TM
TMTM
I wanted to create an interactive SQL learning platform where students could practice real queries while I tracked their progress and learning patterns as an educator.
Frontend: React + Monaco Editor (VS Code's editor)
Backend: Node.js + Express
Databases:
PostgreSQL (AWS RDS) - For student practice data
Supabase - For users and activity tracking
Hosting: Render
// My dual database approach
const pool = new Pool({ /* PostgreSQL for learning data */ });
const supabasePool = new Pool({ /* Supabase for user management */ });
✅ Interactive SQL Editor - Real-time syntax highlighting and query execution
✅ User Authentication - Email-based login with session tracking
✅ Activity Logging - Every query, login, and error tracked
✅ Database Explorer - Browse tables and generate queries
Challenge: Backend kept failing with "Tenant not found" errors
Solution: Special characters in passwords needed different handling in cloud vs local
# What broke on Render
SUPABASE_PASSWORD="XXXXXXX" # Quotes caused issues
# What worked
SUPABASE_PASSWORD=XXXXXXX # No quotes needed
Challenge: Students confused by separate Login ID + Email fields
Solution: Refactored to email-only authentication
// Before: Confusing
{ loginId: 'user123', email: 'user@email.com', password: '...' }
// After: Clean
{ email: 'user@email.com', password: '...' } // loginId auto-generated
Challenge: Track everything without slowing down queries
Solution: Async logging that never blocks user experience
// Non-blocking activity tracking
const logActivity = async (type, query, result) => {
try {
await fetch('/api/log-activity', { /* ... */ });
} catch (error) {
console.error('Logging failed, but user experience continues');
}
};
Challenge: Adding email field without breaking existing users
Solution: Careful migration with backfill strategy
-- Safely add email to existing table
ALTER TABLE users ADD COLUMN email VARCHAR(255);
UPDATE users SET email = login_id || '@temp-email.com' WHERE email IS NULL;
ALTER TABLE users ALTER COLUMN email SET NOT NULL;
Password Visibility Toggle: Eye icons with proper spacing
Required Field Indicators: Red asterisks (*) on mandatory fields
Better Error Messages: Clear, actionable feedback
Responsive Design: Works on all screen sizes
Every student interaction is captured:
{
"student": "john@university.edu",
"query": "SELECT * FROM customers WHERE city = 'Boston'",
"result": { "rows": 295, "executionTime": 1037, "success": true },
"timestamp": "2025-08-09T03:59:22Z"
}
This enables me to see:
Learning patterns - What students practice most
Common mistakes - Where they get stuck
Progress tracking - Skill development over time
Engagement metrics - Session duration and frequency
Environment parity matters - Cloud behaves differently than local
User experience drives architecture - Sometimes you need to refactor working code
Async operations are critical - Never block the main user flow
Database migrations need planning - Always have a rollback strategy
Data-driven teaching - Activity logs reveal learning gaps I never noticed
UX reduces cognitive load - Simple interfaces help students focus on SQL, not the tool
Real-time feedback matters - Students learn faster with immediate query results
Admin Dashboard: Visual analytics for educators
Progressive Challenges: Difficulty-based exercises
Automated Grading: Pattern matching for correct solutions
Collaboration Features: Shared queries and peer review
Building this taught me that educational technology success comes from balancing technical sophistication with user simplicity. The hardest part wasn't the code - it was understanding how students actually learn and designing around their needs.
The activity tracking data has already changed how I teach SQL. I can now see exactly where students struggle and adapt my lessons accordingly.
Most importantly: Sometimes the best technical solution is the one that gets out of the student's way and lets them focus on learning.
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