Re: Quick and dirty query tool

WQ wrote:
> Hello Folks,
>
> I was wondering if anyone can suggest a good but not too expensive Visual
> Query Tool, which will make do the following:
> 1. Build my joins by drag and drop columns between tables
> 2. Build my output clause by double clicking on displayed column list
> 3. Support native oracle functions like decode, nvl etc. (See more on this
> later).
>
> Okay, there are perhaps a lot of tools out there. I myself have evaluated a
> few and most of them were very expensive compared to my minimal needs. Two
> of them, which I frequently use are Microsoft Access and PL/SQL Query
> Reporter by All Round Automation.
>
> Here are the Pros and Cons:
>
> 1. MS Access
> Pros:
> Extremely Fast because, when you link the table using an ODBC DSN, it caches
> the data dictionery. This makes joing tables very fast.
> Cons:
> Does not support native Oracle functions like Decode, NVL etc. The SQL,
> which comes out is not formatted properly. You will et dizzy by the number
> of parenthesis it generates. Uses ODBC connections only vs ADO.
>
> 2. PL/SQL Query Reporter
> Pros:
> Creates nicely formatted queries.
> Cons:
> Everything else is bad about this tool. It is slow, because it queries the
> DDL at the time of joining tables. Stores queries in a proprietary format,
> making it virtually unusable, if you were to switch tools.
>
> I am currently evaluating Advanced Query Tool and DB Kwik Edit.
>
> I would appreciate any input you can provide on this subject.
>
> Regards.
>
> Walt.

Use Oracle Discover or Business Objects Crystal Reports. Other options ... Brio and Cognos.

Access is incapable of much Oracle functionality and is a pig.

-- 
Daniel A. Morgan
University of Washington
damorgan_at_x.washington.edu
(replace 'x' with 'u' to respond)