The editor window is probably where most users spend a majority of their time. In this blog, I’ll try to highlight the 10 features that will save you the most time when it comes to writing your SQL queries, SQL*Plus scripts, anonymous blocks, and PL/SQL stored procedures. Please note that all of these features are available in the standard edition of Toad for Oracle, version 9.6.

 

1.     SQL Recall

  By...

Anyone who develops, supports, or uses PL/SQL at some level also tests the PL/SQL. It may not be a formal testing environment, but there is a time where you will probably ask yourself, “Does this program actually do what it is supposed to?” I think this is something we can all relate to as computer users.  

This type of testing probably involves clicking a few buttons, then poking around the database or file system...

The Code Insight feature rewrite for version 9.6 is perhaps the most dramatic change as it will affect every Toad user who writes SQL or PL/SQL.  

In a nutshell, for the 9.6 release, users can now start at the schema level, and use the ‘Dot Lookup’ feature to see all tables, views, synonyms, snapshots, PL/SQL objects etc. You can then drill down to the column level where possible.  

Here’s what it looks like...

Despite the best intentions of the DBA or the person who designed the data model, the collection of primary keys, unique indexes, constraints, and triggers are not a foolproof method of keeping duplicate records creeping into your tables and views. Any business rule in the database can be disabled. An even more likely scenario is the business rule changing after the fact.   So what’s a person to do when they need to clean up their records?

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The Toad World visitors may have noticed a recent surge in the number of videos available for viewing in the past few days.   Toad World will debut a collection of 12 or so Coffee Break Bytes (video tutorials) to highlight the new features for the 9.6 release due out on April 1.  

I think these videos very nicely compliment John’s 9.6 3-part blog series. However,...

As of April 1, 2008, if you are a current on maintenance and are using at least version 9.6 of Toad for Oracle, you will have complete access to our PL/SQL, Stored Java Source, and SQL*Plus script debugger regardless of your edition of Toad. Since the debugger made its debut in version 6.3 released all the way back in February of 2000, the functionality has been offered as a premium in Toad for Oracle.

Well, a few things...

If you’re a loyal reader, you may remember a blog I published WAAAAAAAY back in July of last year. A few things have changed since then. Users now have 2 different Toad tools to help them get data from Excel merged into the data they already have access to in the Oracle database.  

A Brief Problem Description

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How often are you offered less work or fewer responsibilities? Rarely does that ever happen, and if it does, it could be a bad sign! Well, as a database administrator, your job gets more and more complex every day even as RDBMS vendors keep adding ‘automated management’ features. On top of all your day-to-day tasks and preventive maintenance you perform, your most pressing tasks are playing firefighter with the proverbial fires in the database.

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One might be tempted to think that with such a young tool like Toad for Data Analysis (TDA), that it would be a bit early to start trumpeting its advanced features and ‘hidden’ productivity boosters. In this case, one would be very wrong! Although Toad for Data Analysis is only up to release 1.1, it is built on top of Toad for SQL Server and Toad for DB2’s award winning platform. The development team has also included a couple...

I’ve been promising to deliver a write-up on Toad’s new support for Statspack, and I’ve finally gotten around to doing it!  Statspack has been around since the 8i release of Oracle.  If you are unfamiliar with the technology, please read this.  If you’re already a Statspack user and would like to see how Toad can help you take advantage of...

I was initially planning on writing up a review of the new Statspack support in Toad version 9.5 for my next blog, but I wanted to make sure all of our Toad users were aware of the new installation process first!



There are a few things you need to know before you go to upgrade your copy of Toad.  Let’s go over them very quickly so you can start using the latest and greatest copy of your favorite software...

I have worn many different hats here at Quest, and recently put on another in the Sales organization. Regardless of what my official title has been, talking to our Toad customers has always been one of the most rewarding aspects of my career. I decided a long time ago that I would do all I could to master Toad and share my findings with others. I hope to never stop learning or sharing!   One of the more intense experiences...

If you frequent Toad® World, then you are probably aware of the fact that Quest has a technology that offers to automatically tune your poorly performing SQL statements.  When I speak to customer or prospective clients, it is generally received extremely well.  Why is that?  Of ALL the problems that database professionals have in common, the biggest pain...

They say time flies when you’re having fun, and it seems like 2007 has gone by at a record pace. 2007 has seen quite a few exciting developments in the ‘Toad World’ arena. In addition to Toad World itself, we have seen a new unit testing tool for PL/SQL and a version of Toad made just for analysts released. In addition we’ve seen the industry leading Toad for Oracle, Toad for SQL Server, and Toad for DB2 products enhanced with new versions and new capabilities in the last few months. ...

Every software product has a feature or widget that is extremely powerful, but finds a way to confuse more people than it enlightens. That is not to say that the feature is poorly designed or implemented, but who can really say they understand and use 100% of an item’s potential?



A few of my personal...

A US-based fast food chain apparently has a new advertising campaign running. I’m not exactly sure what it is supposed to be for, and most of their commercials are pretty confusing. They do have one that I like. Apparently their food is not only JUST fast, but also made to order, and tastes good. What does this have to do with Toad®? Well, Toad allows you to compose...

Toad® has been a popular Oracle development and administration tool for the past decade.  In fact, the original trademark for our favorite little guy was ‘T.O.A.D’ – an acronym that stood for “the Tool for Oracle Application Developers.”

A couple of treats for our history buffs: 1. T.O.A.D. from 1998 2. Oracle Magazine story from 1998

         

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It’s no secret that I am a die hard Toad® fanatic. There are many reasons for this, but the one I want to talk about today is one of Toad’s best kept secrets: a commercial-grade FTP client built right into Toad!

  Older versions of Toad can find ‘FTP’ under the ‘File’ menu.

Yes, Toad DOES have its very own fully-functional...

For more than 10 years now, Toad has been THE tool for Oracle developers, DBAs, and analysts.  A few years ago, Quest began introducing versions of Toad that brought native support to popular platforms such as DB2, SQL Server, and MySQL.  Oracle enthusiasts were able to jump over to a new RDBMS technology without having to leave their favorite productivity tool behind.

While most features were implemented...

In my last blog I attempted to cover all of the cool filters in Toad in a single posting.  How silly of me!  Let’s see if we can’t further down the road.

As a quick re-cap, we went over the first 3 filters available in the Schema Browser.

Schema Browser List Filters





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Having the world’s information at our fingertips via databases is an extremely powerful resource.  It can also be quite daunting. Any Oracle user who has had to manage an APPS database knows this intuitively as those schemas consists of hundreds of thousands of objects.  Or you could have only a solitary table, but the table has...

Your Mission: Go fix ALL of the slow SQL in your application ASAP.

SQL is an extremely powerful language for us database geeks. Without completely understanding, or even caring how the database is going to resolve my query, SQL allows me to ask for data by describing it.  For example, “Give me the employees by department, sorted by salary” equates to:

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What the heck is that?



This is what my friend and co-worker, Dennis, supports on a daily basis!  And yes, it is that confusing.



Dennis is an Applications Developer for our IS group here at Quest Software.  I asked Dennis if he’d spend some time talking about what he thinks about Toad®.

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I’ve been working with Toad® for several years now, and even now that I’m NOT directly associated with the Toad development team, my Windows taskbar usually has at least 1 if not 2 Toad programs hanging around.  To be honest, if someone were to take Toad away from me today, my productivity would definitely suffer.

While most users are introduced to Toad as the market’s leading Integrated Development Environment (IDE)...