Feature Request – Column Selection Option in “Export data -> SQL Insert”

[adrian_star]

Hello,
I would like to submit a feature request regarding the “Export data” → “SQL Insert” functionality in PL/SQL Developer.

Current behavior​

When exporting data using the SQL Insert option, the tool generates INSERT statements including all table columns.
While this is technically correct, in real-world development scenarios this often requires manual post-processing of the generated scripts.

Requested enhancement​

I would like to request an option allowing users to:

• Select specific columns to include in the export
• Exclude selected columns from the generated INSERT statements
• Save column selection preferences (optional enhancement)

For example:

• Exclude primary key columns (e.g., ID generated by sequence/identity)
• Exclude audit columns (e.g., CREATED_AT, CREATED_BY, UPDATED_AT, UPDATED_BY)
• Export only business-relevant data columns

Business and technical justification​

In modern development workflows:

• Primary keys are frequently generated automatically (sequence / identity columns)
• Audit columns are often populated via triggers or application logic
• Data exports are used for:
  • Test data preparation
  • Reference data migration
  • CI/CD deployment scripts
  • Liquibase-based deployments

Including all columns in INSERT statements may cause:

• Conflicts with identity/sequence-generated keys
• Unnecessary manual script editing
• Increased risk of deployment errors
• Additional maintenance overhead

A column-selection feature would:

• Reduce manual modifications
• Improve script reusability
• Increase compatibility with automated deployments
• Align better with DevOps-oriented database development practices

Suggested implementation ideas​

• Checkbox-based column selection dialog before export
• “Exclude identity columns” quick option
• “Exclude audit columns” configurable rule
• Ability to remember selection per table (nice to have)

This enhancement would significantly improve usability for teams using PL/SQL Developer in structured version-controlled environments.


Thank you for considering this request.


Best regards,
Adrian

 

[Marco Kalter]

I have added this to the list of enhancement requests.

Note that the SQL Window can already generate SQL Insert scripts for query results, so you have complete control over the columns and rows that are included. Just execute the query, right-click on it, and select Export Results --> SQL file.