage are trending down, and Postgres is trending up.
Thanks! You have no idea how nice that is to hear. Making something work is one thing, making it simple is another. A lot of effort went into designing it to be simple, so reading that, you've given me a lift. :)
> I think you need to adjust pricing to differentiate between big corporate users and small developers
Thanks for the pricing feedback, that's incredibly useful as well.
> I expect I'd run into roadblocks quickly without some customizability. The trick for you is to figure out how to add some of that without losing your main value prop, which is simplicity.
> In particular, I'm sure I would want to customize screens ... Also, consider supporting Postgres.
Great feedback. Moving forward anything is possible, but a lot is going to depend on this kind of great feedback. I need to focus on the new features that users need for their deployments. I'm hoping to learn what these valuable required enhancements are by engaging with the users who try out the tool.
"Screen customizing" would currently include being able to reorder fields, whether individual fields are visible or invisible and editable or read-only on the view/edit/create pages. Also whether the fields are visible as columns in the main display table, and whether those columns are sortable. And there's also the ability to choose appropriate editor widgets based on data type when appropriate (date-pickers, drop-down lists, and so on).
The "Create an Application" video tutorials on www.dataspeeder.com/support show a lot of these features.
Website is quite slow. I'm sure you're under load RN, but if possible I'd recommend setting the site behind a CDN (there's a free tier of Cloudflare). Best of luck!
Looks great, there's a very defined use-case and the video is very clear.
Does anyone know of any other similar piece of software, preferably open source, that allows for complete customization? I have another use-case different from the one on this product and I could use some advice.
There are some non-ingestion (requires you to use the frontend) headless CMS options that may also fill this space ( https://headlesscms.org/ ) if you tilt your head and squint.
This space seems to be growing, primarily on the API side, I imagine the frontend side may be next.
Currently my favorite is PostgREST and custom VueJS forms (using Quasar for "rapid dev"), but requires lots of 'bring your own' work.
Hey there - We (seekwell [0]) let you create highly customizable Forms [1] and editable tables [2] which you can add to a dashboard and expose to non-technical people on your team. We have a company with over 100 people in sales and operations using this daily. Supports Postgres, MySQL, Snowflake and SQL Server.
Thanks for that! I set out to make a simple solution to a real problem that I had experienced on a lot of web development projects. I hope it's useful to others as well.
I looked around for a long time for a similar tool -- open source or otherwise -- and I never found something exactly like what I had in my head. So I decided to built it myself.
I'd be very interested in hear about your "other different use-case" ... I'm very open to making enhancements and adding new features driven by specific user's needs. If you'd like to chat about what you're trying to build, please drop me a line and maybe we can make something happen!
Hi -- thanks for asking! I'm especially proud of that part of the application because it took a lot of effort to get right ... it was actually the most difficult part to design and implement. In the end, I'm very happy with the result.
You can see a video demo of configuring and using Data Relationships in "Create an Application (Part 3)" here ...
DataSpeeder is intended to give devs and db admins (who live in the world of power tools like PhpMyAdmin and MySQL Workbench) the ability to provide a simple web GUI for non-admin end-users to view/modify data. So it was intentionally designed without admin-level functionality like editing the database schema directly.
Thanks for the link to your tool, I will look into it.
Actually, one of the (many) features that I (with my coder hat on) would like to implement next is exposing the data via REST APIs. But I (with my manager hat on) need to focus on the specific features that users say are most needed for their deployments.
By the way, let me know if you see an organic way that our tools could work together and complement each other. Partnering would be cool!
I started using Firefox instead of IE way back when it was new, and (flirtations with Safari notwithstanding) I've never had a compelling reason to stop using it. So I'm still on board.
Also, I like the way the black title bar frames the application window. :)
Hey, please don't put a URL at the bottom of every comment. You can add it to the "about" section of your user page (https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=DataSpeeder), which is linked to from the top of every comment you make. Thanks :)
Thanks for the help. I'm new to the forum, and I thought a sig might be useful, but I want to be a good citizen. I will remove it everywhere now. Thanks again!
(Update: Looks like I have no 'edit' option for posts that are not new. I won't be able to remove the link from all of them, but I'll do what I can!)
Hey, congrats on getting this out. My product (1) is in the same space. Just watching your video. Are you allowing complex queries through your GUI? Like Grouping, Aggregates or even JOINs? That is what I am focusing on initially. Airtable for RDBMS.
> Can you elaborate how this compares to some open source solutions, for example react-admin?
I would say that ...
React-Admin is a programming framework that a skilled React programmer can use to produce an application with great features that are limited only by the skills, drive, and dev time of the programmer. It looks like a very impressive and powerful programming framework to me.
DataSpeeder, on the other hand, is not a programming framework. It is a finished application that is ready to run immediately, can be deployed by a non-programmer, and has intentionally simple features that were designed to solve a specific problem ... Providing an instant end-user web GUI for MySQL.
To see the differences in how the tools are used, you can take a look at this (very nice!) React-Admin tutorial ...
Also, and off-topic, but I wish PostgreSQL had some official 'test' databases that people could download to learn SQL with, Northwind-style.