That Jeff Smith

Sometimes the Mouse Runs Faster than your Fingers?

JeffS — Fri, 18 May 2012 14:00:34 +0000

I’m a keyboard ‘ninja.’ I know how to get a lot of characters to splat up on my screen in as few keystrokes as possible. Yet sometimes I do fall back to the mouse. Cue the command-line SQL*Plus diehards rolling over in their graves.

One of my favorite tricks is the ability to drag 2 or more tables into the worksheet and have SQL Developer automatically create a SELECT with the WHERE clause joins pre-built based on existing foreign key definitions.

Example: Let’s build a massive query against the Sales History (SH) sample schema.

Select 2 or more tables, ctrl+drag and drop to the Worksheet

Go with ‘Select’ and ‘Join.’ I also recommend you leave the ‘Prompt every time’ box enabled as you may want to build a DML statement from time to time as well.

After I click ‘Apply,’ here is what I’m left with:

That's a lot of typing y'all!

There’s a few things I really like here

First, there is no SELECT * in this statement. SQL Developer is throwing all those column names in my face. The ‘*’ is just too convenient and easy for me to overlook. It’s expensive to query data you don’t need. This messy query is just begging to be trimmed down.

Second, the tables are auto-aliased. Maybe I don’t like the aliases, but they are aliased so it will run out of the box.

Trim the SELECT, Use Better Table Aliases

No need to use SEARCH and REPLACE. No need to move your mouse to delete unwanted columns. Just click here.

It's there to HELP you

Uncheck All

Mouse right click on your table, and select ‘Uncheck All.’ Then go back and add what you REALLY want.

TMI?

Lather, rinse, and repeat.

Use Better Table Aliases

‘A’ is not very useful. But maybe ‘PROD’ is. Or maybe no alias is the best alias. Mouse right click on the table and choose ‘Properties.’ Provide a new alias or remove it completely.

Lather, rinse, and repeat.

Now toggle back to the Worksheet

A little better?

Now you are left to your evil SQL coding. Add your additional predicates, subqueries, WITH-ify it, etc. Of course you can rely on the Query Builder for doing this sort of work as well, but I find the biggest bang for your productivity buck is to let it simply build out the ‘framework’ of your SQL statement and then finish it off in the worksheet.

DDL Script Previews in Oracle SQL Developer Data Modeler

JeffS — Wed, 16 May 2012 16:23:44 +0000

Data Definition Language (DDL) is used to describe an object in SQL. When you model a table in your relational model using Oracle SQL Developer Data Modeler, you are probably very curious as to the code that is being generated to represent that object.

You can peek into this code using your mouse -

The Code behind the pretty picture

You can right-mouse-click on an object and choose ‘DDL Preview,’ or you can use the keyboard shortcut, Alt+Shift+I.

Here’s trick #1:

Mouse Over an object to get the DDL

Once the previewer is open, it’s dynamic. So click on another object in the model, and it will auto-refresh.

Auto-Generate DDL Text By Clicking on the Objects

And trick #2:

Change How the DDL is generated on the fly

Open the Preferences dialog under the Tools menu and proceed to the DDL page. There you can specify how to generate the DDL including:

Use Quoted Identifiers — this drives me nuts!
Generate Inline Column Constraints
Generate Comments in RDBMS

After you make this change, simply click back into the object and the DDL will auto-refresh based on your new setting. Here’s an example of how that looks with Quoted Identifiers.

The Options

DLL Generation Options

Previewing the Code

My object names are now case-sensitive, enjoy suckers!

You can expect more options and flexibility when it comes to generating the DDL in upcoming versions of SQL Developer Data Modeler. If you want to see something in particular be sure to add the request formally, or leave me a comment here.

SQL Developer Incremental Find via Ctrl-E

JeffS — Mon, 14 May 2012 18:03:42 +0000

Incremental find. What is that? It is one of many features in SQL Developer that I have managed to overlook. It has been right there though, staring me in the face. I’m betting that many of you have seen it without really SEEING it, just like I have been doing.

Until today that is!

I know that 'Find' does, but what's this other find do?

Let’s take a look at the word ‘incremental’ first:

From http://dictionary.reference.com

in·cre·men·tal [in-kruh-men-tl, ing-] adjective
increasing or adding on, especially in a regular series: small, incremental tax hikes.
Origin:
increment + -al1

So it’s like a search that’s increases or adds on?

And really, Dictionary Reference DOTCOM, who uses the word to define said word?

Let’s just see what happens when I use it in SQL Developer.

Our keyboard shortcut is Ctrl+E.

Open a file or PL/SQL object and put your cursor somewhere in the middle of the document.

Ctrl+E

Type in a search string.

Voila! Right away you should see where the ‘incremental’ is coming in. What it means in this case is that it’s an extra-awesome ‘Find.’

Here’s the Ctrl+F find:

'Normal' Ctrl+F Find

Hitting the ‘Up’ and ‘Down’ arrow buttons will cycle through the text finding the next iteration of the search text. SQL Developer Power Tip: Use F3 to advance the search to the next occurrence.

Now, let’s ‘increment’ our find with Ctrl+E

Find and highlight all occurrences of the search string forward

Incremental Find Backward

I’m going to let you figure out what this does. But here’s a hint. Put your cursor before an exception block, and do a Ctrl+Shift+E. Type your search string. SQL Developer will highlight all occurrences of the the string BEFORE your exception block.

Brilliant!

Oracle SQL Developer: a Video Tour of its Major Features

JeffS — Wed, 09 May 2012 21:15:09 +0000

What is Oracle SQL Developer? If you’re brand new to Oracle or are just now discovering the joys of using a GUI over the command-line interface, this video will show you a high level overview of SQL Developer’s main feature areas.

Those include:

an IDE for querying, scripting, debugging, and executing statements and programs
a database navigation tree and object editors for pointing and clicking your way through database
an extensible framework where users can program their own features or add 3rd party plugins
database administration tasks including backups and storage management
the ability to program, run, and export reports to PDF
a fully functional data modeling solution
Oracle’s official 3rd party database migration platform for moving objects and data to Oracle

A few notes about the video
This is a revised or 2nd edition of the video. The first version did run in under 5 minutes, but the audio quality was less than acceptable. I produced a new video sans Video Cam (who wants to see me anyway?) and the audio is much cleaner. Unfortunately I found a couple of more features to spotlight and it’s now sitting at 8 minutes. I swear this is mostly not a trick to keep you on my site longer, mostly.

If you haven’t installed SQL Developer yet, then you’ll want check out my previous post on How To Install SQL Developer in 5 minutes or less.

I’ll continue this series with 5 minute ‘deep’ dives into the features covered in this tour.

For advanced tips and tricks, be sure to check out my ‘SQL Developer’ resources page linked at the top of this website.

Getting started with SQL Developer in less than 5 minutes

JeffS — Mon, 07 May 2012 14:24:51 +0000

It’s easy to forget that many people still have not discovered SQL Developer, or are just getting started. Many of my recent posts have been on advanced topics, hidden tricks, and productivity tips.

I want to spend some time in the next few weeks helping the beginners out there.

I can’t think of a better place to start than with how to ‘install’ SQL Developer.

I’ve been telling anyone who will listen than you can get up and running with SQL Developer in under 5 minutes. That’s a pretty big claim, and I reckon I should back that up now.

Disclaimer: I have a hi-speed residential network connection that was averaging 15.93Mbps this morning. I realize many of you have connections that are both slower and faster, so keep that in mind when I make my ’5 minute’ claim.

The Basics – Download SQL Developer

The hardest part is the first step – picking your download and waiting. If you have a 64 bit Windows machine, you’ll need to download the 64bit 1.6 JDK first.

JDK? JRE? Java? What?!?
SQL Developer is a Java application. To run it requires the Java Virtual Machine – this is the ‘go box’ for java applications. If you’ve ever seen that funny icon popup in your systray while running apps over a website, that’s probably java.

JDK – Java Development Kit. I call it the ‘Toolkit’, but it’s just a ‘Kit,’ but not THAT K.I.T.T.

The Java Runtime Engine (JRE) is a smaller and less powerful ‘go box’ for Java applications, but SQL Developer relies on some of the libraries included only in the JDK – so get the JDK!

Many versions of Java out there – 5, 6, and 7 are the most common. The name is ’6′, but the version is ’1.6.’ We develop, test, and support SQL Developer for 1.6. You can run other versions, but may get less than awesome results.

It’s an archive, not an installer. After you’ve downloaded SQL Developer, there’s no installer to run. Just extract the folder, then find the ‘sqldeveloper.exe’ and open it.

If you’ve downloaded the 32 bit windows version with the JDK bundled, you’re all set.

If not, you’ll need to tell SQL Developer where it can find it’s Java master, AKA the Java Virtual Machine. Be sure to point to the ‘java.exe’ in the full JDK (not the JRE.)

Tell SQL Developer where it can find Java

Once you hit OK, you’ll never have to answer this question again.

You can change this location later in the /sqldeveloper/bin/sqldeveloper.conf file. Change the following line -

SetJavaHome ../../jdk

SQL Developer will then start, and you can proceed by setting up your connection.

Before you can connect, you will need the following:

database user account (complete with username and password)
location of database (either via TNSNames, LDAP, or servername/IP, port, and SID/Service)

If you don’t have an account, don’t go online asking people for a ‘default.’ Find the owner of your application or database and ask them for an account. If you don’t want to involve them, then you’re looking for a backdoor and could be labeled a ‘hacker.’

Now what?

Now you get to learn by doing. Many of you won’t have access to formal training, and I think that’s a real shame. If your organization provides training or compensation for taking classes – do it! Lots of free resources out there, including my blog of course.

Here’s a rundown of the official stuff from Oracle:

OTN SQL Developer Forum – ask questions here
60+ video tutorials in the Oracle Learning Library (OLL)
10 Step Getting Started Guide

Formatting Query Results to CSV in Oracle SQL Developer

JeffS — Wed, 02 May 2012 14:07:40 +0000

I find that programs that are developed by the same folks that use that program in production are some of the best applications out there. The developer is the user. They have to eat their own dog food – an unpleasant metaphor, but one that’s pretty well understood. Two great examples of that here are APEX and of course SQL Developer.

Of course not every dog gets to add his own secret ingredients to his dinner!

I also find that lazy developers make the best developers. They are so lazy that they will spend a few extra minutes to write a program that writes their programs for them. And so you’ll find this cool kind of stuff all over the application.

Here’s an example of that in SQL Developer -

Quick ResultSet Exports as Script Output

I’m too lazy to hit execute > SaveAs > Open File. I just want to get my delimited text output RIGHT NOW!

The ‘old’ way -

Our old friend, the Export Dialog

And the ‘new’ way (well, new to me!) -

Have the query results pre-formatted in the format of your choice!

The Code

SELECT /*csv*/ * FROM scott.emp;
SELECT /*xml*/ * FROM scott.emp;
SELECT /*html*/ * FROM scott.emp;
SELECT /*delimited*/ * FROM scott.emp;
SELECT /*insert*/ * FROM scott.emp;
SELECT /*loader*/ * FROM scott.emp;
SELECT /*fixed*/ * FROM scott.emp;
SELECT /*text*/ * FROM scott.emp;

You need to execute your statement(s) as a script using F5 or the 2nd execution button on the worksheet toolbar. You’ll notice the hint name matches the available output types on the Export wizard.

You can try XLSX if you want, but I’m not sure how useful the output will be.

Here’s the raw output from the previous examples in case you’re not sitting at your work desk when you read this (click to expand):


> SELECT /*csv*/ * FROM scott.emp
"EMPNO","ENAME","JOB","MGR","HIREDATE","SAL","COMM","DEPTNO"
7369,"SMITH","CLERK",7902,17-DEC-80 12.00.00,800,,20
7499,"ALLEN","SALESMAN",7698,20-FEB-81 12.00.00,1600,300,30
7521,"WARD","SALESMAN",7698,22-FEB-81 12.00.00,1250,500,30
7566,"JONES","MANAGER",7839,02-APR-81 12.00.00,2975,,20
7654,"MARTIN","SALESMAN",7698,28-SEP-81 12.00.00,1250,1400,30
7698,"BLAKE","MANAGER",7839,01-MAY-81 12.00.00,2850,,30
7782,"CLARK","MANAGER",7839,09-JUN-81 12.00.00,2450,,10
7788,"SCOTT","ANALYST",7566,19-APR-87 12.00.00,3000,,20
7839,"KING","PRESIDENT",,17-NOV-81 12.00.00,5000,,10
7844,"TURNER","SALESMAN",7698,08-SEP-81 12.00.00,1500,0,30
7876,"ADAMS","CLERK",7788,23-MAY-87 12.00.00,1100,,20
7900,"JAMES","CLERK",7698,03-DEC-81 12.00.00,950,,30
7902,"FORD","ANALYST",7566,03-DEC-81 12.00.00,3000,,20
7934,"MILLER","CLERK",7782,23-JAN-82 12.00.00,1300,,10

> SELECT /*xml*/ * FROM scott.emp


	
		
		
		
		
		
		
		
		
	
	
		
		
		
		
		
		
		
		
	
	
		
		
		
		
		
		
		
		
	
	
		
		
		
		
		
		
		
		
	
	
		
		
		
		
		
		
		
		
	
	
		
		
		
		
		
		
		
		
	
	
		
		
		
		
		
		
		
		
	
	
		
		
		
		
		
		
		
		
	
	
		
		
		
		
		
		
		
		
	
	
		
		
		
		
		
		
		
		
	
	
		
		
		
		
		
		
		
		
	
	
		
		
		
		
		
		
		
		
	
	
		
		
		
		
		
		
		
		
	
	
		
		
		
		
		
		
		
		
	

> SELECT /*html*/ * FROM scott.emp













	EMPNO
	ENAME
	JOB
	MGR
	HIREDATE
	SAL
	COMM
	DEPTNO



	
7369
SMITH
CLERK
7902
17-DEC-80 12.00.00
800
 
20
	
	
7499
ALLEN
SALESMAN
7698
20-FEB-81 12.00.00
1600
300
30
	
	
7521
WARD
SALESMAN
7698
22-FEB-81 12.00.00
1250
500
30
	
	
7566
JONES
MANAGER
7839
02-APR-81 12.00.00
2975
 
20
	
	
7654
MARTIN
SALESMAN
7698
28-SEP-81 12.00.00
1250
1400
30
	
	
7698
BLAKE
MANAGER
7839
01-MAY-81 12.00.00
2850
 
30
	
	
7782
CLARK
MANAGER
7839
09-JUN-81 12.00.00
2450
 
10
	
	
7788
SCOTT
ANALYST
7566
19-APR-87 12.00.00
3000
 
20
	
	
7839
KING
PRESIDENT
 
17-NOV-81 12.00.00
5000
 
10
	
	
7844
TURNER
SALESMAN
7698
08-SEP-81 12.00.00
1500
0
30
	
	
7876
ADAMS
CLERK
7788
23-MAY-87 12.00.00
1100
 
20
	
	
7900
JAMES
CLERK
7698
03-DEC-81 12.00.00
950
 
30
	
	
7902
FORD
ANALYST
7566
03-DEC-81 12.00.00
3000
 
20
	
	
7934
MILLER
CLERK
7782
23-JAN-82 12.00.00
1300
 
10
	

> SELECT /*delimited*/ * FROM scott.emp
"EMPNO","ENAME","JOB","MGR","HIREDATE","SAL","COMM","DEPTNO"
7369,"SMITH","CLERK",7902,17-DEC-80 12.00.00,800,,20
7499,"ALLEN","SALESMAN",7698,20-FEB-81 12.00.00,1600,300,30
7521,"WARD","SALESMAN",7698,22-FEB-81 12.00.00,1250,500,30
7566,"JONES","MANAGER",7839,02-APR-81 12.00.00,2975,,20
7654,"MARTIN","SALESMAN",7698,28-SEP-81 12.00.00,1250,1400,30
7698,"BLAKE","MANAGER",7839,01-MAY-81 12.00.00,2850,,30
7782,"CLARK","MANAGER",7839,09-JUN-81 12.00.00,2450,,10
7788,"SCOTT","ANALYST",7566,19-APR-87 12.00.00,3000,,20
7839,"KING","PRESIDENT",,17-NOV-81 12.00.00,5000,,10
7844,"TURNER","SALESMAN",7698,08-SEP-81 12.00.00,1500,0,30
7876,"ADAMS","CLERK",7788,23-MAY-87 12.00.00,1100,,20
7900,"JAMES","CLERK",7698,03-DEC-81 12.00.00,950,,30
7902,"FORD","ANALYST",7566,03-DEC-81 12.00.00,3000,,20
7934,"MILLER","CLERK",7782,23-JAN-82 12.00.00,1300,,10

> SELECT /*insert*/ * FROM scott.emp
REM INSERTING into scott.emp
SET DEFINE OFF;
Insert into scott.emp (EMPNO,ENAME,JOB,MGR,HIREDATE,SAL,COMM,DEPTNO) values (7369,'SMITH','CLERK',7902,to_date('17-DEC-80 12.00.00','DD-MON-RR HH.MI.SS'),800,null,20);
Insert into scott.emp (EMPNO,ENAME,JOB,MGR,HIREDATE,SAL,COMM,DEPTNO) values (7499,'ALLEN','SALESMAN',7698,to_date('20-FEB-81 12.00.00','DD-MON-RR HH.MI.SS'),1600,300,30);
Insert into scott.emp (EMPNO,ENAME,JOB,MGR,HIREDATE,SAL,COMM,DEPTNO) values (7521,'WARD','SALESMAN',7698,to_date('22-FEB-81 12.00.00','DD-MON-RR HH.MI.SS'),1250,500,30);
Insert into scott.emp (EMPNO,ENAME,JOB,MGR,HIREDATE,SAL,COMM,DEPTNO) values (7566,'JONES','MANAGER',7839,to_date('02-APR-81 12.00.00','DD-MON-RR HH.MI.SS'),2975,null,20);
Insert into scott.emp (EMPNO,ENAME,JOB,MGR,HIREDATE,SAL,COMM,DEPTNO) values (7654,'MARTIN','SALESMAN',7698,to_date('28-SEP-81 12.00.00','DD-MON-RR HH.MI.SS'),1250,1400,30);
Insert into scott.emp (EMPNO,ENAME,JOB,MGR,HIREDATE,SAL,COMM,DEPTNO) values (7698,'BLAKE','MANAGER',7839,to_date('01-MAY-81 12.00.00','DD-MON-RR HH.MI.SS'),2850,null,30);
Insert into scott.emp (EMPNO,ENAME,JOB,MGR,HIREDATE,SAL,COMM,DEPTNO) values (7782,'CLARK','MANAGER',7839,to_date('09-JUN-81 12.00.00','DD-MON-RR HH.MI.SS'),2450,null,10);
Insert into scott.emp (EMPNO,ENAME,JOB,MGR,HIREDATE,SAL,COMM,DEPTNO) values (7788,'SCOTT','ANALYST',7566,to_date('19-APR-87 12.00.00','DD-MON-RR HH.MI.SS'),3000,null,20);
Insert into scott.emp (EMPNO,ENAME,JOB,MGR,HIREDATE,SAL,COMM,DEPTNO) values (7839,'KING','PRESIDENT',null,to_date('17-NOV-81 12.00.00','DD-MON-RR HH.MI.SS'),5000,null,10);
Insert into scott.emp (EMPNO,ENAME,JOB,MGR,HIREDATE,SAL,COMM,DEPTNO) values (7844,'TURNER','SALESMAN',7698,to_date('08-SEP-81 12.00.00','DD-MON-RR HH.MI.SS'),1500,0,30);
Insert into scott.emp (EMPNO,ENAME,JOB,MGR,HIREDATE,SAL,COMM,DEPTNO) values (7876,'ADAMS','CLERK',7788,to_date('23-MAY-87 12.00.00','DD-MON-RR HH.MI.SS'),1100,null,20);
Insert into scott.emp (EMPNO,ENAME,JOB,MGR,HIREDATE,SAL,COMM,DEPTNO) values (7900,'JAMES','CLERK',7698,to_date('03-DEC-81 12.00.00','DD-MON-RR HH.MI.SS'),950,null,30);
Insert into scott.emp (EMPNO,ENAME,JOB,MGR,HIREDATE,SAL,COMM,DEPTNO) values (7902,'FORD','ANALYST',7566,to_date('03-DEC-81 12.00.00','DD-MON-RR HH.MI.SS'),3000,null,20);
Insert into scott.emp (EMPNO,ENAME,JOB,MGR,HIREDATE,SAL,COMM,DEPTNO) values (7934,'MILLER','CLERK',7782,to_date('23-JAN-82 12.00.00','DD-MON-RR HH.MI.SS'),1300,null,10);

> SELECT /*loader*/ * FROM scott.emp
 7369|"SMITH"|"CLERK"|7902|17-DEC-80 12.00.00|800||20|
 7499|"ALLEN"|"SALESMAN"|7698|20-FEB-81 12.00.00|1600|300|30|
 7521|"WARD"|"SALESMAN"|7698|22-FEB-81 12.00.00|1250|500|30|
 7566|"JONES"|"MANAGER"|7839|02-APR-81 12.00.00|2975||20|
 7654|"MARTIN"|"SALESMAN"|7698|28-SEP-81 12.00.00|1250|1400|30|
 7698|"BLAKE"|"MANAGER"|7839|01-MAY-81 12.00.00|2850||30|
 7782|"CLARK"|"MANAGER"|7839|09-JUN-81 12.00.00|2450||10|
 7788|"SCOTT"|"ANALYST"|7566|19-APR-87 12.00.00|3000||20|
 7839|"KING"|"PRESIDENT"||17-NOV-81 12.00.00|5000||10|
 7844|"TURNER"|"SALESMAN"|7698|08-SEP-81 12.00.00|1500|0|30|
 7876|"ADAMS"|"CLERK"|7788|23-MAY-87 12.00.00|1100||20|
 7900|"JAMES"|"CLERK"|7698|03-DEC-81 12.00.00|950||30|
 7902|"FORD"|"ANALYST"|7566|03-DEC-81 12.00.00|3000||20|
 7934|"MILLER"|"CLERK"|7782|23-JAN-82 12.00.00|1300||10|

> SELECT /*fixed*/ * FROM scott.emp
"EMPNO"                       "ENAME"                       "JOB"                         "MGR"                         "HIREDATE"                    "SAL"                         "COMM"                        "DEPTNO"
"7369"                        "SMITH"                       "CLERK"                       "7902"                        "17-DEC-80 12.00.00"          "800"                         ""                            "20"
"7499"                        "ALLEN"                       "SALESMAN"                    "7698"                        "20-FEB-81 12.00.00"          "1600"                        "300"                         "30"
"7521"                        "WARD"                        "SALESMAN"                    "7698"                        "22-FEB-81 12.00.00"          "1250"                        "500"                         "30"
"7566"                        "JONES"                       "MANAGER"                     "7839"                        "02-APR-81 12.00.00"          "2975"                        ""                            "20"
"7654"                        "MARTIN"                      "SALESMAN"                    "7698"                        "28-SEP-81 12.00.00"          "1250"                        "1400"                        "30"
"7698"                        "BLAKE"                       "MANAGER"                     "7839"                        "01-MAY-81 12.00.00"          "2850"                        ""                            "30"
"7782"                        "CLARK"                       "MANAGER"                     "7839"                        "09-JUN-81 12.00.00"          "2450"                        ""                            "10"
"7788"                        "SCOTT"                       "ANALYST"                     "7566"                        "19-APR-87 12.00.00"          "3000"                        ""                            "20"
"7839"                        "KING"                        "PRESIDENT"                   ""                            "17-NOV-81 12.00.00"          "5000"                        ""                            "10"
"7844"                        "TURNER"                      "SALESMAN"                    "7698"                        "08-SEP-81 12.00.00"          "1500"                        "0"                           "30"
"7876"                        "ADAMS"                       "CLERK"                       "7788"                        "23-MAY-87 12.00.00"          "1100"                        ""                            "20"
"7900"                        "JAMES"                       "CLERK"                       "7698"                        "03-DEC-81 12.00.00"          "950"                         ""                            "30"
"7902"                        "FORD"                        "ANALYST"                     "7566"                        "03-DEC-81 12.00.00"          "3000"                        ""                            "20"
"7934"                        "MILLER"                      "CLERK"                       "7782"                        "23-JAN-82 12.00.00"          "1300"                        ""                            "10"                          

> SELECT /*text*/ * FROM scott.emp
"EMPNO"null"ENAME"null"JOB"null"MGR"null"HIREDATE"null"SAL"null"COMM"null"DEPTNO"
7369null"SMITH"null"CLERK"null7902null17-DEC-80 12.00.00null800nullnull20
7499null"ALLEN"null"SALESMAN"null7698null20-FEB-81 12.00.00null1600null300null30
7521null"WARD"null"SALESMAN"null7698null22-FEB-81 12.00.00null1250null500null30
7566null"JONES"null"MANAGER"null7839null02-APR-81 12.00.00null2975nullnull20
7654null"MARTIN"null"SALESMAN"null7698null28-SEP-81 12.00.00null1250null1400null30
7698null"BLAKE"null"MANAGER"null7839null01-MAY-81 12.00.00null2850nullnull30
7782null"CLARK"null"MANAGER"null7839null09-JUN-81 12.00.00null2450nullnull10
7788null"SCOTT"null"ANALYST"null7566null19-APR-87 12.00.00null3000nullnull20
7839null"KING"null"PRESIDENT"nullnull17-NOV-81 12.00.00null5000nullnull10
7844null"TURNER"null"SALESMAN"null7698null08-SEP-81 12.00.00null1500null0null30
7876null"ADAMS"null"CLERK"null7788null23-MAY-87 12.00.00null1100nullnull20
7900null"JAMES"null"CLERK"null7698null03-DEC-81 12.00.00null950nullnull30
7902null"FORD"null"ANALYST"null7566null03-DEC-81 12.00.00null3000nullnull20
7934null"MILLER"null"CLERK"null7782null23-JAN-82 12.00.00null1300nullnull10

EMPNO	ENAME	JOB	MGR	HIREDATE	SAL	COMM	DEPTNO
7369	SMITH	CLERK	7902	17-DEC-80 12.00.00	800		20
7499	ALLEN	SALESMAN	7698	20-FEB-81 12.00.00	1600	300	30
7521	WARD	SALESMAN	7698	22-FEB-81 12.00.00	1250	500	30
7566	JONES	MANAGER	7839	02-APR-81 12.00.00	2975		20
7654	MARTIN	SALESMAN	7698	28-SEP-81 12.00.00	1250	1400	30
7698	BLAKE	MANAGER	7839	01-MAY-81 12.00.00	2850		30
7782	CLARK	MANAGER	7839	09-JUN-81 12.00.00	2450		10
7788	SCOTT	ANALYST	7566	19-APR-87 12.00.00	3000		20
7839	KING	PRESIDENT		17-NOV-81 12.00.00	5000		10
7844	TURNER	SALESMAN	7698	08-SEP-81 12.00.00	1500	0	30
7876	ADAMS	CLERK	7788	23-MAY-87 12.00.00	1100		20
7900	JAMES	CLERK	7698	03-DEC-81 12.00.00	950		30
7902	FORD	ANALYST	7566	03-DEC-81 12.00.00	3000		20
7934	MILLER	CLERK	7782	23-JAN-82 12.00.00	1300		10

So that was kind of a ‘trick’ – I’m not sure it’s a documented feature, although Kris did talk about it WAAAAAAAY back in 2007.

Now you can just Run > Copy > Paste!

PLSQL Warning Messages in Oracle SQL Developer

JeffS — Tue, 01 May 2012 14:52:55 +0000

If you have problems in your PL/SQL program that prevent compilation and execution of said program, then that is reported back as an ‘error.’

It could be as simple as missing a semicolon -

create or replace
FUNCTION "COUNTRIES_ROWS_BACK"
   RETURN sys_refcursor
IS
   l_curvar   sys_refcursor;
BEGIN
   OPEN l_curvar FOR 'SELECT * FROM countries'

   RETURN l_curvar;
END COUNTRIES_ROWS_bACK;

When you run this through SQL Developer, an error message is returned a la

Oracle PLSQL Error Messages in SQL Developer

Well that’s an easy fix. We’re all done! Or are we?

Enter the world of PL/SQL compile-time warnings:

To make your programs more robust and avoid problems at run time, you can turn on checking for certain warning conditions. These conditions are not serious enough to produce an error and keep you from compiling a subprogram. They might point out something in the subprogram that produces an undefined result or might create a performance problem.

To enable those in SQL Developer, go to Tools-Preferences-Database-PL/SQL Compiler.

You can enable the warnings, and you can even bump the warnings up to the level of an error. When you do this, you force the compilation to ‘break.’ Fun, right? Maybe you could employe this ‘tip’ for next year’s April Fool’s Day if you have a very good working relationship with your co-workers – but just remember you didn’t get that idea from me

Let’s take a look at how my ‘perfectly normal’ program is evaluated with warnings enabled.

ALTER SESSION SET PLSQL_WARNINGS='ENABLE:ALL';

Did you catch the yellow squiggly lines? Warnings show up in yellow as opposed to red for errors.

Quick BONUS Tip: Configure the Yellow & Red Wavy Lines

Can’t make out the yellow warning squiggles? Turn ‘em orange, or make them dotted lines or heavy underlines. It’s all in the preferences.

Wavy gravy dude...

Let’s take a quick break. If you’ve got your earphones on and you don’t mind a bit of profanity, then it’s time to harken back to 1998 before the entire software world had seen Office Space. ‘PC Load letter?!?’

Instead of cursing ‘PC Load Letter,’ you might be having similar thoughts regarding
PLW-05018 – what am I doing wrong?

Notice the ‘W‘ on the error message – it’s actually a ‘warning.’ Maybe it’s bad, maybe it’s not. You need to investigate.

In this case Oracle is warning us that the scope of the program will execute as the program’s owner, not as the current user. AUTHID CURRENT_USER allows you to let the account who is executing the program define what schema the reference objects in the code will act upon. This is not a blog about AUTHID, but there are many, many out there.

Remember, you can turn these warnings on and off, and you can also escalate them up to the ERROR level. In a development environment I think I’d at least want to see the warnings.

Note: you can define how to treat individual warnings. If you agree with a particular set, or believe so strongly in avoiding it, you can set at an individual level for it to be treated as an error.

ALTER SESSION SET PLSQL_WARNINGS='ENABLE:SEVERE', 'DISABLE:PERFORMANCE',
                                 'ERROR:06002';

You would need to add this to your logon script defined in the SQL Developer preferences as the current options are an all or nothing proposition.

Substitution Variables & HTML Reports in SQL Developer

JeffS — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 14:39:56 +0000

Martin asks -

I am searching for any method to pass any table name to a sql statement in a self-written report.

My initial response was to quote Lewis’ article in Oracle Magazine where he discusses bind variables, Making the Most of Oracle Developer Reports.

So binds work, but what about SQL*Plus Substitution Variables? You’ve seen these before:

& – Input value and use once
&& – Input value and use for entire session.

The answer is, I THINK, ‘Yes.’ Let’s investigate.

Here’s the report I was able to generate with a bit of tinkering:

Not sure this right, but that's what you get when you offshore your development to me

And here’s how I built it.

First the HTML stuff

Set the the style to 'PLSQL DBMS Output'

Lewis talk about the HTML reporting in his previously cited article.

And now the tricky Substitution Stuff

Set the ‘Style’ to ‘Script’ for your Child Report.

Then insert your SQL*Plus’ish script – note that we support most but not all SQL*Plus commands. For a full list, check out the SQL Developer Help topic on the subject.

set linesize 100
column endpoint_value format 999,999
column endpoint_number format 999,999
column TOTAL format 999,999

SELECT count(*) TOTAL, max( &&column ) AS endpoint_value, endpoint_number
FROM(
 SELECT  &&column, ntile( &&bucket ) OVER (ORDER BY &&column ) AS endpoint_number
 FROM &&table
)
 GROUP BY endpoint_number
 ORDER BY endpoint_number;

select 'Column: &&column' from dual;
select 'Table: &&table' from dual;
select 'Buckets: &&bucket' from dual;

Then save the report, and let’s run it.

SQL Developer will prompt me for the value of the COLUMN, TABLE, and number of buckets for the analytic call in the ntile function.

It prompts once and then uses the input values throughout the script as it’s ran.

Substitution Variable Prompt

Thanks Martin for the question!

I’m not a total jerk, I did ask Martin for permission to post this, and I expect we’ll continue the discussion below

SQLDev Trick: SHIFT+Hover to Peek Into a Stored Proc

JeffS — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 16:44:08 +0000

I’m poking around an unfamiliar schema or environment. I’m not sure what these procedures do. I could open them, but I’m lazy and I don’t want the tool to open another document/window.

The ‘mystery’ code:

Some PLSQL code that does...

These programs are self-documenting as they have the most awesome names ever! I’m guessing that one package will blast my enemies?, but I’m not sure. If only I could peek into the source without opening it!!!

Hmm, what’s this thing do?

The first mouse

If I hold down shift and then mouse-hover over an object in the tree, in this case some PL/SQL SYS packages, SQL Developer will peek into the object and popup the source code under your mouse.

Since I couldn’t figure out how to capture this in a screenshot, I went and did the next best thing – recorded a 10 second video. No sound, so don’t worry about my voice putting you to sleep. — STRIKE THAT –

Thanks to the awesome folks at @TechSmith, I figured out how to setup a screenshot timer delay in SnagIt!

Here’s the picture (and I’ll leave the video of course.)

Hold down 'SHIFT', then mouse over on a tree item

If you can’t see the movie frame above try clicking here to watch the movie.

ODTUG SQL Developer Tips & Tricks Presentation

JeffS — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 19:29:15 +0000

I’ve been fine-tuning my SQL Developer Tips presentation, having given it at RMOUG and now electronically for ODTUG. Still a lot of work to do until it is ‘perfect,’ but folks already seem to enjoy it (if not me.)

What I have left to do is trim the fat so I can shove as many tips and tricks into an hour presentation!

If you want to review the slides, here they are:

Of course I recommend you go straight to the source, which would be all of the ‘SQL Developer’ category posts on this blog. If you want a shortcut to the best posts, then use the SQL Developer resource page I put together.

Do you have a favorite tip or trick that I’m missing? Please share it here in the form of a comment. I’ll try to work it in for the ‘next release.’

You can see this ‘live’ and in-person for the following events:

Central Florida Oracle User Group (CFOUG), May 23
SUNCOAST Oracle User Group Meeting (SOUG), May 24
ODTUG Kscope12 Monday June 25, Session 5, 4:15 pm – 5:15 pm
A really, really big show in San Francisco this Fall

Would you like me to present to your company or organization?

Just ask!

That Jeff Smith

Sometimes the Mouse Runs Faster than your Fingers?

There’s a few things I really like here

Trim the SELECT, Use Better Table Aliases

Uncheck All

Use Better Table Aliases

Now toggle back to the Worksheet

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Mouse Over an object to get the DDL

Change How the DDL is generated on the fly

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So it’s like a search that’s increases or adds on?

Incremental Find Backward

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Now what?

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Well that’s an easy fix. We’re all done! Or are we?

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First the HTML stuff

And now the tricky Substitution Stuff

Thanks Martin for the question!

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Would you like me to present to your company or organization?

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