Align SQL Column Definitions

Formatting SQL Column Definitions

SQL CREATE TABLE statements with many columns often become hard to read when the types and constraints are not aligned. Aligning these definitions makes the schema easier to review during code reviews and database design discussions.

Before

id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY,
name VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL,
email VARCHAR(320) NOT NULL UNIQUE,
age INTEGER,
salary DECIMAL(10,2) DEFAULT 0.00,
is_active BOOLEAN NOT NULL DEFAULT true,
created_at TIMESTAMP NOT NULL DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP

After (aligned on spaces)

id         INTEGER        PRIMARY KEY,
name       VARCHAR(255)   NOT NULL,
email      VARCHAR(320)   NOT NULL UNIQUE,
age        INTEGER,
salary     DECIMAL(10,2)  DEFAULT 0.00,
is_active  BOOLEAN        NOT NULL DEFAULT true,
created_at TIMESTAMP      NOT NULL DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP

Steps

1. Paste the column definitions (one per line, without the CREATE TABLE wrapper).
2. Select Spaces (2+) as the input delimiter.
3. Set the output delimiter to Spaces.
4. Left-align all columns.

Multi-Step Alignment

For SQL with many parts per line (name, type, nullability, default, constraint), you may need to do two passes:

1. First align names and types.
2. Then manually adjust constraints.

Alternatively, use the Custom delimiter with a regex-safe pattern to get finer control over the split points.

Complements the SQL Formatter

This column aligner focuses on the visual layout of column definitions. For full SQL formatting with keyword capitalization, indentation, and clause rewriting, use a dedicated SQL formatter alongside this tool.