Update to Altova’s Database Tool Adds Important New Features

David McGahey
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DatabaseSpy is the unique database tool that supports all major databases and facilitates database query, design, structure comparison, table content editing and comparison, and even generates elegant charts from query results.

The recent update of DatabaseSpy to version 2017 Release 3 adds several new features, including the ability to automatically generate a complete DDL script for any database schema.

Database Tool for Complete DDL Scripts

A complete DDL script is an important resource that allows a database administrator to recreate a complete database structure. The DDL script will create all tables and relationships, as well as all views, constraints, indexes, functions, procedures, etc. that may be defined in the database.

DDL scripts are essential for backing up complete database structures, or to move a structure to a different server when the actual table contents are not required, such as moving from a development environment into production.

Right-clicking any database schema in the Online Browser helper window opens a context menu where the Show in New SQL Editor option offers the DDL Script command, as shown in the screenshot here:

Database tool generates complete DDL scripts

The generated DDL script is then immediately opened in a DatabaseSpy SQL Editor window where it can be reviewed, saved to a file, or edited with context-sensitive autocompletion.

Enhanced Database Tool Find Bar

The DatabaseSpy SQL Editor Find bar functionality is also enhanced for Version 2017 Release 3. The new Find bar is based on Find features first introduced in XMLSpy 2017. Case sensitive, regular expression, and find in selection searches are supported. The Find bar also supports multi-line searches.

Shown below, the new Find functionality is especially useful to review long SQL scripts, such as the generated DDL script from the example described above.

Database tool Find in DDL script

Completely Revamped SQL Editor Autocompletion

Version 2017 Release 3 introduces completely rewritten SQL Editor autocompletion functionality to improve speed and efficiency while users create or edit SQL statements. The new SQL Editor autocompletion features:

  • Greatly improved speed
  • More relevant suggestions based on partial matches
  • Better handling of quotes and parentheses

In the screenshot below, autocompletion offers the names of columns in the products table:

Database tool SQL Editor autocompletion

Autocompletion suggestions adjust based on the exact syntax and datatypes of the connected database type. Users working in a familiar database will find SQL Editor autocompletion improves productivity, and autocompletion is especially helpful for those working with an unfamiliar SQL dialect.

Database Tool Chart Enhancements

A colorful, eye-catching chart communicates information faster and more effectively than a table of numeric data. The already-powerful charting features of DatabaseSpy are further enhanced in Version 2017 Release 3:

  • Line chart may be used to draw just dots without the connecting lines
  • Y-Axis may be inverted with 0 at the top
  • Value labels can be shown directly on gauges or bars

Database tool enhanced chart features

 

  • Text labels can be placed in charts (e.g., for showing units)
  • Customizing distances between bars on bar charts

Supported Databases

All the database tool functionality described here – and much more – is supported for the databases listed here. DatabaseSpy even lets users simultaneously open connections to multiple databases of different types and even compare structures and content between them.

Supported Databases:

  • Firebird
  • IBM DB2 for iSeries®
  • IBM DB2®
  • Informix®
  • Microsoft Access™
  • Microsoft® Azure SQL
  • Microsoft® SQL Server®
  • MySQL®
  • Oracle®
  • PostgreSQL
  • Progress OpenEdge
  • SQLite
  • Sybase®

(Click here for the current detailed list of supported versions for each database.)

Existing DatabaseSpy customers can update to the latest version to take advantage of all these new database tool features. You can also try any Altova product free for 30 days.

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