If you weren’t already aware, Toad for Data Analysis is now included with Toad for Oracle at no additional charge. If you’re not an “analyst” you may be asking, “Well, why should I care?” – guess what… surprise! - That’s exactly why I’m writing this blog post. Toad for Data Analysis is not just for Analysts.
 

Let’s assume you’re a DBA and you love Toad… but your company has just acquired another company. As much as you love Oracle, they used SQL Server. This leaves you in the unenviable position of disjointed workflows as you try to use Toad for Oracle and learn Microsoft’s SQL Query Analyzer for SQL Server. Well, not anymore! Now you can use Toad for Data Analysis for the SQL Server side of things and maintain a consistent workflow. (See my blog post on the topic and learn how to make Toad for Data Analysis look and feel more like Toad for Oracle.) With Toad for Data Analysis you can browse the database, execute queries and other scripts, manage a few objects and compare the data between your databases and more! Toad has just become your one-stop-shop for any database you need to connect to.
 

What if you’re a developer? Let’s assume you spend the majority of your time working with PL/SQL but every now and then you get thrown a project that has nothing to do with Oracle. What do you do? Do you try to hand-write your queries in Notepad or some strange native tool? No, you have Toad – you don’t need anything else! Now with Toad for Data Analysis, you can write your scripts in the Toad for Data Analysis editor and even convert the database code to C#, C++, Delphi, Java, Perl or VB specific code! Toad for Oracle has just become even more indispensible.
 

And of course, what if you’re an Analyst? Well, that’s easy! Now you have choices – you can use your familiar Toad for Oracle or you can use Toad for data Analysis. There’s no longer any reason to choose. And with Toad for Data Analysis you can automate your processes, connect to other databases, write your queries in a familiar, visual MS Access style or just work in a workflow streamlined to your needs. You have it all!
 

 I love thee, Toad for Data Analysis – let me extol thy virtues!
 

Toad for Data Analysis makes it easy to connect to any database you happen to come across. With native support for Oracle, SQL Server, DB2 LUW & z/OS, MySQL and Sybase ASE and ODBC support for anything that has an ODBC driver (based on the 3.0 ODBC spec) you can always get to the data you need. Of course, for Toad for Oracle users, Toad for Data Analysis automatically imports your saved Toad for Oracle connections the first time you open Toad for Data Analysis.
 

Most people assume that diagramming tools are for more advanced users and prefer not to even try them. In fact, many of the people I come in contact with admit that they aren’t even sure what an ER Diagrammer is. They’re blown away when I show them how the Diagrammer in Toad for Data Analysis is an easy way to gain an understanding of database relationships and how to use that to write better queries. In Toad for Data Analysis, we encourage people to begin their queries with the Diagrammer – it’s such a handy tool!
 

Oh, I love this one! I’m an Oracle guy myself; I’ve been working with Oracle for the last 8 years and rarely venture outside of my comfortable little world to mess with databases like SQL Server or PostgreSQL. But when I do, I approach them with confidence! With Toad for Data Analysis, I keep a consistent workflow and I can write my queries easily regardless of platform. I prefer to use the Query Builder for these “other” platforms, personally, but I also have the flexibility to get my hands dirty wring custom SQL if I need to. Which leads me to the next thing I love about Toad for Data Analysis…
 

…I can turn that crazy SQL Server syntax into a visual Query Builder model and just keep editing! No longer do I need to know the nuances of the various platforms I’m connected to – I just let Toad for Data Analysis figure that out. And any time I have code that I’ve inherited from someone else, instead of trying to decipher their spaghetti code, I toss it into the Query Builder and reverse engineer it to a visual model that I can easily manage. I can also take SQL from those other query builders that I used to use and get it into the Toad for Data Analysis Query Builder format.
 

One thing that makes Toad for Data Analysis rather unique is that I can create a heterogeneous query – I can query more than one database from a single SQL statement! Consider the following example… what if I have an Oracle database which houses my order records and an Access database of the regional managers for my company? (Sure, we could keep the list in the database somewhere, but we’re a small operation and the regional managers happen to change a little too often.) In the past I used to run an Oracle query, export the results to CSV, import those into Access and then run another query in Access to get the final order report. Well now that I have Toad for Data Analysis I don’t have to do all of that – I just write one query that joins the Oracle records on the Access records and gives me one result set that I can use for my report! Immediately I have saved tons of time and effort by cutting out all of those intermediate steps – I can get home to my kids on time tonight!
 

Ok, we all know that Excel is like the Wild-Wild-West of the IT world, but the fact remains that we all use it! So instead of trying to swim upstream, we decided to embrace Excel and work as closely as possible with it. Toad for Data Analysis has several integration features for working with Excel from connecting to Excel (yes – you can connect to it like it’s a database!), to exporting and importing to and from it, to one-click actions to create pivot tables or refreshable Excel spreadsheets. We even go as far as to open MS Excel within the tool to make the transition as seamless as possible.
 

One of my biggest pet-peeves is having to do something over and over again. Why do we have computers if we are still stuck pushing all of the buttons? If I have done something once, I want the computer to replay my actions and do it for me next time. Toad for Data Analysis has two features to help with this… first, there’s the Macro Record functionality. This lets me record a series of mouse clicks and keystrokes to build an action that can be replayed. That’s nice, but the real winner is the Automation tool. Toad for Data Analysis gives me a graphical timeline that I can add actions to and create a routine that will do my repetitive work for me. If I need to connect to a DB, run some scripts, move some data in or out, run a report or two and maybe send an email or post a file to a share - Toad for Data Analysis lets me do that. Once I add all of the actions I want all I have to do is schedule it to run in the Windows Scheduler (which Toad for Data Analysis gives me a shortcut-interface into). Now I have the PC working for me.
 

Finally, the last thing I want to highlight in this article is the Data Compare & Sync tool in Toad for Data Analysis. I love this one! Have you ever had to compare the data between two schemas or two Oracle databases? Have you ever wished that you could do that across platforms and push a button to do a synchronization?! Your wait is over. A tool within a tool, the Data Compare & Sync Wizard is designed to compare and sync between Oracle, SQL Server, DB2, MySQL and Excel (no synchronization for Excel – sorry!). Now you can compare that transactional system against the data warehouse and get the two in sync again – regardless of the platform!
 

Now that Toad for Data Analysis is bundled with Toad for Oracle you’re better equipped to handle whatever database challenges are thrown your way, regardless of your role in the organization. Let me just add a few final notes to explain how it’s deployed and licensed.
 

For licensed Toad for Oracle users, go to SupportLink to get your download. Every copy of Toad for Oracle 9.7 and later comes bundled with a copy of Toad for Data Analysis, so there’s no need for a separate download. When you’re installing Toad for Oracle, make sure you check the option to install Toad for Data Analysis as well. Then, when the installation has completed, just enter your Toad for Oracle license key in Toad for Oracle and Toad for Data Analysis will pick that up when it starts up for the first time. (Alternately, you can also just type the key into the license dialog for Toad for Data Analysis directly.) 
 

Please keep in mind that this copy of Toad for Data Analysis is only licensed for use with your licensed copy of Toad for Oracle and can’t be distributed to the person next to you… this license of Toad for Data Analysis is intended to be used with the same seat as your Toad for Oracle license. The good news is that if that person next to you looks over your shoulder and wants to get in on the action, they can try out Toad for Data Analysis with a 30-day trial at www.quest.com/toad-for-data-analysis. 
 

Enjoy!

 

Daniel
daniel.norwood@quest.com 
 

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