Get to Know 8.6

The Login Window

Toad windows connected to a particular instance can be assigned a color. Toad allows for multiple connections and in addition allows for a window's connection to be changed. Users can now additional set visual cues for their windows to help prevent mistakes, i.e. running a script or dropping a table on a production instance. The color for a connection is defined in the Server Login window when you make the connection. The color will display as a fine border around all windows associated with a database connection. Click here to see an example. If the window is maximized, the border color will not be shown, but you will see the color in the lower right hand corner near the window status bar. The Coloring Logic has been implemented in the following places: Group connections by color on the login screen Connections colored on connection dropdown controls for all windows Window buttons colored on the window bar Connection buttons colored on the connection bar

Window Updates

The 8.6 release of Toad primarily represents existing feature enhancements. While this release includes new screens and modules like the FastReport and EBiz , the main focus of the 8.6 development cycle was to improve program stability, usability, and consistency. Less obvious examples include the reordering of menu items, reorganization of common popup windows, and reemphasizing common window behavior and functions in all Toad screens where appropriate. More obvious examples can be found in windows that received major feature and visual updates, including the Master Detail browser, the Script Manager, and the SQL Modeler.

Master/Detail Browser

Tools -> Master Detail Browser. Completely rewritten, with many new and improved features:

An unlimited number of detail datasets can be added Detail datasets can be created in any configuration. So instead of the old way, where it was always: Master - Detail - Detail - Detail - Detail You could now have - Detail Master - Detail - Detail - Detail - Detail or whatever arrangement suits your needs. The master dataset can be a table, view, snapshot, or a query that you enter. The detail datasets can be a table, view, or snapshot. You can apply the filter/sort window, or manually edit the query for the master or any detail dataset. Click here to see an example. All details of your master-detail configuration can be saved and retrieved. The new report engine is tied into this, so you can make master-detail reports. If you save a report definition after creating it, and you save your master-detail configuration after that, the report will automatically be selected when you reopen your master-detail configuration in the future. You can activate the report from any dataset, not just the master.

As in 8.5, the relationship can be automatically determined by the presence of a foreign key, or you can manually define the relationship. Click here to see an screenshot.

Options

Overwhelming consensus indicated the Options window was becoming completely unmanageable, obtuse and far less useful than it could be. So we fixed it! Here's a quick run-down:

• Removed unused and confusing options
• Relabeled existing options so that their meaning was more clear

• Search utility is now fixed to window. Clicking on item navigates to the proper pane and 'blinks' the option
• 'APPLY' button added so option changes can be applied without closing the window.

Script Manager

The Script Manager has been redesigned in several important areas.

File Menu with Run Script Flyouts

• The "Quick Scripts" dropdown button on the main toolbar has been supplemented by a new menu item: File > Run Script, which functions in the same way as a Quick Script.

New Script Manager

• The new treeview allows convenient grouping by Use, Extension and Directory or None (which maintains support for the prior grid view). Grouping is beneficial in that it permits operations on the entire group.
• The script manager datafile paradigm has been redesigned around the actual external file, instead of the abstract "category." This follows the design of other windows such as the Project Manager.

Server Login Window

The Server Login window has been augmented to display the connection history in several different formats.

You now have 3 different display modes for your connection history:

• Grid
• Tabs
  • Multi
  • Single Line
• Tree

In this screenshot, the Login window has been set up to show connections by 'Database' using the Multi-Line tabular view. The user has also decided to group the connections by 'Color'.

SQL Modeler

The SQL Modeler receives a much deserved upgrade. Always a popular window with beginner or even more advanced Oracle users, the modeler now permits object selection and query construction all while keeping the generated SQL tab in view - so you can see what SQL you are generating as you model the query. Users can now build a query by dragging and dropping columns and or tables to the select, from, where, etc. sections of the query builder tree.

• ANSI Join Syntax (enabled in View -> Options
• Tree View vs Grid view for easier query building
• Results Grid updated to include all Toad Grid functionality
• Object Palette auto-opens/closes if appropriate
• Double-Click on a tree object to configure its properties
• Drag-n-Drop columns to change column order
• Send query to SQL Editor for advanced operations including tuning.

Click here to see a screenshot.

SQL Recall Window

The SQL Recall window now allows you to view your SQL statements by category:

• History
• Personal
• Named

SGA Trace/Optimization

• Grid is now sortable (without requerying).
• Incremental search is now enabled in the grid.
• Excel Drop-down arrows have been added to the grid.
• Each column can be sorted by clicking its column header (hold down shift to sort by more than one column).
• Search text box now performs client side filtering rather than requerying the database
• The "Execution Stats" tab at the bottom has been changed into a grid on the LHS of the screen, allowing you to export this data using the "Grid" menu. If you double-click a row in the LHS grid, the corresponding column on the RHS will be selected.
• A "Sessions" tab has been added to the bottom. This will show any session currently executing (or most recently executed) the selected query.
• The "statement type" column is now populated with meaningful text rather than a number.
• All available columns (depending on Oracle version) have been added to the grid

Click here to see a screenshot.

Procedure Editor

In addition to what is detailed below, the PL/SQL Error panel has been redesigned to take far less room than in the past.

It will show/activate when there are errors in the active editor tab. If you are using unpinned panels then they will be pinned while the errors tab is visible and restored to their un-pinned state when the errors panel is not visible.

The "jump to error" behavior that existed in the past is only in effect now after a compile with errors. Switching editor tabs (or loading objects/files) will not jump to the first error location in the editor. It will maintain your caret position. Clicking in the errors panel will jump to the error as always.

New Reporting Engine (FastReport®)

Toad now has a new mechanism for generating reports automatically off of Oracle datasets. This functionality is available for any Data Grid in Toad. Access the report engine by selecting the grid, then going to the Main Menu bar - File - Grid - Report.

The FastReport engine is also available in the Master/Detail (M/D) browser.

Step One: Select columns, group by column(s), Layout, & Style.

• Toad will guide you in creating your report definition with the 'Report Wizard'
• Select your columns to be included in the report
• Select any grouping columns
• Define a Portrait or Landscape report
• Choose from several display report templates
• Proceed to Step Two where you can further customize your report

Step Two: Adjust report definition to suit your needs.

• Customize headers & footers
• Insert custom images
• Rearrange dataset layout
• Add calculated fields
• Insert custom code
• Proceed to Step Three to view, print or save your report

Step Three: Preview or Save your Report

• Print
• Find data
• Save the report design to run later
• Export the report

EBiz - New Module for Oracle Applications

This is an optional module. If you are connected to an instance which contains Applications data and have purchased the EBiz Toad module, then a new menu item, "EBiz" (just to the left of "DBA"), will be available.

• A Browser, much like the schema browser.
• A Monitor, much like the database monitor
• A Report screen with about 10 built-in reports. you can modify them or add your own.
• A "Lookup finder". a place that Oracle Apps developers can use to find lookup objects and types when writing their queries. You can supply lookup code and/or meaning.

Multi-file CodeXpert & SQL Scan Available

CodeXpert and the SQL Scanner were introduced in versions 8 and 8.5, respectively. Users can now run CodeXpert and the SQL Scanner against multiple files. This allows a developer or DBA to examine all of their code against the CodeXpert rulesets and/or scan their code for SQL that is in need of tuning.

CodeXpert is included with the Professional edition of Toad for Oracle. The SQL Scanner is included with the Xpert edition of Toad for Oracle.

To examine multiple files at once, first add the directory your files are located in to a Project Manager project.

• Click here to see a screenshot of the Project Manager popup item for CodeXpert.
• Click here to see a screenshot of the multi-file CodeXpert progress indicator.
• Click here to view a screenshot of the results for each file.

Other Enhancements

So far you have read about the major enhancements implemented for version 8.6 of Toad for Oracle. Each release of Toad includes several hundred bug fixes and enhancements. Please read the Release Notes installed with your copy of Toad for Oracle for an exhaustive list. Here are a few to get you started:

Schema Browser (SB) Enhancements

• Left-Hand-Side (LHS) Filters (all object types).  A 'Custom Query' filter option has been added. This is much like the 'View/Edit Query' option, except that it will remember the query you've entered.  The first time you use this, the query will be "primed" with whatever filter option you have set, then the query will be presented to you and you can change it.  Subsequent SB Filter reloads will just execute the same query (with no prompt).  If you want to adjust the query, just open the filter and click "view/edit query" and your altered query will be presented for further changes.  To go back to the "standard" filter, just uncheck the 'custom query' checkbox.  If you come back and recheck it later, the last custom query you entered will be executed again.  If you want to clear the saved custom query (so you can "reprime" it) you can click the "clear custom query" button.

• Tables/Views/Snapshots
  • added a "Save as" button to the toolbar on the data tab.
  • comments panel (on columns tab) now stays the same size when you resize the window (previously, comments section used to resize and the columns section would stay constant)
  • a status bar has been added to the "Data" tab showing. For example - Row 10 of 500 fetched so far (more rows exist) or Row 625 of 834 total rows

• Tablespaces - New Right-click option:  RECOVER TABLESPACE. (issues alter database recover tablespace .... command)

HTML Schema Doc Generator now supports ALL object types

The Schema Doc Generator has added support for the following object types:

• clusters
• policies
• policy groups
• dimensions
• queues
• queue tables
• refresh groups
• snapshot logs
• user info
• profile of current user
• scheduler jobs
• programs
• schedules

Grid -> Save As -> MERGE Statements

New format: MERGE statements (these only run on Oracle 9i and newer, but you can generate them from any version of Oracle). The merge is done based on the table's primary key. If none are found, you can select columns to merge on. Invisible grid columns will be excluded from the merge statement.

HEX Editor

The text editor now has two tabs per open document. One is the Text tab and represents the text in ASCII. The other is Hex. Alt+[PgUp|PgDown] toggles the active editor tab (i.e. the active document in the editor). Ctrl+Alt+[PgUp|PgDown] toggles Hex and Text view. These shortcuts are the same for the SE and PE.

• The Hex component used also replaces that used for the BLOB grid popup editor.
• View->Options->Editors->Hex has a few options to control this.

Stronger Password Encryption

Using encrypted passwords for Toad's login screen used to be optional. Now, passwords are encrypted automatically, and with the AES model.

AES stands for Advanced Encryption Standard. AES is a symmetric key encryption technique which will replace the commonly used Data Encryption Standard (DES).

It was the result of a worldwide call for submissions of encryption algorithms issued by the US Government's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in 1997 and completed in 2000.

AES provides strong encryption and has been selected by NIST as a Federal Information Processing Standard in November 2001 (FIPS-197), and in June 2003 the U.S. Government (NSA) announced that AES is secure enough to protect classified information up to the TOP SECRET level, which is the highest security level and defined as information which would cause "exceptionally grave damage" to national security if disclosed to the public.

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