The SQL console
Query a file directly with SQL, or describe what you want in plain English and let BigXL write the query.
Opening the console
Click SQL in the toolbar, or press Cmd+K (Ctrl+K on Windows and Linux) and type ‘sql’. This opens a panel where you can write queries against your current file.
Two tables to query
You can query two different tables depending on what you need.
- view is the file as it currently is, with every filter, sort, and mask applied. This is usually what you want.
- data is the whole file with none of your filters or sorts applied. Use this when you want to query the raw, unmodified data.
Writing a query
Type standard SQL in the editor. Press Cmd+Enter to run it. The console is read-only. A query can read your data but it cannot change it.
The SQL dialect is DuckDB. It supports standard SQL along with advanced features like window functions, CTEs (WITH clauses), and regular expressions.
Plain English mode
Type what you want in the text box above the editor. For example, type ‘average salary by department’ or ‘top 10 customers by revenue’. Click Write SQL.
BigXL fills in the SQL query below, which you can read, edit, and run yourself. Nothing happens until you run it. This runs on your machine using Bix, the local AI assistant. No data is sent anywhere.
Suggestions
The panel offers ready-made queries based on your file’s actual columns and data types. Suggestions include a preview of the first rows, a count grouped by a likely category column, an average of a numeric column, a list of distinct values, and a sort by the most recent date.
Click any suggestion to run it right away. This helps you explore a new dataset quickly.
Results
Query results appear in a scrollable table inside the panel. The panel shows the execution time in milliseconds and the row count. You can cancel a long-running query with the stop button.
Exporting results
Export query results directly from the panel as CSV, TSV, JSON, or Parquet. This is useful when you want to extract a subset or aggregation without modifying the file itself.