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Documentation / Release notes / 5.2.4

What's new with BroadSQL 5.2.4 (2026-09-13)

This release covers the changes since BroadSQL 5.1.0, including Database Groups and Environments, administration commands on every platform, JavaScript scripting, safer CSV imports, and query and export improvements.

New features

Connections and administration

  • "Instance" is now "Database Group" throughout the UI and commands, including connection displays and the SQL Library, Script, and JS commands. A group identifies the product/application; an Environment identifies its deployment stage, such as DEV, QA, or PROD.
  • Database Group is optional for standalone connections. Environment remains mandatory and is validated against the Environment list when saving. Connections assigned to a group cannot duplicate another connection's (Database Group, Environment) pair.
  • CONFIG provides Database Groups and Environments tabs and menus; Environments can be created, edited, or deactivated and carry a Production flag and comment. Connections, Database Groups, and Environments share Active/Inactive/All filters, bulk actions, and search. The screen uses FlatLaf, its filter rows display fully, and Close is under the Exit menu.
  • Administration is available from the command line on every platform: DUPLICATE CONNECTION, SHOW INACTIVE CONNECTIONS, ADD GROUP/EDIT GROUP/DEL GROUP, ADD ENVIRONMENT/EDIT ENVIRONMENT/DEL ENVIRONMENT, SHOW LOGIN SCRIPT, and ADD LOGIN SCRIPT LINE/EDIT LOGIN SCRIPT LINE/DEL LOGIN SCRIPT LINE/MOVE LOGIN SCRIPT LINE.
  • SHOW GROUP [connectionId] [environmentName] lists connections across environments within a Database Group. SHOW ENVIRONMENTS, SH ENV, SHENV, and SHOW ENVTS remain aliases. SHOW ALL GROUPS and SHOW ALL ENVIRONMENTS list the corresponding catalogs with consistent table formatting. SHOW INSTANCES is removed.
  • A built in, nonproduction LOCAL Environment is created automatically. New connections registered by PULL ... AS H2 are standalone under LOCAL, avoiding the group/environment collisions that could make repeated pulls fail.
  • CONFIG and ADD CONNECTION mark database types with missing JDBC driver JARs while keeping them selectable. CONNECT identifies a missing driver class and explains where to place it instead of showing a raw ClassNotFoundException.

JavaScript and script catalogs

  • JS RUN <file> [args...] runs a saved JavaScript file; JS EVAL <code> runs a snippet. Scripts can use connect(name) for multiple independent connections or db for the active connection, execute(sql)/executeUpdate(sql) for database operations, and print/println for console output.
  • JS LIST and JS FIND catalog files in the folder configured by the new JsScripts INI key, with description, instance, environment, tags, alias, and status metadata. JavaScript has no sandbox and runs at the same trust level as an extension JAR. See Light scripting with JS.
  • SCRIPT LIST and LIB LIST show only entries in the top folder by default; set ListSubfolders=true in the INI file to include subfolders. The @instance and @environment tags accept comma separated values as well as repeated lines.

Working with queries and results

  • SQL value lists accept <@clipboard>, <@csv:...>, and <@excel:...> sources. <@last:column> reuses a column from the last result without exporting it first.
  • COPY RESULT copies the current result as tab separated text for pasting into Excel. / <environment> reruns the last query in another environment of the same Database Group.
  • EXPAND replaces SELECT * and alias.* with column names from database metadata. FORMAT reformats the current SQL without changing its meaning.
  • SQL errors appear in a structured block with a caret at the error location when the driver supports it. HELP <command> preserves the last query result.

Imports, exports, and help

  • LOAD imports CSV using parameter bound INSERT statements and batched execution. PREVIEW validates without writing; EXECUTE authorizes the write. Values are checked before anything is written, invalid or unrecognized column names are rejected, and a failed load rolls back every row rather than leaving a partial import. The same column validation and rollback fixes apply to the BATCHLOAD compatibility adapter.
  • BATCHLOAD is deprecated and omitted from current command documentation and CLI HELP; existing scripts can still call it. Use LOAD for imports. The new Import guide explains CSV column matching, type conversion, transactions, and migration from BATCHLOAD.
  • Excel exports enable AutoFilter, freeze the header row, and size columns to their contents. NULL binary values now produce blank cells correctly.
  • PULL ... AS XLSX/AS ODS accepts trailing OPEN to launch the exported file in its default application. H2 exports record the source query, target, timestamp, and row count in BROADSQL_PULL_AUDIT.
  • HELP and command documentation group commands into 14 categories. LOAD is under Data Import and EDIT under Running Queries. Extension Commands is reserved for extension supplied commands and is currently empty. HELP accepts category aliases such as CONN, GROUPS, ENV, QUERY, and EXPORT.
  • The Export guide includes PULL alongside the other export commands. The former PULL guide URL redirects there.

Problems solved

  • Apache Derby connections load their JDBC driver correctly.
  • CONFIG manages the correct Database Group list rather than the Environment list. The $CDF connection and its Database Group and Environment are protected from editing, deleting, or duplicating through CONFIG, preserving access to the Connections Definition File.

Installing BroadSQL 5.2.4

See Installation.

Upgrading from BroadSQL 5.1.0

  • Existing Connections Definition Files acquire the required schema columns and a missing LOCAL Environment automatically when first opened.
  • Review Database Group and Environment assignments when upgrading a CDF whose former Instance and Environment values were reversed. The intended values are product/application for Database Group and deployment stage for Environment. The release documentation records that FIX INSTANCE ENVIRONMENT SWAP was subsequently disabled; do not rely on it as an upgrade step. Its original operation backed up the CDF and swapped every connection's fields without detecting a previous correction, so repeating it reversed the correction. Automatic schema migration does not establish that these assignments have been corrected.
  • Replace SHOW INSTANCES in scripts with SHOW GROUP, accounting for the changed direction: environments within a group. The SHOW ENVIRONMENTS aliases above remain available.
  • Use LOAD for new CSV imports and review the Import guide when migrating BATCHLOAD scripts. Set ListSubfolders=true if library or script listings should continue including subfolders.
  • Only run trusted JavaScript files or snippets: they are not sandboxed.

Known issues

The existing release notes identify no additional known issues for this milestone. For a CDF with reversed group/environment assignments, the documentation does not establish a supported replacement for the disabled correction command; review those assignments before relying on environment selection.

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