ProductsDatabaseSpyDatabase Browser

Altova DatabaseSpy® 2008 lets you effortlessly explore database structure or examine database content.

Altova DatabaseSpy® 2008 contains powerful database browser functionality to let you effortlessly explore the organization of tables, views, and stored procedures that make up your database or zero-in precisely on the information you need.

The DatabaseSpy® 2008 Online Browser lets you connect to multiple databases simultaneously, so you can easily compare their structures and content. You won’t be distracted by the differences between interfaces from different relational database vendors since DatabaseSpy® 2008 shows all your databases in the same clear, customizable, and easy to navigate display.

DatabaseSpy Online Browser Supported Databases

The DatabaseSpy® 2008 Online Browser supports the following databases:

• Microsoft® SQL Server® 2000, 2005
• IBM DB2® 8, 9
• IBM DB2 for iSeries® v4
• IBM DB2 for zSeries® 8, 9
• Oracle® 9i, 10g
• Sybase® 12
• MySQL® 4, 5
• Microsoft Access™ 2003, 2007

 Click here to download a fully functional, free 30-day trial of Altova® DatabaseSpy® 2008!

DatabaseSpy Online Browser Window

After you have connected to one or more databases from the Project window, click the Online Browser tab to see the hierarchical database layout.

You can right-click any table, view, or procedure to open a context menu that lets you instantly retrieve data. You don't need to look up the exact names of the columns that comprise your selection or construct a special SQL query.

DatabaseSpy® 2008 opens your selection in two parts. The SQL SELECT statement, which DatabaseSpy® 2008 automatically builds to query the database, is displayed in a SQL editor pane at the top. The data returned by the database server is displayed in the results pane at the bottom.

After you have retrieved the first data set, you can manipulate the results in a number of ways:

• Retrieve more results 200 rows at a time, or retrieve all the remaining data
• Adjust the column widths in the Results pane by dragging the column separators
• Sort the data by any column in either ascending or descending order by clicking the column header (after retrieving the entire data set)
• Change the number of rows to be returned in the next set
• Revise the SQL statement to refine your query, then use the Execute button in the SQL Editor window to get updated results
• Choose the Execute for data editing button from the toolbar to re-execute the SELECT statement for interactive content editing

For instance, if you were to retrieve an entire invoices SalesOrders table (like the one shown in the screenshot above), then edit the automatically generated SQL query to eliminate some columns, change the sequence of others, and sort by ExtendedPrice in descending order, you would get a quick report of the top orders in your database.

You can even select and copy from the results of your query, for instance to paste into a report on a sales department contest for the largest order.

If you’d like to execute the same query later, you can save it as a SQL file and add it to your project. You can also export your entire result set in any of five formats.

Explore Database Views and Stored Procedures

The DatabaseSpy® 2008 Database Browser also helps you explore views, stored procedures, and user-defined functions registered in your database. These database objects are stored in specialized sub-folders and identified with unique icons.

You can navigate the database hierarchy to open the Views folder, for instance, then expand the folder to see a list of database views. You can expand any view to identify its columns, and expand any column to examine its constraints and datatype.

Similarly, you can expand stored procedures to inspect their parameters.

The right-click context menu offers options appropriate when you want to use or maintain a view or procedure. You easily export the data described by a view, for example, or generate your choice of often-needed SQL statements for the view in a new DatabaseSpy® 2008 SQL Editor window.

The DatabaseSpy® 2008 Online Browser and SQL Editor even combine to provide powerful tools to create and edit database views and stored procedures.

Navigate Databases Efficiently

Features incorporated into the DatabaseSpy® 2008 Online Browser window are designed to help you easily navigate through large, complex relational databases that can include hundreds of tables, views, and stored procedures, so you can efficiently focus on the most relevant data.

You can choose from five different layouts for the hierarchy display.

The Table Dependencies layout, for instance, displays your database tables in folders based on foreign keys.

You can turn on the Filter option in the Online Browser toolbar, then apply separate filters to schemas, tables, and views to display only the items you want.

The Favorites button in the DatabaseSpy® 2008 Online Browser toolbar lets you show only the tables, views, and stored procedures you have previously set as project favorites using the right-click context menu.

The Object Locator tool is a handy way to quickly find a table or database view that is not readily apparent in the Online Browser list. The DatabaseSpy® 2008 Object Locater opens an alphabetical list of all user and system tables and views in any connected database, regardless of your current Favorites and Filters settings.

Try out all the convenient database navigation and browsing features of DatabaseSpy® 2008 on your own databases – download a free 30-day evaluation today!