RDSAI CLI Complete Tutorial

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This comprehensive tutorial will guide you from zero to mastery of RDSAI CLI. Whether you're a database administrator, developer, or data analyst, this tutorial will help you efficiently use this AI-powered database tool.

📚 Table of Contents

1. Quick Start
2. Basic Operations
3. AI Features
4. Advanced Features
5. Best Practices
6. FAQ

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Quick Start

Step 1: Installation

# Using uv (recommended)
uv tool install --python 3.13 rdsai-cli

# Or using pip
pip install rdsai-cli

Step 2: Launch CLI

# Method 1: Start without connection, connect later with /connect
rdsai

# Method 2: Connect directly
rdsai --host localhost -u root -p your_password -D my_database

Step 3: Configure LLM

After launching, first configure AI features:

mysql> /setup

Follow the wizard:

1. Select LLM provider (Qwen, OpenAI, DeepSeek, etc.)
2. Enter API key
3. Choose model
4. Save configuration

Tip: Configuration is saved in ~/.rdsai-cli/config.json, which you can manually edit for advanced settings.

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Basic Operations

Connecting to Database

Interactive Connection

mysql> /connect

You'll be prompted for:

• Host address
• Port (default 3306)
• Username
• Password
• Database name (optional)

Command Line Connection

rdsai --host db.example.com -P 3306 -u admin -p secret -D production_db

SSL Connection

rdsai --host db.example.com -u admin -p secret \
  --ssl-mode REQUIRED \
  --ssl-ca /path/to/ca.pem \
  --ssl-cert /path/to/client-cert.pem \
  --ssl-key /path/to/client-key.pem

Executing SQL Queries

Basic Queries

mysql> SELECT * FROM users LIMIT 10;
mysql> SHOW TABLES;
mysql> DESCRIBE orders;

Vertical Format Display

Use \G suffix to display results in vertical format:

mysql> SELECT * FROM users WHERE id = 1\G
*************************** 1. row ***************************
        id: 1
     name: Alice
    email: alice@example.com
  created: 2024-01-15 10:30:00

View Query History

mysql> /history

Shows recently executed SQL queries with support for:

• Viewing history
• Re-executing queries
• Copying query statements

Meta Commands

Command	Alias	Function
/connect	/conn	Connect to database
/disconnect	/disconn	Disconnect
/help	/h, /?	Show help
/exit	/quit	Exit CLI
/version		Show version
/setup		Configure LLM
/reload		Reload configuration
/clear	/reset	Clear AI context
/compact		Compact AI context
/yolo		Toggle YOLO mode
/history	/hist	View query history
/model	/models	Manage LLM models

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AI Features

Natural Language Queries

The core feature of RDSAI CLI is understanding natural language and executing corresponding database operations.

Basic Queries

mysql> show me all tables in the database
mysql> analyze index usage on users table
mysql> check for slow queries from the last hour
mysql> find tables without primary keys

Complex Analysis

mysql> why is this query slow: SELECT * FROM users WHERE name LIKE '%john%'
mysql> show me the replication status
mysql> check for lock waits and deadlocks
mysql> analyze the performance of the orders table

Table Design Suggestions

mysql> design an orders table for e-commerce
mysql> create a user table with proper indexes
mysql> suggest improvements for the products table schema

Instant SQL Result Explanation (Ctrl+E)

Press Ctrl+E after any SQL query to get AI-powered explanations.

Explaining Query Results

mysql> SELECT COUNT(*) as total, AVG(age) as avg_age FROM users WHERE status = 'active';
+-------+---------+
| total | avg_age |
+-------+---------+
|  15234|    28.5  |
+-------+---------+
(1 row) 💡 Ctrl+E: Explain result

# Press Ctrl+E
🤖 Explaining SQL result...

This query found 15,234 active users with an average age of 28.5 years. 
The result indicates a substantial user base with a relatively young demographic.

Explaining Errors

mysql> SELECT * FROM orders WHERE customer_id = 123;
ERROR: Unknown column 'customer_id' in 'where clause' 💡 Ctrl+E: Explain error

# Press Ctrl+E
🤖 Explaining SQL error...

The column `customer_id` doesn't exist in the `orders` table. Possible reasons:
1. The column name might be different (e.g., `customerId`, `cust_id`)
2. The column hasn't been created yet
3. You're querying the wrong table

To fix: Check the table structure with `DESCRIBE orders` or `SHOW CREATE TABLE orders`.

Database Schema Analysis (/research)

Generate comprehensive database analysis reports:

mysql> /research

Analysis includes:

• Database overview and statistics
• Table structure analysis
• Index optimization suggestions
• Compliance checking (Alibaba Database Development Standards)
• Issue detection (prioritized)
• Actionable optimization recommendations

Analyze specific tables:

mysql> /research orders users products

Use cases:

• Pre-deployment schema review
• Database checks in code review
• Performance audit and optimization
• Migration preparation

Performance Benchmarking (/benchmark)

Run AI-powered sysbench performance tests:

mysql> /benchmark

Features:

• Automated workflow (prepare → run → cleanup)
• MySQL configuration analysis
• InnoDB status analysis
• Bottleneck identification
• Optimization recommendations

Custom test parameters:

mysql> /benchmark --tables 10 --table-size 10000 --threads 4

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Advanced Features

Model Management (/model)

View Available Models

mysql> /model list

Switch Models

mysql> /model use qwen-max
mysql> /model use gpt-4

View Model Information

mysql> /model info

Delete Model Configuration

mysql> /model delete old-model

MCP Integration (/mcp)

MCP (Model Context Protocol) allows you to connect external servers to extend functionality.

View MCP Servers

mysql> /mcp list

Connect MCP Server

mysql> /mcp connect rds-openapi

Enable/Disable Servers

mysql> /mcp enable rds-openapi
mysql> /mcp disable rds-openapi

Supported MCP servers:

• Alibaba Cloud RDS OpenAPI (cloud RDS instance management)
• Custom MCP servers

YOLO Mode

YOLO mode automatically approves all operations without confirmation prompts.

Enable:

mysql> /yolo on

Disable:

mysql> /yolo off

Enable at startup:

rdsai --host localhost -u root -p secret --yolo

⚠️ Warning: Use only in non-production environments or when you fully trust the operations!

Context Management

Clear Context

mysql> /clear

Clear all AI context and start fresh.

Compact Context

mysql> /compact

Compact AI context to save tokens while preserving important information.

Diagnostic Tools

RDSAI CLI includes multiple diagnostic tools accessible via natural language:

Table Analysis

mysql> show me the structure of the users table
mysql> analyze indexes on the orders table
mysql> check table status for products

Query Analysis

mysql> explain this query: SELECT * FROM users WHERE email = 'test@example.com'
mysql> show me slow queries
mysql> check the process list

Performance Analysis

mysql> show InnoDB status
mysql> check replication status
mysql> analyze performance statistics

Transactions and Locks

mysql> check for lock waits
mysql> show current transactions
mysql> analyze deadlocks

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Best Practices

1. Workflow Recommendations

Daily Query Workflow

1. Connect to database

   mysql> /connect
   

2. Explore database structure

   mysql> show me all tables
   mysql> describe the users table
   

3. Execute queries

   mysql> SELECT * FROM users WHERE status = 'active' LIMIT 10;
   

4. Understand results

   • Press Ctrl+E for explanation
   • Or use natural language: "why did this query return these results?"

5. Optimize queries

   mysql> why is this query slow: [your query]
   mysql> suggest indexes for this query: [your query]
   

Performance Analysis Workflow

1. Identify slow queries

   mysql> show me slow queries from the last hour
   

2. Analyze query performance

   mysql> explain this slow query: [query]
   

3. Get optimization suggestions

   mysql> how can I optimize this query: [query]
   

4. Verify optimization

   mysql> /benchmark
   

Schema Review Workflow

1. Comprehensive analysis

   mysql> /research
   

2. Review issues

   • Check the issue list in the report
   • Address by priority (P0/P1/P2/P3)

3. Apply fixes

   mysql> [execute SQL based on recommendations]
   

4. Verify fixes

   mysql> /research [table_name]
   

2. Security Practices

Production Environment

• ❌ Don't use YOLO mode
• ✅ Always review DDL/DML operations
• ✅ Use SSL connections
• ✅ Limit database user permissions

Credential Management

• Config file permissions: chmod 600 ~/.rdsai-cli/config.json
• Use environment variables for sensitive info (future support)
• Regularly rotate API keys

3. Performance Optimization

Query Optimization

• Use EXPLAIN to analyze query plans
• Leverage AI suggestions for slow queries
• Regularly run /benchmark for performance testing

Context Management

• Regularly use /compact to compress context
• Use /clear to start fresh after long sessions
• Avoid accumulating too much history in context

4. Learning SQL

Learning with AI Explanations

mysql> SELECT u.name, COUNT(o.id) as orders 
       FROM users u 
       LEFT JOIN orders o ON u.id = o.user_id 
       GROUP BY u.id;
# Press Ctrl+E to understand this query

Let AI Generate Queries

mysql> write a query to find users who haven't placed any orders in the last 30 days
mysql> create a query to calculate monthly revenue by product category

Optimization Learning

mysql> explain why this query is better: [optimized query]
mysql> compare these two queries: [query1] vs [query2]

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FAQ

Connection Issues

Q: What if connection fails?

# Check connection info
mysql> /help

# Reconnect
mysql> /connect

# View error details
# Error info is shown in welcome panel

Q: SSL connection configuration?

rdsai --host db.example.com -u admin -p secret \
  --ssl-mode VERIFY_CA \
  --ssl-ca /path/to/ca.pem

AI Feature Issues

Q: Ctrl+E not working?

1. Confirm LLM is configured: /setup
2. Confirm active database connection
3. Confirm recent SQL query was executed

Q: Natural language queries inaccurate?

• Use more specific descriptions
• Provide table and column names
• Execute complex queries step by step

Q: How to switch LLM models?

mysql> /model list
mysql> /model use [model_name]

Performance Issues

Q: Queries execute slowly?

# Analyze query
mysql> explain this query: [your query]

# Check slow query log
mysql> show me slow queries

# Check process list
mysql> show process list

Q: AI responses slow?

• Check network connection
• Try faster models
• Use /compact to reduce context size

Configuration Issues

Q: Where are config files?

• LLM config: ~/.rdsai-cli/config.json
• MCP config: ~/.rdsai-cli/mcp.yaml (if used)
• Log files: ~/.rdsai-cli/logs/rdsai-cli.log

Q: How to reset configuration?

# Backup existing config
cp ~/.rdsai-cli/config.json ~/.rdsai-cli/config.json.bak

# Reconfigure
rdsai
mysql> /setup

Feature Issues

Q: /research command fails?

• Confirm database connection is normal
• Check if you have sufficient permissions to access information_schema
• View log file for detailed errors

Q: What does /benchmark need?

• Requires sysbench installation
• Requires sufficient database permissions
• Recommended to run in test environment

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Advanced Tips

1. Combining Commands

# Analyze → Optimize → Verify
mysql> /research orders
mysql> [execute optimizations based on suggestions]
mysql> /research orders  # Verify fixes

2. Leveraging Query History

mysql> /history
# View history, copy and modify queries

3. Batch Operations

# Analyze multiple tables
mysql> /research table1 table2 table3

# Batch check indexes
mysql> check indexes on all tables

4. Exporting Results

While current version doesn't directly support export, you can:

• Use SELECT ... INTO OUTFILE (requires file permissions)
• Copy query results to clipboard
• Use redirection: rdsai ... > output.txt

5. Scripted Usage

# Non-interactive mode (future support)
echo "SELECT COUNT(*) FROM users;" | rdsai --host localhost -u root -p secret

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Next Steps

• Read scenario docs for specific use cases
• Check feature docs for in-depth feature details
• Visit GitHub for latest updates
• Submit Issues to report problems or suggest features

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Happy coding! 🚀

For questions, check the documentation or submit an Issue.