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Closed 10 years ago.
How can I connect to a remote SQL server using Mac OS X? I don't really need a GUI, but it would be nice to have for the color coding and resultset grid. I'd rather not have to use a VM.
Is there a SQL client for Mac OS X that works with MS SQL Server?
Let's work together on a canonical answer.
Native Apps
SQLPro for MSSQL
Navicat
Valentina Studio
TablePlus
Java-Based
Oracle SQL Developer (free)
SQuirrel SQL (free, open source)
Razor SQL
DB Visualizer
DBeaver (free, open source)
SQL Workbench/J (free, open source)
JetBrains DataGrip
Metabase (free, open source)
Netbeans (free, open source, full development environment)
Electron-Based
Visual Studio Code with mssql extension
Azure Data Studio
SQLectron
(TODO: Add others mentioned below)
The Java-based Oracle SQL Developer has a plugin module that supports SQL Server. I use it regularly on my Mac. It's free, too.
Here's how to install the SQL Server plugin:
Run SQL Developer
go to this menu item: Oracle SQL Developer/Preferences/Database/Third-party JDBC Drivers
Click help.
It will have pointers to the JAR files for MySQL, SQL Server, etc.
The SQL Server JAR file is available at http://sourceforge.net/projects/jtds/files/
This will be the second question in a row I've answered with this, so I think it's worth pointing out that I have no affiliation with this product, but I use it and love it and think it's the right answer to this question too: DbVisualizer.
When this question was asked there were very few tools out there were worth much. I also ended up using Fusion and a Windows client. I have tried just about everything for MAC and Linux and never found anything worthwhile. That included dbvisualizer, squirrel (particularly bad, even though the windows haters in my office swear by it), the oracle SQL developer and a bunch of others.
Nothing compared to DBArtizan on Windows as far as I was concerned and I was prepared to use it with Fusion or VirtualBox. I don't use the MS product because it is only limited to MS SQL.
Bottom line is nothing free is worthwhile, nor were most commercial non windows products
However, now (March 2010) I believe there are two serious contenders and worthwhile versions for the MAC and Linux which have a low cost associated with them. The first one is Aqua Data Studio which costs about $450 per user, which is a barely acceptable, but cheap compared to DBArtizan and others with similar functionality (but MS only). The other is RazorSQL which only costs $69 per user.
Aqua data studio is good, but a resource hog and basically pretty sluggish and has non essential features such as the ER diagram tool, which is pretty bad at that. The Razor is lightning fast and is only a 16meg download and has everything an SQL developer needs including a TSQL editor.
So the big winner is RazorSQL and for $69, well worth it and feature ridden. Believe me, after several years of waiting to find a cheap non windows substitute for DBartizan, I have finally found one and I have been very picky.
My employer produces a simple, proof-of-concept HTML5-based SQL client which can be used against any ODBC data source on the web-browser host machine, through the HTML5 WebDB-to-ODBC Bridge we also produce. These components are free, for Mac, Windows, and more.
Applicable to many of the other answers here -- the Type 1 JDBC-to-ODBC Bridge that most are referring to is the one Sun built in to and bundled with the JVM. JVM/JRE/JDK documentation has always advised against using this built-in except in experimental scenarios, or when no other option exists, because this component was built as a proof-of-concept, and was never intended for production use.
My employer makes an enterprise-grade JDBC-to-ODBC Bridge, available as either a Single-Tier (installs entirely on the client application host) or a Multi-Tier (splits components over the client application host and the ODBC data source host, enabling JDBC client applications in any JVM to use ODBC data sources on Mac, Windows, Linux, etc.). This solution isn't free.
All of the above can be used with the ODBC Drivers for Sybase & Microsoft SQL Server (or other databases) we also produce ...
I thought Sequel Pro for MySQL looked pretty interesting. It's hard to find one tool that works with all those databases (especially SQL Server 2005 . . . most people use SQL Server Management Studio and that's Windows only of course).
Squirrel SQL is a Java based SQL client, that I've had good experience with on Windows and Linux. Since it's Java, it should do the trick.
It's open source. You can run multiple sessions with multiple databases concurrently.
I vote for RazorSQL also. It's very powerful in many respects and practically supports most databases out there. I mostly use it for SQL Server, MySQL and PostgreSQL.
DbVisualizer supports many different databases. There is a free edition that I have used previously. Download from here
I have had good success over the last two years or so using Navicat for MySQL.
The UI could use a little updating, but all of the tools and options they provide make the cost justifiable for me.
I use the Navicat clients for MySQL and PostgreSQL and am happy with them. "good" is obviously subjective... how do you judge your DB clients?
I've been using Oracle SQL Developer since the Microsoft software for SQL Server is not currently available on Mac OS X. It works wonders. I would also recommend RazorSQL or SQLGrinder.
I use AquaFold at work on Windows, but it's based on Java and supports Mac OS X.
I like SQLGrinder.
It's built using Cocoa, so it looks a lot better and feels more like an Mac OS X application than all the Java-based application mentioned here.
It uses JDBC drivers to connect to Microsoft SQL Server 2005, FrontBase, MySQL, OpenBase, Oracle, PostgreSQL, and Sybase.
Free trial or $59.
I've used (DB Solo) and I like it a lot. It's only $99 and comparable to many more expensive tools. It supports Oracle, SQL Server, Sybase, MySQL, PostgreSQL and others.
Not sure about open-source, but I've heard good things about http://www.advenio.com/sqlgrinder/ (not tried it, I prefer to write Python scripts to try things out rather than use GUIs;-).
When this question was asked, Microsoft's Remote Desktop for OS X had been unsupported for years. It wasn't a Universal Binary, and I found it to be somewhat buggy (I recall that the application will just quit after a failed connection instead of allowing you to alter the connection info and try again).
At the time I recommended the Open Source CoRD, a good RDP client for Mac.
Since then Microsoft Remote Desktop Client for Mac 2 was released.
I use Eclipse's Database development plugins - like all Java based SQL editors, it works cross platform with any type 4 (ie pure Java) JDBC driver. It's ok for basic stuff (the main failing is it struggles to give transaction control -- auto-commit=true is always set it seems).
Microsoft have a decent JDBC type 4 driver: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=6D483869-816A-44CB-9787-A866235EFC7C&displaylang=en this can be used with all Java clients / programs on Win/Mac/Lin/etc.
Those people struggling with Java/JDBC on a Mac are presumably trying to use native drivers instead of JDBC ones -- I haven't used (or practically heard of) the ODBC driver bridge in almost 10 years.
It may not be the best solution if you don't already have it, but FileMaker 11 with the Actual SQL Server ODBC driver (http://www.actualtech.com/product_sqlserver.php) worked nicely for a client of mine today. The ODBC driver is only $29, but FileMaker is $299, which is why you might only consider it if you already have it.
This doesn't specifically answer your question, because I'm not sure in any clients exist in Mac OS X, but I generally just Remote Desktop into the server and work through that. Another option is VMware Fusion (which is much better than Parallels in my opinion) + Windows XP + SQL Server Management Studio.
I've used Eclipse with the Quantum-DB plugins for that purpose since I was already using Eclipse anyway.
Ed: phpMyAdmin is for MySQL, but the asker needs something for Microsoft SQL Server.
Most solutions that I found involve using an ODBC Driver and then whatever client application you use. For example, Gorilla SQL claims to be able to do that, even though the project seems abandoned.
Most good solutions are either using Remote Desktop or VMware/Parallels.
Try CoRD and modify what you want directly from the server.
It's open source.
http://cord.sourceforge.net/
For MySQL, there is Querious and Sequel Pro. The former costs US$25, and the latter is free. You can find a comparison of them here, and a list of some other Mac OS X MySQL clients here.
Steve
Since there currently isn't a MS SQL client for Mac OS X, I would, as Modesty has suggested, use Remote Desktop for the Mac.
Related
we have an applcation of some size (about 1MLOC) that were started back in the days when BDE was just about to be deprecated. Nowadays we only use it to connect to SQL Server using ODBC. It has worked surprisingly well in spite of its deprecated status, and chances are it will keep on working for another 15 years. However, no one knows if or when it stops working. And if it stops, Embarcadero wouldn't be able to do much about it. So, it's a timebomb, and we need to replace it. But with what?
The ADO-components in Delphi looks promising. There are table and query components that resembles the BDE-components, and they are not third-party components made by a one-man shop that might loose interest. We also look forward to use connection-strings instead of the clunky ODBC-Administrator.
However, about a year ago Microsoft announced that OLE DB is deprecated, and for native development we should use SQL Server Native Client ODBC driver.
So, my qestion is, is the ADO-components in Delphi hardwired to OLD DB? Or would we not be using OLE DB if we select "SQL Server Native Client" in the list of drivers?
I expect/fear that to make use of the SQL Server Native Client ODBC driver, we have to set up a datasource in ODBC-Adminstrator, like we do now. Or is it possible to connect with ODBC using connection-strings?
And what Delphi-components exists that can connect to ODBC without using OLE DB?
Yes, I know about dbExpress, but it looks like it would take us years to convert to it from BDE.
Thanks,
LandShark
We had a similar migration need 5 years ago and did quite a bit of research and testing on it. The easiest migration path from the BDE is to SDAC from devart (http://www.devart.com/sdac/). Devart has a BDE replacement utility that goes through your code and replaces the BDE components with equivalent SDAC components. It will get you about 90% of the way there then you have to manually make some changes to get everything to work (e.g., if you use fetchall, have to comment out all the fetchall code - but you will see a pattern and can fix the remaining code mostly through search and replace). Performance of the SDAC components is excellent, they support all the sql server calls and you can use encrypted connections over the internet. The components support Native SQL or OLEDB connections to SQL Server. They also work in detached mode using cached updates. Another option, if you plan on supporting other database platforms in addition to SQL server is to use UniDac - it's just like SDAC but will work with SQL Server, Oracle and others - very similar to the old BDE without the overhead.
1) "native connection" does not mean use of ODBC or OLE DB, nor BDE and DBX. Native connection mean using special library that only can connect to MS SQL and that does not uses any standard server-agnostic pipileines. Contrary BDE and DBX and ADO and ODBC are generic libraries providing connection to any server you'd install plugin for.
Generally native libraries provide you closer integration with server and use of some features that generic libraries may miss (like events in firebird/interbase servers). They can also work faster for they do not need to transcode data streams and commands to/from the pipeline public API standards.
Public interfaces OTOH aid you with easier switch of servers and easier development of server-agnostic application.
2) Why do you think that BDE -> DBX conversion would be any harder than BDE -> ODBC or BDE -> ADO or BDE-> whatever ? The conversion is the conversion. ADO also has its share of limitations and gotcha's like DBX and like any other library.
3) DBX have MS SQL plugin. DevArt offers their suit of DBX plugins and may provide better one than stock Delphi DBX MS SQL support. Or maybe not.
4) Aside of those there are few well-known server-agnostic libraries
ZeosLib - FLOSS but have poor support for recent Delphi versions. Eternal alpha.
AnyDAC - http://www.da-soft.com/anydac , commercial, well-known
UniDAC - http://www.devart.com/unidac , commercial, well-known
5) you can have a lot of direct ODBC connection on any component collector site like http://www.torry.net/pages.php?id=570
6) same for native MS SQL connectivity http://www.torry.net/pages.php?id=1513
However, evaluating those choices and making your decision requires inside context knowledge that only you can have.
We had the same problem a few years ago. I suppose if there would be a perfect solution then there wouldn't be that many alternatives.
Anyway, we switched from BDE + ODBC to ADO + SQLOLEDB. The main reasons was that it was very reliable, easy to convert, didn't require anything extra to be installed on customer computers (such as BDE) and was faster than others shipped with delphi, including DBX (when using DisableControls).
Also as a side remark, if you want to use ODBC to configure the connection, you can use the ODBC manager to configure the values but read them from the registry and connect directly without ODBC. That helped us to do the switch.
What are some good database solutions that support Silverlight and are solid for a small-medium traffic website
Easy to use/Manage is a very strong plus
edit: Forgot to mention that the database needs to be very smartphone-friendly, it needs to be able to work with devices on iOS, Android, and Windows Phone 7
It depends on what you term small-medium. I would say SQL Server Express should suit your needs.
It is free, but your database size cannot be more than 10 GB. It also limits the resources that can be used from the server.
http://www.microsoft.com/express/Database/Default.aspx
Silverlight is not bound to a database.
Every database available to ADO.NET is usable within .NET.
MSSQL Express is a good solution (especially in .NET env) as well as any other like MySQL.
SQL Server Express is a pretty obvious choice. Integrates very well, tons of first class documentation, very reliable, good management studio, upgradeable to more powerful versions etc.
Considering your edit, it appears to be a windows phone 7 app that you're going to make, and that you want the database stored on the phone (as opposed to connecting to an internet based datasource). In that case, you might want to take a look at SQL Server 2008 Compact.
Scott Hanselman has an article about using EF Code First with SQL Server Compact (His solution does not specifically include Silverlight, but it works just the same iirc) here.
Which of the Database servers would you people recommend for using in a moderate-to-large scale (will vary from customer to customer) application.
I know MS SQL but since the app will be developed using delphi the .net framework is kind of annoying to deploy aswell. Also how realiable is Interbase.
Thanks in advance.
Since I have been developing in Firebird for several years now, if I were in your situation, I would look no further. The fact that you can develop your own extension library (udf library) in Delphi makes it very attractive to start with. Some of the new SQL constructs like the List aggregator and Common Table Expressions are icing on the cake. Deployment is very light (under 5 MB), and the support is excellent including incredible tools like IBExpert. I used MS SQL Server in a big company I worked at a few years ago and I would choose Firebird over MS SQL Server.
Data Access to SQL Server has nothing to do with the .NET framework. Delphi can connect just fine to SQL Server.
In terms of database engines that work with delphi, another you can consider is the Sybase Advantage Database server
Interbase is as reliable as they come. In fact, I'd like to get a job as an Interbase DBA, because I could uses the sleep.
I would definitely recommend looking at Interbase by Embarcadero or the open-source sibling, Firebird. Both are very well supported by Delphi by means of native, high-performance db-access components and such.
Interbase is a totally rock-solid database - I would put it on a par with SQL Server or Oracle. It's totally capable of handling medium to high traffic for at least 50-100 users concurrently, no problem at all.
Another two worth competitor would be Elevate DB and Nexus DB. Both grew out of Delphi file-based database systems, and both have been around for quite some time (in one form or another) and are well proven, widely used, well tested.
Marc
This seems back-to-front to me. I would choose the database server first, then select the development environment that works best with the selected database.
SQL Server. For 2005, you can make your own SQL Server deployment application that automates installing of Windows Installer 3.1, .NET Framework 2.0, SQL Server 2005 then installing the database through generatated SQL script (Feel free to contact me if you need help with it, I'd gladly help you). If you still insist on not installing .Net framework which is 22MB, I'd say go with SQL Server 2000 as you can still upgrade it to 2005+ when you'd like to.
Also, I had been using Advantage Database Server for few years and it's alright, Few DLLs to copy and you're ready to go even if you'd like to switch to remote version.
Both Server and Client installations of MS SQL require the .NET framework on the target machine. That's about it. If we can use ms sql without .net on target machine then ms sql is fine.
I have being developing in Delphi for about 6 years using distinct editions of SQL Server, and this database server behaved very very well. All of them were critical applications.
So, I would recommend you to keep with it.If you don't want to use .NET with and keep SQL Server I would recommend an older version pre-2005.
This isn't really an answer, but some things you might like to consider before making your mind up.
What do you mean by moderate-to-large scale? Do you mean by the number of concurrent users or by the amount of data being stored?
Are you going to be supporting the database as well when it's deployed, or might the customer have their own DBAs and want to incorporate it into their infrastructure team's remit?
Do you need to build-in complex features like auditing or granular security that some databases might provide out-of-the-box? Do you need to be able to run an overnight batch process on the database in some controlled manner?
Do you need to be able to have robust high-volume transactional support, or is it more for just using as a sink for reporting data? i.e. is it more OLTP or OLAP?
Are you limited by cost? i.e. does it need to be free/open-source, or can you select paid-for vendor product?
Both Firebird & Interbase are great, but not generally well-received into an "enterprise" environment in my experience unless they're "hands-off" and embedded into the application. MS SQL Server is a "safe-bet" for most systems. There is a cost associated with it but, as you know, it does come with a complete toolset and very good support.
If you do go down the Firebird or Interbase route then do take a look at Jason Wharton's IBObjects library which provides a high-performance replacement for BDE when using these databases. http://www.ibobjects.com/
Is it possible to use e.g. SQLite with PowerBuilder? I need an embedded open source database (no additional costs).
Like Bernard said, you'll need an ODBC driver, so as long as you're willing to go third party (if I understand the SQLite situation correctly), that should be no problem.
That said, if you have PowerBuilder, you have license to distribute the single-user SQL Anywhere run time engine. If no-cost is your only criteria, and you're only connecting locally, SQL Anywhere may be an option to evaluate. Not only is it an incredibly solid database, but there's a much larger base of documentation and experience connecting PowerBuilder to SQL Anywhere, so if you run into problems, you're more likely to get some help.
Good luck.
I don't believe that PowerBuilder contains a driver for native support to SQLite. But it definitely has a driver for ODBC, so that is always an option even if it isn't the most efficient one.
I used to use SQL Anywhere, but eventually ditched it for the reasons Joe Landau gave - can't change the schema using the distributable runtime engine.
I switched to Firebird, which has an embedded version, and that seems solid. The only issue is that the ODBC driver I'm using (Gemini), which seems to be the best one available, seems to have gone out of business. (I just checked - it seems to be available on other sites.) And you have to add the following to your PBODB*.INI file:
[Firebird]
PBSyntax='Firebird_SYNTAX'
PBNoCatalog='YES'
[Firebird_SYNTAX]
CreateTable='CREATE TABLE &TableName (::ColumnElement[::ColumnElement]...)'
ColumnElement='&ColumnName &DataType'
DropTable='DROP TABLE &TableName'
GetIdentity='Select gen_id(GEN_&TableName,0) from RDB$DATABASE'
I've been very happy with it. Using it for almost 2 years, with over 1,000 users, and no problems whatsoever. You can also easily switch to the Firebird server version if some users need that.
As noted, SQL Anywhere is available and solid. But it has a disadvantage--you can't change the schema using the run time engine. This makes it hard to, say, add a column to a db that you have distributed.
++ to the comments by DC on Firebird. One of the best free databases out there. I have used it for years for a PB application I sell to Law Firms.
Although I use the server version even if the target is a single workstation. Simplifies the deployment and the issue of adding workstations later if desired.
I use the standard Firebird ODBC driver at http://www.firebirdsql.org/index.php?op=files&id=odbc
There are two good GUI front database management tools that I hve used - IBOConsole and Flamerobin.
As it currently stands, this question is not a good fit for our Q&A format. We expect answers to be supported by facts, references, or expertise, but this question will likely solicit debate, arguments, polling, or extended discussion. If you feel that this question can be improved and possibly reopened, visit the help center for guidance.
Closed 10 years ago.
I'm currently using Toad for my day-to-day work on our databases (queries, updates, small scripts, browsing of db objects, etc.).
My question is: since my version of Toad is old and buggy, which are the (possibly free, but not necessarily) alternatives to Toad?
The database versions we are using are 10g and 9i.
Thanks a lot.
Oracle's SQL Developer.
PL/SQL Developer from http://www.allroundautomations.nl/. Presented between a choice between Toad and PL/SQL developer, about half the developers prefer PL/SQL developer. I have to admit the code completion in PL/SQL developer is much better, but I still prefer Toad for the DBMS management functionality.
TOra is an another good option. I used the pre GPL version for years. It's a good simple SQL tool for Oracle.
It supports schema browsing, analyse plan, limited debugging plus all the stuff you'd expect.
I've used Squirrel-SQL (which is a Java/JDBC based program and will work with any OS or database that provides a driver) and the database development tools for Eclipse (Eclipse-DTP). Both are certainly sufficient for light database work. Both are free and open-source.
After trying other products for some months, I'm back to Toad.
And I have to admit that (IMHO, and for the type of use that I'm doing of it): I've found no alternative to Toad.
The indispensable features that are missing in other products are:
Speed. Toad is blazingly fast; SQL Developer starts to crawl if you open more than 2 or 3 connections. When you have to operate with time constraints, you really can't wait SQL Developer to open.
The "open a new window until commit" functionality (a new window is opened after an insert or update statement, and you are forced to commit or rollback). Really handy to avoid pending commits.
The "execute current statement" functionality (shift-F9). SQL Developer doesn't have it, or you are forced to select the query you want to execute.
I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned DbVisualizer yet. Our company has been using it for a few years and everybody seems happy with it. It's powerful, runs on multiple platforms (Java-based) and supports different database systems (Oracle, DB2, MS Access etc). It has a free version; a commercial version is available if you need more features.
Simple answer:
Use Textpad or another text editor.
Explanation:
For me PL/SQL development is a process that has evolved over time. I've tried to apply continuous improvement to SQL development and it has worked out wonderfully for me. (for more on continuous improvement/Kaizen see link text)
I found PL/SQL IDE tools to be unstable.
I've had several crashes of Quest Software's TOAD as well as Quest Software's SQL Navigator (I've been using it since Version 3).
I lost work.
I tried other IDE PL/SQL tools.
These tools also crashed.
I lost work again.
I got frustrated.
I do not trust PL/SQL software development to any of the PL/SQL IDE tools out there.
Here are my PL/SQL coding core practices:
1. Export code using Quest Software TOAD
2. Use a Cygwin bash script to move files into the appropriate directories
3. Compare versions via BeyondCompare (if needed)
4. Check code out of WinCVS / CVSNT (if needed)
5. Edit using TextPad
6. Compare versions via BeyondCompare (if needed)
7. Check code in to WinCVS / CVSNT (if needed)
8. Use a Cygwin bash script to create a master changes file.
9. Import code back using Quest Software TOAD
An even more lengthy explanation:
I use Quest Software TOAD to export all PL/SQL and table DDL code to the filesystem.
In the Database menu -> Export -> Source Code
In the Database menu -> Export -> Table Scripts
This gets me individual files for each database object.
I move these files (Cygwin bash script) in directories
based on the file extensions.
*.prc files in /procedures
*.fnc files in /functions
*.pks and *.pkb files in /proceudres
*.trg files in /triggers
*.vw files in /views
*.sql files in /table_scripts
These files are initially checked into CVS.
(I use WinCVS/CVSNT server side)
I Beyond Compare each file version exported by TOAD
with the version already in CVS.
I ensure that the CVS sql repository is up to date.
In other words I need to have a good starting baseline.
I then use TextPad to edit the PL/SQL code.
link text
I pre-configure my Textpad with SQL syntax files
to make it easier on the eyes
link text
After editing, I Beyond Compare each edited
file version exported with the version
in WinCVS.
Luckily, WinCVS allows you to use an external
diff (Beyond Compare) which comes in very handy.
I load the new/changed code via TOAD to a test schema.
In the SQL Editor menu -> Load and Execute a Script File
I test the code out. (do some debug runs)
If the code tests out, I check the code into CVS.
At the end, I use Cygwin bash (and a bash script I've written) to create a master changes file. This master changes file contains all of the changes that need to be applied to bring the live schema up to date. This saves me a lot of time.
I then load the new/changed code via TOAD to a live schema. In the SQL Editor menu -> Load and Execute a Script File. That's about it. Software engineering is about process, versioning (CVS) and automating builds (bash script).
The biggest lesson out of all this (that have made me 10 times more productive) was switching from DB-based PL/SQL IDEs to simple ASCII text files. KIS in action.
If a copy your code resides in an ASCII file you avoid:
- mucking up the DB
- locking up DB objects
- iffy DB based revision control tools (if any)
- iffy DB diff tools (if any)
- losing code due to IDE crashes
- losing code due to DB crashes / shutdowns
- losing code due to concurrent editing (this can happen if two or more PL/SQL developers edit the same procedure)
Instead if you handle all PL/SQL code in filesystem ASCII files you have
- your choice of text editors (TextPad,notepad++,vi,etc)
- your choice of revision control systems (CVS,svn)
- your choice of text filtering/handling/scripting systems (I like Cygwin bash)
- your choice of diff tools (Beyond Compare,WinDiff,diff)
- your choice of DB tools (I can use TOAD, SQL Navigator) for importing and exporting the PL/SQL code to files.
I wanted a version history of all code changes.
I wanted to get everyone working together and prevent developers from stepping on each other's toes.
I wanted the freedom to choose my tools.
The side effect of this is that I handle all of the DB code in the filesystem during rapid development.
Just my 2 cents.
I'll toss in my vote for SQLPal. It's free. Most of the features it has works really well (auto-competition has never seemed to work). I'm using it against a 10g database daily and it works great.
I've been using Golden from Benthic Software as a SQL*Plus replacement for a long time and love it.
http://www.benthicsoftware.com/products.htm
If we had to pay then I would strongly recommend PL/SQL Developer for database code writting and TOAD for administration tasks.
From the free solutions I've been using so far especially four of them: (Oracle) SQL Developer, SQL Tools, SQLPal and TORA.
I've found SQL Developer as the one with the most utilities.
Unfortunately its java GUI makes it prone to hanging too much often.
SQL Tools is a very nice instrument except one thing: it has not an
auto-fill functionality / code-completion (e.g. table names and columns). If you could
pass this issue then ... go for it.
SQLPal it's good as long as you have to look at only one database
object at time. I just don't understand why displaying a simply
new window is, in fapt, meaning to open a completely new instance
of the application. It has its auto-fill functionality but that makes it very laggy. I would place a minus for its JDBC only available connection option. Such limitation makes it sometimes to hang while waiting to retrieve database metadictionay information.
TORA - it's a nice tool except the code completion ... I just couldn't make it working. And from the forums I could get that this is a pretty common problem. Otherwise its GUI is
almost flawless.
My conclusion: I hate to say it, I am an open-source fan but ... simply buy PL/SQL Developer / TOAD if you have to work intensively with such tools .
I would also recommend Oracle's SQL Developer, however I've found WinSQL to be quite good as well. SQL Developer is free and WinSQL has a community version that is quite robust, and works well against other platforms too (I also use it for working with Netezza).
I've used OraDeveloper by DevArt to connect to Oracle databases. It's nice because it plugs into Visual Studio in much the same way as the SQL Server databases can be queried through Server Explorer. It is not free, but in our case it came free with the purchase of OraDirect .Net, which is a new provider that allows Oracle to work with Microsoft's Entity Framework.
Having done 3 years in one job using TOAD, and now 5 years in current job using PL/SQL Developer, I would say overall TOAD is a better tool, but if you are specifically developing stored procedures in PL/SQL, PL/SQL Developer is better.
Don't forget get to set up the context sensitive help (under Help - HTML Manuals)
You could also use sqltools, which some of my colleagues prefer. I never got used to it, but looks powerful.
I use PL/SQL Developer for running multiple queries and stored procedure development, as it's rock solid, and you can kill the process via Task Manager, and get back all your windows upon starting up again.
I use TOAD for browsing, as that functionality can't be beat. But it's flaky on me, hanging, etc, although that is probably my computer..
I would buy both. I have both open now.
For accessing odd sources (OSISoft PI, JDE on AS400, 4D, Access, Excel), I use Advanced Query Tool. It's great to be able to use SQL against an Excel sheet of a proposed table, to create your DDL.
I love Toad. I had to switch to Embarcadero's Rapid SQL for two months and it damn near killed me. So while I don't know of any products that are better than Toad, I can say without reservation that Rapid SQL is wholly inadequate.
We are using RazorSQL for Oracle and also DB2. It is low cost and has a ton of features.
PLSQL Developer very good for Oracle DBMS, specifically for Stored Proc, but not so well for the DBMS management.
Just to throw it out there - did you know you can grab the beta of Toad 4.1 and use that for free? The betas are always free to the public.
I've used Embarcadero DBArtisan (not free)
I thought it was good.
I second the SQL Developer comments. FWIW, the newer versions of Toad are much more stable than the golden oldies were. I'm using Toad 9.7 and it's quite good.
I'm using PL/SQL Developer, which I think one of the best oracle database tools, it's lite and fast, I have one copy in my USB flash to allow me to use it in any pc(you just copy it from the program files folder and place it in the flash and it will work fine).
Also I bought OraDeveloper from DevArt three months ago, it's has some good features, but it's slower than PL/SQL Developer and require .Net framekwork. but the good thing that it has direct connection to Oracle, so you can use it from any PC without requiring Oracle client to be installed.
Another tools is EMS SQL Management Studio for Oracle, which looks nice, and have some nice features specially with import/export from other format.
http://sqlmanager.net/en/products/studio/oracle
and for free one you can use AnySQL Maestro, which has support for Oracle/MySql/Sql server and offer AnySql Maestro for free
http://www.sqlmaestro.com/
I've tried most of the tools suggested above, and found that I prefer this one over all of them (including TOAD):
SQLDetective
SQL Studio for Oracle is really nice...
Dreamcoder offers good set of tools for Database Management.
I prefer both Toad or SQL Developer. But I give more preference to Toad because of features like-
If you want to update your select result in toad, just add the ROWID
is your select statement. Once you select the records with ROWID then
you can edit/update your result grid.
Also, the session and Database monitoring monitoring features are much better in Toad. The only downside of Toad is that it requires Oracle SQL Client to be installed (which may be the case with any other non-Oracle branded tool), on the other hand Oracle SQL Client installation is not necessary for SQL Developer.
Worked with PL/SQL developer. It rocks.