Does formatting change what my query does?

No. Only whitespace, line breaks and the case of keywords, data types and function names change. Identifiers, strings and comments are kept as written.

Why do I get a parse error?

Usually the dialect does not match the syntax, for example square-bracket identifiers outside SQL Server or backticks outside MySQL-style dialects. Choose the right dialect, or look for an unfinished statement near the reported line.

What is tabular indentation?

Tabular left and right pad clause keywords such as SELECT, FROM and WHERE to a fixed width, so the clauses line up in a column. Standard puts each clause body on its own indented lines.

SQL Formatter — Beautify SQL Queries Online

Format and beautify SQL for PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQL Server, Oracle, BigQuery, Snowflake and 10 more dialects. Set keyword case and indentation; queries stay in your browser.

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Format references

sql-formatter — Formatting options

Tool page updated: 2026-10-25

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