2026-05-18 · 1 min read
Use a SQL formatter in code review
Consistent SQL diffs reduce noise and surface logic changes faster.
SQLreviewdatabase
Key takeaways
- Align dialect with your engine (PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite) before formatting.
- Re-read JOIN and WHERE clauses after format—structure changes should never hide logic edits.
Why reviewers care
Unformatted SQL forces reviewers to mentally parse keywords, hiding accidental cartesian products or missing predicates.
A formatted query makes CTE boundaries and aggregation steps scannable in seconds.
Pick the dialect explicitly
Set the dialect in the secondary field when your team runs PostgreSQL vs MySQL—case and function names differ.
After formatting, paste into your SQL client and verify the plan has not changed unexpectedly.
FAQ
Will formatting break my query?
It should preserve semantics; still run EXPLAIN on staging for performance-sensitive queries.
Can I format stored procedures?
Yes for readability, but test execution on a non-production database first.