Saved queries and folders
Queries live in a personal space or a company space with nested folders, and each save can become a checkpoint with a message you can restore later.
Alternative · PopSQL
A PopSQL alternative for when the shutdown date comes back.
Tiger Data planned to retire PopSQL on 1 September 2026, then postponed it on 11 August with no new date, limited support only, and a promise of at least 90 days notice. Teams that keep their saved queries and scheduled reports there are living on borrowed time, and Taavik is one place to move the part of that work that runs against private PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQL Server and Redshift databases.
Moving from PopSQL
What carries over, and what has no equivalent here.
There is no importer. Moving means copying the queries that still matter, which is usually a smaller list than the folder tree suggests once the abandoned drafts are left behind. The migration plan walks through the order that keeps scheduled reports running.
{{variables}} in the SQL
The same double brace placeholders work, typed as text, number, boolean, date, date and time or JSON, with saved default values.
Scheduled queries
A saved query runs every few minutes, hours, days, weeks or on a cron expression, in its own time zone, and lands as CSV or Excel in Slack or an inbox, with rules for sending only when there are rows.
Charts, dashboards, two cursors in one editor
There is no charting and no live co-editing. Teams that used PopSQL mainly for dashboards should look at a BI tool instead.
SQL collaboration vs private operations
Choose the tool around the boundary that matters.
If the main job is collaborative SQL editing and sharing, PopSQL may be a natural fit. If the main job is controlled operational SQL against private databases, Taavik is built around the agent boundary.
Collaborative SQL editor
A good fit when teams primarily want a shared SQL editing environment, result sharing, and data exploration.
Private operational workspace
A good fit when saved SQL must run through an on-premise agent and connect to documentation, schedules, and audit history.
Agent-routed execution
Taavik dispatches read-oriented runs to the agent where the private database is reachable.
From query to schedule
A saved query can become a recurring CSV or Excel export without creating a separate script.
Where Taavik is different
The query library is part of a database workspace.
Saved operational SQL
Folders, descriptions, variables, version history, and run audit keep repeated team queries reusable.
Read the guideDocumentation context
Queries sit near generated documentation, so the team can inspect the tables and changes behind the SQL.
See documentationScheduled exports
Operational checks can run on a cadence and deliver secure download links to email or Slack.
See exportsChoosing
Use Taavik when shared SQL must run through a private agent.
Taavik is intentionally practical: save the SQL the team trusts, run it through the agent, audit the run, and schedule it when it becomes recurring.
FAQ
Common questions
Is PopSQL shutting down? +
Tiger Data, which owns PopSQL, announced a shutdown for 1 September 2026 and postponed it on 11 August 2026 until further notice. The product stays in limited support, with security and emergency fixes only, and the company has said any future retirement will come with at least 90 days notice.
Is there a free PopSQL alternative? +
Yes. The Taavik free plan covers one database connection, two members, 25 saved queries and one daily scheduled export, and it has no time limit. The Pro plan removes the connection and query limits and allows schedules down to every five minutes.
Can PopSQL queries be imported? +
Not automatically. Queries are copied into the editor by hand, and the double brace variables in them keep working. Most teams find it is a good moment to drop the queries nobody has run in a year.
Does it work with databases that are not reachable from the internet? +
Yes, and that is the main design choice. A small agent runs inside the network next to the database and only makes outbound connections to the workspace, so nothing needs to be opened inbound. The database password is encrypted in the browser for that agent, and the cloud stores only the sealed copy.
Is the SQL editing collaborative in real time? +
No. Two people cannot type in the same editor at once. Collaboration happens through shared folders, checkpoints with messages, saved variables and a record of every run.
Which databases are supported? +
PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQL Server and Amazon Redshift. Queries use the native dialect of each database.
Where do query results go? +
Results travel encrypted from the agent to the browser that asked for them, and the workspace only relays ciphertext. Scheduled export files are encrypted on the agent before upload and open in the browser of whoever holds the passphrase.
Try it
Move operational SQL into Taavik.
Keep query reuse, private execution, documentation, and schedules in one workspace. The change history of the database behind the queries is described in the piece on database observability.