Products

"Real Solutions for Oracle Developers!"

• PL/SQL Developer 8.0
• Direct Oracle Access
• Query Reporter

For more information, or to Order, call 1300 553 313 or email us.

PL/SQL Developer 8.0

PL/SQL Developer is an Integrated Development Environment that is specifically targeted at the development of stored program units for Oracle Databases. Over time we have seen more and more business logic and application logic move into the Oracle Server, so that PL/SQL programming has become a significant part of the total development process. PL/SQL Developer focuses on ease of use, code quality and productivity, key advantages during Oracle application development.

PL/SQL Developer's IDE
The following are major features of PL/SQL Developer:

• Powerful PL/SQL Editor - With its Syntax Highlighting, SQL and PL/SQL help, Object Descriptions, Code Assistant, Compiler Hints, Refactoring, PL/SQL Beautifier, Code Contents, Code Hierarchy, Code Folding, Hyperlink Navigation, Macro Library and many other sophisticated features, the Unicode compliant editor will even appeal to the most demanding user. Information is automatically presented to you when you need it, or is at most one click away.
• Integrated Debugger - The integrated debugger offers all features you could wish for: Step In, Step Over, Step Out, Run Until Exception, Breakpoints, View & Set Variables, View Call Stack, and so on. You can debug any program unit without making any modification to it, including triggers and object types.
• PL/SQL Beautifier - The PL/SQL Beautifier allows you to format your SQL and PL/SQL code through a user-defined set of rules. Your code can automatically be beautified when you compile, save, or open a file. This feature will increase your coding productivity and will improve the readability of your PL/SQL code if you are working in large project teams.
• SQL Window - The SQL Window allows you to enter any SQL statement or multiple statements and view or edit the results in a grid. The result grid supports a Query By Example mode to search specific records in a result set. You can easily recall previously executed SQL statements from a history buffer. The SQL editor provides the same powerful features as the PL/SQL Editor.
• Command Window - To develop and execute SQL scripts you can use PL/SQL Developer's Command Window. This window has the same look and feel as SQL*Plus, and additionally has a built-in script editor with corresponding syntax highlighting. Now you can develop your scripts without the "edit script / save it / switch to SQL*Plus / run script" cycle, and without leaving the comfortable PL/SQL Developer IDE.
• Reports - To run reports against your application data or against the Oracle dictionary, you can use PL/SQL Developer's built-in Report functionality. There are a number of standard reports, and you can easily create your own custom reports. These custom reports can be saved in a report file, which can in turn be included in the reports menu. This makes it very easy to run your own frequently used custom reports.
  You can use the Query Reporter freeware tool to run your reports without PL/SQL Developer, and to run them from the command-line.
• Diagrams - The Diagram Window allows you to create a graphical representation of a selection of objects. This way you can easily visualise (a part of) the database objects of your application or project and their relations. A diagram can be used for documentation purposes, but can also serve as a workspace. Right-clicking on an object provides access to all object functions, and double-clicking on an object will invoke the default action for the object type.
• Projects - To organise your work you can use PL/SQL Developer's built-in project concept. A project consists of a collection of source files, database objects, notes, and options. It allows you to work within the scope of a specific set of items, instead of a complete database or schema. This makes it easy to find the project items you need, to compile all project items, or to move a project from one location or database to another.
• Regression Testing - For regression testing you can use PL/SQL Developer's built-in Test Manager. You can define and run a Test Set, and quickly determine if all tests run correctly. In case of an error, the Test Manager can launch the Debugger to investigate the cause of the error. You can run Test Sets from the Command Window for automated regression testing.
• To-Do Items - You can use To-Do Items in any SQL or PL/SQL source file to make a quick note that something needs to be done in this source file. You can access this information later from the To-Do List, either at the object level or at the project level.
• Object Browser - This configurable tree-view displays all information that is relevant to PL/SQL development. Use it to get object descriptions, to view object definitions, to create test scripts for the debugger, to enable and disable triggers and constraints, to recompile invalid objects, to query or edit tables or view data, to search for text in object sources, to drag and drop object names into an editor, and so on.
  The Object Browser additionally displays dependencies among objects, and lets you recursively expand these dependant objects (e.g. package references view, view references table, super/subtypes, and son on).
• File Browser - If you frequently access source files and scripts from a limited set of locations (e.g. project directories, tool directories, and so on), you can use the File Browser for quick and easy access. Instead of opening a file selector to open or save files, you can access them directly from PL/SQL Developer’s work area. From the File Browser tree you can access files and directories from user-defined locations on the local computer or on the network. You can quickly open, save, rename, and delete files here. You can use the File Browser as a docked or floating tool.
  If you have the Version Control Plug-In installed, you can directly perform VCS operations from the File Browser, such as check-in, check-out, history, difference, and so on.
• DBMS Scheduler - You can use the DBMS Scheduler tool to access the Oracle database scheduler (DBMS_SCHEDULER) provided in Oracle10g and later. The tool can be used to manage DBMS Scheduler object definitions for object types such as Jobs, Programs, Windows, and so on. It can also be used to query job run information.
• Performance Optimising - To optimise the performance to your SQL and PL/SQL code, you can use the PL/SQL Profiler to view timing information of each executed line of PL/SQL code (Oracle8i and later).
  Furthermore you can automatically get statistics on executed SQL statements and PL/SQL programs. These statistics can include CPU usage, block I/O, record I/O, table scans, sorts, and so on.
• HTML Manuals - Oracle currently supplies on-line manuals in HTML format. You can integrate these manuals into PL/SQL Developer's environment to provide context sensitive help during editing, compilation errors, and runtime errors.
  
• Non-PL/SQL Objects - You can view, create and modify tables, sequences, synonyms, libraries, directories, jobs, queues, users and roles without using any SQL. Just enter the information in an easy to use form, and PL/SQL Developer will generate the appropriate SQL to create or alter the object.
  
• Template List - PL/SQL Developer's Template List can be a real time-saver and can help you enforce standardisation. Whenever you need to insert some standard SQL or PL/SQL code into an editor, and whenever you need to create a new program file from scratch, just click on the corresponding template. 
  
• Query Builder - The graphical Query Builder makes it easy to create new select statements or modify existing ones. Just drag and drop tables and views, select columns for the field list, where clause and order by clause, join tables based on foreign key constraint definitions, and you're done. PL/SQL Developer's built-in Plug-In interface allows for 3rd party query builders, such as the Active Query Builder.
  
• Compare User Objects - After making changes to table definitions, views, program units, and so on, it may be useful to propagate these changes to another database user, or to find out what exactly the differences are. This may be another development environment, a testing environment, or a production environment. The Compare User Objects function allows you to compare a selection of objects, to visualise the differences, and to execute or save a SQL script that will apply the necessary changes.
  
• Export User Objects - To export the DDL (Data Definition Language) statements of a selection of objects of a user, you can use the Export User Objects tool. This way you can easily recreate the objects for another user, or you can save the file(s) as a backup.
  
• Tools - PL/SQL Developer includes several tools to make everyday development easier. You can recompile all invalid objects, search for text in database sources, import and export tables, generate test data, import text files or ODBC data, compare table data, monitor dbms_alert and dbms_pipe events, view session information, and so on.
  
• Authorisation - In most development environments you will not allow all PL/SQL Developer functionality in all databases. For example, in development databases you can grant all PL/SQL Developer functions, in test databases you can grant only the data querying/editing and object viewing functionality, and perhaps you do not want allow PL/SQL Developer to access your production databases at all. Through the PL/SQL Developer authorisation function you can easily define which functions can be used by specific database users or roles.
  
• Plug-In extensions - The functionality of PL/SQL Developer can be extended through Plug-Ins. We supply Plug-Ins on the Plug-Ins page that you can download without any extra costs. Plug-Ins can be provided by Allround Automations (such as the Version Control Plug-In or the plsqldoc Plug-In) or by other users. If you have a programming language that can create DLL's, you can even write your own Plug-Ins.
  
• Multi-threaded IDE - PL/SQL Developer is a multi-threaded IDE. This means that you can continue to work as SQL queries are executing, PL/SQL programs are executing, debug sessions are running, and so on. It also means that the IDE will not "hang" if you make a programming error: you can break execution or save your work at any time.
• Easy installation - No middle-ware required other than Oracle Net. No database object installation. Just a simple one-button installation procedure and you're ready to use it.
• System requirements - PL/SQL Developer will run on Windows 2000, XP, 2003, Vista and Windows 7. The supported Oracle Server versions are 7.x, 8.x, 8i, 9i, 10g and 11g on any platform. To connect to an Oracle database, PL/SQL Developer requires a 32-bit SQL*Net, Net 8, Net 9, Net 10 or Net 11 version.

For more information, or to Order, call 1300 553 313 or email us.

Direct Oracle Access

If you are using Borland's Delphi or C++Builder to develop Oracle applications, then the Direct Oracle Access component set can help you to make a seamless integration between this great development tool and database system. Not only will your application take maximum advantage of both products, your application development process will also benefit from the following key features:

• High performance - Both online transaction and batch processing applications can benefit from Oracle's performance features. Direct Oracle Access, as the name suggests, directly accesses the Oracle Interface. This guarantees optimal performance for standard database access functions. Support for Array Fetching, Array DML, PL/SQL Blocks, PL/SQL Tables, Local Statement Caching and the Direct Path Load Engine enable you to optimise your application's performance critical functions even more.
• Easy application distribution - A Direct Oracle Access application does not require middleware like the BDE or ODBC, it merely requires Oracle SQL*Net or Net8. Consequently you can deploy your application without many of the version dependency or configuration problems typically involved with middleware installation.
• Oracle Package support - Most PL/SQL code in Oracle databases is programmed in packages. Direct Oracle Access provides a TOraclePackage component that allows you to easily call packaged program units without detailed declarations of these program units and their parameters.
  Furthermore Direct Oracle Access includes a Package Wizard that can generate classes to encapsulate the program units and record types defined in packages. This will make your Oracle packages a natural extension of the Object Pascal or C++ language.
• TOracleDataSet - The dataset component in Direct Oracle Access supports Oracle record locking, record refreshing, server generated values, automatic sequence value generation, and BLOB compression. Master/detail relations can automatically be setup if a foreign key exists between the master and detail table or if the master table contains one or more collection columns or attributes (nested table or varray).
  The TOracleDataSet can use much of the information in the Oracle Dictionary at run time. Server Constraints can be checked on the client, and constraint error messages can be read from a message table. Format masks, range values and default values can also be read from the dictionary. This allows you to create applications with a minimum amount of 'database knowlegde' compiled into the executable, dynamically adopting changes in the database without even recompiling it.
• Query By Example mode - The TOracleDataSet component has a Query By Example mode that enables you to provide QBE Forms in your application without any additional programming, and without any additional components or controls. The resulting QBE queries are performed on the Oracle Server, so that performance will be optimal and network traffic will be minimal. The user can supply simple query values such as JONES or 100, can include wildcard characters for string values such as JON%, and can include comparison operators such as >, <, NOT, BETWEEN, IN and so on.
• Oracle Monitor - To monitor the database access activities of your Direct Oracle Access application you can use the Oracle Monitor utility. It displays the SQL, variables, timestamp, elapsed time, network statistics, database statistics and query execution plan of each activity. This can be helpful to find performance bottlenecks, for tuning purposes, and to solve application errors.
• Alert and Pipe events - The Oracle Server includes a dbms_alert and dbms_pipe package for event processing. The TOracleEvent in Direct Oracle Access can function as a receiver for these events. It works in a background thread of your application, and can propagate database events to the familiar object events. These events can occur synchronously or asynchronously with the main thread of your application.
• SQL scripts - If you need to execute many data definition language (DDL) statements, for example to perform the database installation part of your application, you can use the TOracleScript component. It has a property editor that allows you to develop the script and the individual commands. The extendible script language follows the basic SQL*Plus syntax and supports all SQL statements. It also supports substitution variables to make your scripts customisable.
• Advanced Queueing - To take advantage of the Advanced Queuing option of Oracle8 you can make use of the TOracleQueue component. The TOracleQueue component encapsulates the basic functionality of the DBMS_AQ package. It provides a convenient way to enqueue messages into a queue or to dequeue messages from a queue. Messages can be dequeued in a background thread of your application, and the events that are generated in threaded mode can occur synchronously or asynchronously with the main thread of your application.
• Session Pooling - In server applications that frequently need to create sessions to process requests from client applications, it may be useful to use connection pooling. Without a pooling concept, each request could lead to an actual database logon and logoff. By using the TOracleSessionPool component, you can maintain a pool of database sessions that can be used and reused for different requests. You can define the minimum an maximum number of sessions in the pool, define the TimeOut behavior for idle sessions in the pool, and preset the username, password and database.
• Support for Oracle specific features - Direct Oracle Access supports many Oracle specific features. Besides the features mentioned above, it supports Oracle8 and Oracle8i features like LOB Locators, Objects & References, XMLTYPE, Timestamps, Scrollable Queries, Password Expiration, External Procedure development, and the Oracle Services for MTS.
• System requirements - Direct Oracle Access requires a Windows 95, 98, ME, NT4, 2000, XP, Vista or Windows 7 client, with a 32 bit SQL*Net, Net 8, Net 9, Net 10 or Net 11 installed. The supported Oracle Server versions are 7.x, 8.x, 8i, 9i, 10g and 11g on any platform. Direct Oracle Access is available for all recent versions of Delphi and C++Builder.

For more information, or to Order, call 1300 553 313 or email us.

Query Reporter

Query Reporter is an easy-to-use freeware tool to create and run HTML reports from the results of a SQL query against an Oracle database. From a simple query, you can define tabular, break, and master/detail reports. You can refine the layout by specifying colors, fonts, alignment, formats, sums, headers, backround, margins and so on.

Major Query Reporter features

• Powerful substitution variables - You can use substitution variables in the SQL text where input from the end-user is required. You can define if these substitution variables are string, number or date values, if they should be represented as selection lists or checkboxes, what the default value is, and so on.
• Graphical Query Builder - The graphical Query Builder makes it easy to create new select statements or modify existing ones. Just drag and drop tables and views, select columns for the field list, where clause and order by clause, join tables based on foreign key constraint definitions, and you're done.
• SQL Editor - The SQL editor uses syntax highlighting to improve readability of the SQL text, and to quickly verify if your SQL syntax is correct. In case of an SQL syntax error, the cursor will be located on the error position.
• PL/SQL Developer report compatibility - Query Reporter uses the same report definition file format as PL/SQL Developer. Therefore you can use Query Reporter to run reports created by PL/SQL Developer users, without needing a PL/SQL Developer license or installation.
• Command-line interface - You can use Query Reporter's command-line interface to run reports without any user-interaction, and to save the result in an HTML file. These result files can be viewed with any Web Browser. For example:
  
    QueryReporter userid=scott/tiger@chicago exec=DeptEmp.rep html=DeptEmp.html quit
• Security - You can create reports that need to be run under privileged accounts, without providing the password to the end-user. You can for example define a report for the SYS account, and include the SYS password in the encrypted report definition file. You can only view or modify the report definition if you have the SYS password.
• Export features - The query results of a report can be exported to HTML, XML, CSV or TSV format. You can alternatively show the results directly in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet.
• System requirements - Query Reporter will run on Windows 95, 98, ME, NT4, 2000, XP, 2003, 2008, Vista and Windows 7. The supported Oracle Server versions are 7.x, 8.x, 8i, 9i, 10g and 11g on any platform. To connect to an Oracle database, Query Reporter requires a 32-bit SQL*Net, Net 8, Net 9, Net 10 or Net 11 version.

For more information, or to Order, call 1300 553 313 or email us.