This guide is for platform teams, IDE administrators and software distribution staff. Developers should start with getting started. The source repository is private. Administrators install an approved binary; they do not need source access, Git credentials, a compiler or a DB2 container just to distribute the plugin.
Record the plugin version/archive SHA-256, exact IntelliJ build and edition, Java plugin status, optional Maven and Database Tools availability and permitted usage. The compatibility matrix lists requirements and integration boundaries. Use your approved IDE/plugin combination; other JetBrains IDEs are outside this guide’s scope.
The IDE’s own runtime, the application’s JDK and the Maven runner JDK are separate. For the generated demo, application/Maven Java must be JDK 21. Existing applications retain their approved compiler/runtime requirements. Database Tools features can require a separate JetBrains entitlement.
Review licensing before rollout. The documentation’s CC BY license and the generated starter’s MIT license do not license the plugin for commercial use. Obtain appropriate commercial terms from the maintainer when required; do not infer entitlement from the ability to install or copy a ZIP. Marketplace packages use native IDE license/trial activation and signature checks. Use your organization’s approved JetBrains licensing setup. Selected-customer packages instead use a written grant and do not perform Marketplace activation.
Obtain the exact ZIP and release information from the maintainer/approved internal software channel. The GitHub documentation repository has no plugin binaries or source releases. Use Marketplace only when the applicable listing/version is actually available. Preserve packaged license and third-party notices.
Compute the received archive’s hash and compare it with a value independently supplied by your trusted distributor when available. Computing a hash alone does not authenticate a download:
Get-FileHash -Algorithm SHA256 .\sqlj-lang-<version>.zip
Replace <version> with the actual delivered version. Keep the approved archive,
its hash and release notes for rollback. Use Tools → SQLJ: License Information
to confirm whether the package is Marketplace or an identified customer build.
Use only one distribution at a time: they have the same plugin ID. For privately
managed customer packages, control/disable automatic plugin updates so a public
Marketplace update does not replace the customer variant. For a pilot, install through Settings →
Plugins → gear menu → Install Plugin from Disk, then restart as requested.
Confirm the installed plugin’s name/version and enabled Java dependency.
For centrally managed IDEs, use the organization’s existing approved plugin repository/distribution mechanism and installation policy. This project does not provide an enterprise update server or fleet-management service. JetBrains plugin-management documentation describes disk installation, versions and custom repositories; availability can be restricted by the organization’s IDE policy. Do not advise developers to bypass such restrictions.
Use a disposable development workspace and a representative application:
.sqlj file recognition without the optional database plugin.The demo requires separate approval for Docker/image downloads and a privileged DB2 container. It exposes database port 50000 and HTTP port 8080, uses demo credentials and persistent database storage. Review port binding, volumes and IBM image/tool licensing. Do not deploy that configuration to production. DB2 containers are demo requirements, not requirements for installing the plugin or editing an existing enterprise project.
| Item | Handling |
|---|---|
| Plugin Toolchain settings | Project state in .idea/sqlj.xml; the password is an ordinary persisted field, not Password Safe. Do not store production secrets there or commit the file with credentials. |
| Maven preparation | Per-run-configuration POM/goals. It saves editor documents and executes the selected imported Maven project’s build. Review shared run configurations and goals as executable project configuration. |
| Runtime/source data | Editor features inspect project files. Debug diagnostics inspect paused JVM metadata and variable names/types, not variable values. The user must explicitly copy/share reports. |
| Network/build access | Plugin tasks delegate to Maven; the demo invokes Docker and downloads dependencies/images. Optional IDE database tooling can connect to configured data sources. No blanket offline or no-network guarantee. |
| Shared diagnostics | Navigation reports and IDE logs can contain paths, packages, names and source excerpts. Redact before sharing. Debug expression evaluation is native Java and can invoke application methods when the user requests it. |
The plugin does not define a central credential vault or server access policy. The website privacy notice concerns website visitors; it is not a claim that local Maven, Docker, IDE database services or user evaluation are free of data processing. Follow your existing development-security controls.
Pilot an update against the same pilot checks, then distribute the approved version through your usual channel. Do not assume every later IDE build is compatible simply because the package has no upper-build limit.
For a regression, record the affected versions and reproduce in a development workspace. Disable SQLJ Language Support under Settings → Plugins → Installed and restart if needed. To roll back, retain/install the previous approved ZIP through disk installation and verify the displayed version after restart. Removal uses the same Installed page. Do not delete project sources or generated databases.
Disabling/removing the plugin does not revert a project’s POM, SQLJ marker,
.run files, toolchain settings or Docker resources. Remove/disable the plugin’s
before-launch task if you need to launch that project without the plugin, and
use the application’s established build process. Container cleanup is a separate
operation under the project’s data-retention policy.
Supply the approved version, installation channel, supported IDE combination, license contact, required project configuration, internal Maven/image access and support route. Developers own their application source/build/deployment settings; platform teams own approval/distribution. The support checklist helps distinguish IDE setup, plugin behavior, translator failures and runtime issues.