Re: Frustrated SQL Plus user

From: Matt B. <mcb_at_fightspam.sd.znet.com>
Date: 2000/06/04
Message-ID: <sjmcbi675ri87_at_corp.supernews.com>#1/1


"dizzy" <dizzy73_at_connix.com> wrote in message news:393A9546.A0098374_at_connix.com...
> well, if I envoke the editor it seems to interfer with the sql+ window both
dont like to be open at the same time. To me thats an unacceptable "workaround" heck it dosnt work on my system!

I think that's because the SQL*Plus window is "waiting" for you to close the editor window (probably Notepad) because you are modifying the same data (script) that's in the buffer.

>I really dont see why sql+ is in such high regard. Imo its a horrible tool

I agree that the things you found that you don't like can be annoying. I didn't know that SQL*Plus is really held in any "high regard" though - I just figured it was the basic no-frills user interface between you and the database.

However, it does have some rather nice formatting capability in terms of formatting output into a report-like format. On client-server machine it's probably not all that impressive (there are probably other tools that do it better) but if you're in character-based UNIX it's pretty cool (sutotaling numbers, titles, page numbers, column headings, etc.). The various formatting commands (linesize, heading, pagesize, ttitle, btitle, sql.pno, etc.) are simple enough that someone who is moderately proficient with SQL*Plus and not a full-on programmer can still do it. You can also use all those settings to spool out data to a file for data conversion or something like that (no headings, no page breaks, fixed-length or delimited, etc.).

I guess what I'm saying is that SQL*Plus has it's place, isn't a total P.O.S., but does have its limits and isn't an all-encompassing answer to the "What's the best user interface to an Oracle DB?" question.

Anyway, T.O.A.D. is pretty popular at work - you might wanna download a free trial version of that from http://www.toadsoft.com. Not sure if it stores queries in a buffer historically (like, say, the last six queries you did) or not, but give it a shot and see how you like it. It has an OK SQL window plus lots of other tools, like extracting the code from stored DB objects (packages, procedures, functions, etc.) fairly easily.

We've also used SQL Station before too (I think Platinum Technologies make that). I haven't used it though so I can't vouch for its effectiveness.

-Matt Received on Sun Jun 04 2000 - 00:00:00 CEST

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