Alasql.js is a fast in-memory SQL database for JavaScript that allows users to run SQL queries directly in the browser or Node.js. It supports standard SQL functions and operators, uses compilation and optimization to provide fast performance, and has a small minimized file size of around 100kb. Alasql.js aims to provide an alternative to other SQL libraries by offering full SQL functionality while being faster and more compact.

1. Alasql.js
fast JavaScript
in-memory
SQL database
ANDREY GERSHUN
© 2014

2. SQL in JavaScript… Warum?
 Fast client side data processing for BI
and ERP applications
 For mobile applications (if there is
weak connection to server)
 Advanced data filtering and grouping
(as alternative to simple .filter()
function)
 Alternatives
 WebSQL – to be depreciated
 SQL.js –big and slow
 Others: NoSQL or linq clones with many
limitations, rather than standard SQL
functionality

3. Alasql advantages
 All standard SQL operators and
functions with advanced functionality
 Fast
 Compilation
 Queries optimization
 Indexation
 “Fast” JavaScript
 Compact
 minimized version is about 100kb)
Benchmarks:
 http://jsperf.com/alasql-js-vs-websql
 http://jsperf.com/sql-js-vs-alasql-js/4
 http://jsperf.com/alasql-vs-lodash-sort/3

4. Alasql functionality
 Standard SQL operators:
 SELECT, INSERT, DELETE, UPDATE
 CREATE/ALTER/DROP TABLE
 CREATE/USE/DROP DATABASE
 Full SELECT syntax, including
 LEFT/RIGHT/OUTER/CROSS JOINS
 EXISTS, IN, ALL/SOME
 DISTINCT / INTO / GROUP BY / HAVING / ORDER BY /
LIMIT
 UNION/INTERSECT/EXCLUDE
 Subqueries
Advanced GROUP BY options
 CUBE, ROLLUP, GROUPING SETS
Functions
 ABS(), IIF(), IFNULL(), INSTR(), LOWER(), UPPER(),
LCASE(), UCASE(), LEN(), LENGTH()
Aggregators
 SUM/COUNT/MIN/MAX/FIRST/LAST

5. Alasql in browser
In browser
<script src=‘alasql.js’></script>
<script>
alasql(‘CREATE TABLE one (a INT)’);
alasql(‘INSERT INTO one VALUES (?)’,[10]);
var res = alasql.value(‘SELECT SUM(a) FROM one’));
</script>
As AMD module
require([‘alasql’], function(alasql) {
alasql(‘CREATE TABLE one (a INT)’);
alasql(‘INSERT INTO one VALUES (?)’,[10]);
var res = alasql.value(‘SELECT SUM(a) FROM one’);
}
In Node.js
Installation
npm install alasql
Usage
var alasql = require(‘alasql’);
alasql(‘CREATE TABLE one (a INT)’);
alasql(‘INSERT INTO one VALUES (?)’,[10]);
var res = alasql.value(‘SELECT SUM(a) FROM one’);

6. SQL and JavaScript: Better Together
SQL way
alasql(‘CREATE DATABASE test01’);
alasql(‘USE test01’);
alasql(‘CREATE TABLE one (a INT)’);
alasql(‘INSERT INTO one VALUES (10)’):
var res = alasql(‘SELECT * FROM one’);
JavaScript way
data = [{a:1}, {a:2}, {a:3}];
alasql(‘SELECT * FROM ? WHERE a >= ?’, [data, 2]);
or
var db = new alasql.Database();
db.exec(“select * from one”, function(data){
console.log(data.length);
});

7. User-defined functions
and compiled statements
Custom functions:
alasql.fn.myfn = function(a,b) {
return a*b+1;
}
alasql(‘SELECT myfn(a,b) FROM one’);
Compiled statements:
var ins = alasql.compile(‘INSERT INTO one
VALUES (?,?)’);
ins(1,10);
ins(2,20);
Compiled functions:
var bigSum = alasql.compile(‘SELECT SUM(a)
FROM one WHERE a>3’, ‘value’);
var res = bigSum([10]) + 10;

8. Where to find Alasql.js?
Alasql.js at Github:
 https://github.com/agershun/alasql
Official web-site:
 http://alasql.org