One very very simple fix is to mention the table first:
FROM this SELECT whatever
This already allows autocomplete for the attributes to work, and has an easier mental model - you think about the tables, then you think about their attributes. It also matches relational algebra better, where you'd do the projection (picking the attributes you want) at the end.
But anyway, simple cases being simple doesn't mean the language isn't horrible for more complex ones.
One thing I always complain about is join clauses making it easy to do the wrong thing (NATURAL JOIN) and annoying to do the correct thing (joining on the defined foreign keys).
FROM this SELECT whatever
This already allows autocomplete for the attributes to work, and has an easier mental model - you think about the tables, then you think about their attributes. It also matches relational algebra better, where you'd do the projection (picking the attributes you want) at the end.
But anyway, simple cases being simple doesn't mean the language isn't horrible for more complex ones.
One thing I always complain about is join clauses making it easy to do the wrong thing (NATURAL JOIN) and annoying to do the correct thing (joining on the defined foreign keys).