Exasol Database Skill
Trigger when the user mentions Exasol, exapump, database import/export, CSV/Parquet upload, Exasol SQL, IMPORT INTO, EXPORT INTO, EXA_, or any Exasol database interaction.
Step 0: Establish Connection
Ensure a working exapump profile before proceeding:
- If the user mentions a specific profile name → test it:
exapump sql --profile <name> "SELECT 1"(always place--profileafter the subcommand). On success, use--profile <name>on all subsequent commands. - Otherwise → test the default profile:
exapump sql "SELECT 1". - On success → proceed. No further connection setup needed.
- On failure → run
exapump profile listto check available profiles.
- If profiles exist → present the list and ask the user which to use, then retry with exapump sql --profile <name> "SELECT 1" (always place --profile after the subcommand). - If no profiles → tell the user to run exapump profile add default to create one, then retry.
- Never read or reference the exapump configuration file — it contains credentials.
Routing Algorithm
After the connection is established, determine the task type and load only the references needed:
- Local files (upload CSV/Parquet, export to local files):
- Load: references/exapump-reference.md - Load: references/import-export.md (decision tree, connection objects)
- Remote files / bulk loading (S3, Azure, GCS, FTP, HTTP — IMPORT/EXPORT):
- Load: references/import-export.md
- SQL execution (queries, DDL, DML, schema inspection):
- Load: references/exapump-reference.md (CLI usage) - Load: references/exasol-sql.md (core SQL behavior)
- Table design (DISTRIBUTE BY, PARTITION BY, CREATE TABLE layout):
- Load: references/table-design.md
- Query profiling / performance (slow queries, data skew, REORGANIZE):
- Load: references/query-profiling.md
- Analytics / window functions (ROW_NUMBER, RANK, LAG/LEAD, QUALIFY, GROUPING SETS):
- Load: references/analytics-qualify.md
- Virtual Schemas (external data sources, adapter scripts):
- Load: references/virtual-schemas.md
Multiple routes can apply — load all that match.
- Before writing any SQL (applies to routes 2–7):
- Always double-quote every identifier (column names, table names, schema names) in SELECT, FROM, WHERE, GROUP BY, ORDER BY, and JOIN clauses — without exception - This preserves mixed-case names and prevents reserved-keyword errors in a single rule - Do NOT quote SQL keywords, functions, or aliases — only object identifiers - If a query fails with a syntax error, fetch the live reserved keyword list: exapump sql "SELECT KEYWORD FROM EXA_SQL_KEYWORDS WHERE RESERVED ORDER BY KEYWORD"
Related Skills
This skill handles core database interaction: connecting, uploading/exporting files, SQL execution, and table design. For UDF development and Script Language Containers, the exasol-udfs skill provides specialized guidance and will activate automatically when relevant.