Main features of AQT

Advanced Query Tool has the following main features to make your database work more productive.

Simple interface

In developing Advanced Query Tool, a large amount of effort has been invested into providing a simple interface that is fast and easy to use. Many users find Advanced Query Tool worthwhile just for this interface, which accesses all their database types.

• AQT provides a very simple interface for viewing the tables in your database (both table definitions and content).
• You can do this with minimal clicking, minimal scrolling, minimal typing and a minimal amount of hunting through menus. Usability concepts explains this further.
• Given a certain job-function, we guarantee that you can do this faster with AQT than any other query tool we have seen.

Complex environments

• AQT can run against large tables and large databases, including mainframes. AQT runs happily and fast against databases with thousands of tables and millions of rows. Most other ODBC-based products are very slow in such environments.
• AQT has workarounds for dealing with the many bugs / peculiarities of ODBC drivers we have come across while developing and using AQT.
• A comprehensive facility allows Stored Procedures to be run.

Data types

• AQT can handle many data types and other situations that normal ODBC-based systems have trouble with:

  CLOB and BLOB columns can be displayed, updated and inserted

  Binary columns can be displayed in either ASCII or hex mode.

• AQT has facilities for displaying and updating large columns (thousands of bytes long).

Queries

• Run SQL statements against your database.
• A powerful Query Builder helps build Select statements.
• Build Update, Delete and Insert statements.
• You can apply a search condition (filter) to a table, to easily display particular rows of a table without knowing SQL. This builds a query that can be reused or saved (no saves in the evaluation version).
• Queries can contain substitutional parameters. AQT prompts for their values when the query is run.
• Queries can be saved for later use. Not in the evaluation version. See a list of evaluation limits.
• Queries can be read from a file and run. This includes running SQL scripts containing hundreds of SQL statements.
• Results from a query can be sent to a file (in a variety of formats).
• A number of options are provided for analysing a table. This is a powerful way to quickly gain an understanding of the data held in a table without having to write SQL.
• You can control queries: long-running queries or updates can be cancelled, or set to time-out.
• Once you have displayed a table, you can drill down and examine the rows in detail.
• Queries can be run in unattended batch mode.

The term "query" is used rather loosely to refer to any SQL statement. AQT provides many features for updating your tables too.

Updating Data

• AQT has comprehensive facilities for updating data, both individual rows and mass-updates.
• Updates can run under Transactional Control – the changes are not made until Commit (or Rollback) is selected.
• A Safe Update Mode prevents accidental updating / deleting of more rows than intended. If more than one row is updated or deleted you will be asked whether you wish the update/delete to proceed or not. This option can be switched off or configured.

System queries

For some databases AQT reads the system tables (a.k.a. catalog, dictionary) to provide you with comprehensive information about the objects in your system (not just tables but also the triggers, procedures, tablespaces, packages, security rights etc). This feature is unique to AQT.

This provides you with a large amount of information useful for understanding and managing the database. Typically, between 50 and 130 system queries are supplied with AQT for these database types.

The system queries are held in config files, and can be changed or augmented if required (we provide a tool for assisting with this). Because the system queries are held in config files, we can implement new system queries in a very short space of time.

So far, system queries have been developed for

• DB2 for LUW, DB2 for z/OS, DB2 for iSeries
• Oracle
• Sybase ASE
• Sybase Anywhere
• Sybase IQ
• SQL Server
• Informix
• MySQL
• SQLBase
• Pervasive.SQL
• Interbase / Firebird
• PostgreSQL
• SAPDB / MAXDB
• Netezza
• HP SQL/MX

Database types lists the versions for which system queries are available. Other databases will be added in the future. AQT still works with databases other than these - it is just that the system queries are not available for them.

The system-table query feature gives more information about this.