JJ B (5/10/2013)
I'm not sure this is what the post is talking about, but I use visuals for myself when trying to figure out more complex queries--both existing ones someone else created and new ones that I need to create. I sketch the tables/views on paper with just the relevant information and lines. I (sometimes) find it very helpful.
From the second paragraph of the 'Tour... ' article:
The goal of visualization is to aid our understanding of data by leveraging the human visual system's highly tuned ability to see patterns, spot trends, and identify outliers. Well-designed visual representations can replace cognitive calculations with simple perceptual inferences and improve comprehension, memory, and decision making. By making data more accessible and appealing, visual representations may also help engage more diverse audiences in exploration and analysis. The challenge is to create effective and engaging visualizations that are appropriate to the data.
That is a way of describing generally what you do in your example with queries.