Back in August of 2024, Navicat released version 17.1, which added Enhanced Query Explain and Expanded Database Connectivity. Now, version 17.2 is in Beta and is slated for release shortly. Some of the new features that we'll be talking about in today's blog include:
- AI Assistant:
Get AI assistance directly within Navicat whenever you need it. Enable you to ask questions and receive instant answers. - Integrated Snowflake support:
Navicat has now added support for Snowflake, thereby enhancing the management of your cloud-based data warehousing platform. - Data Vault and Dimensional modeling methods:
Build scalable and adaptable data architectures for various applications using Relational, Dimensional, and Data Vault methodologies. - Data profiling in BI workspace data source:
There's an integrated data profiling tool in Data Preview to provide a visual and comprehensive view of your data.
The rest of the blog will explore each of these in greater detail.
AI Assistant
An AI Assistant is an integrated tool that provides instant, contextual guidance and answers within a software application, leveraging artificial intelligence to help users solve problems, understand features, and improve their workflow through natural language interactions. Navicat's AI Assistant helps you write your SQL statements more efficiently. It does this by submitting your inquiries to the AI providers for processing, with responses sent exclusively back to the Navicat application installed on your local device. You can receive guidance from many of the popular AI chatbots, including ChatGPT, Google Gemini, DeepSeek, and Ollama.
Once enabled, you can access the AI Assistant from the right-hand AI pane:
Integrated Snowflake Support
Snowflake is a cloud-native data warehousing platform that allows organizations to store, process, and analyze large volumes of structured and semi-structured data. It separates storage and compute resources, enabling flexible, scalable data management across multiple cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, with built-in performance optimization and easy data sharing capabilities.
Now you can manage your Snowflake tables, views, queries and functions directly from Navicat.
Data Vault and Dimensional Modeling Methods
Data Vault and Dimensional modeling are two strategic approaches to designing data models for business intelligence. Data Vault focuses on historical tracking with flexible components like Hubs, Links, and Satellites, allowing adaptable management of complex data environments. Dimensional modeling, in contrast, structures data into fact and dimension tables, optimizing for query performance and user comprehension by providing clear, contextual insights into quantitative business data.
You'll find the new model types on the New Model dialog:
Data Profiling in BI Workspace Data Source
Introduced in Navicat 17, the Data Profiling tool provides a visual and comprehensive view of your data at the click of a button! Now the BI workspace's Data Preview includes the same Data Profiling abilities.
Other Improvements
In addition to the new features outlined above, Navicat 17.2 also includes a few notable improvements. These include:
- Filter & Sort pane in data viewer now supports text mode
- Structure Synchronization includes MongoDB databases
- Several other usability enhancements
Conclusion
This blog covered just some of the exciting new features to expect in Navicat 17.2. Be sure to check the Navicat homepage for updates on the release!
