Support multiple duckdb versions

[plaflamme]

DuckDB file format is not compatible between versions, i.e. files created with 0.6 are not readable by 0.7 and vice-versa. Until Duckdb reaches 1.0, it seems important for this extension to support multiple versions since it makes it impossible to use when the version of duckdb in the extension differs from the file's version.

[RandomFractals]

@plaflamme our DuckDB Pro Tools support DuckDB v0.7.1, add enhanced JSON handling, and come with more demo data and DuckDB examples to try.

You can sponsor our dev work to get access to the latest Pro version of this extension, PRQL Code Lens and new Data Notebooks extension we'll be releasing soon!

[plaflamme]

I see.

FMI: what is the plan for the "non-pro" version? Will it lag the features of the pro version (say by a month), have a subset of the features, both, something else? I don't really need any of the pro features (except for supporting schemas apparently)

[RandomFractals]

Free public version of DuckDB SQL Tools will be always a version behind in terms of DuckDB storage support and will not have catalog, schema, indexes, and other advanced DB objects and collections we plan to add to the Connections tree view with quick queries to query DuckDB information schema views. Only tables and views will be displayed in the free DuckDB Sql Tools version as you see them now.

Also, the next release of the DuckDB Pro Tools will have ERD diagram view: https://twitter.com/TarasNovak/status/1624482753923129344

So, if you use DuckDB frequently, I would recommend supporting our work on the Pro tools and features by sponsoring that development here on github.

[plaflamme]

Ok, thanks. I would recommend updating your README to mention the differences between the 2 "editions". It's not at all clear why some basic DuckDB functionality might be missing.

Also, as a side comment, I don't believe catalogs and schemas are "advanced" DB objects. They are core concepts of pretty much any database. I personally would not recommend crippling the free version to get people to sponsor you. Instead, I would recommend providing good support for all DuckDB features out of the box. Once people use your extension, they are much more likely to want to use the additional features that you're offering. IMO, asking for sponsorship for basic features is probably not going to work very well.

With that, I wish you the best of luck! 👍

[RandomFractals]

ok. Thanks for your personal insights, recommendations, and feedback!

I can tell you from years of vscode extensions development experience that devs rarely sponsor free versions of vscode extensions. That is why we are trying something different with DuckDB Pro and other Pro Tools for VSCode this year.

[RandomFractals]

Our free DuckDB Sql Tools Preview v1.1.0 now supports DuckDB v0.7.1:

https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=RandomFractalsInc.duckdb-sql-tools

Also, see new VS Code SQL and Pro Data Tools section in docs for more info about DuckDB Pro Tools, DuckDB v0.8 support, PRQL Pro Tools, and new Markdown SQL Pro Tools:

https://github.com/RandomFractals/duckdb-sql-tools#vs-code-sql-and-pro-data-tools