SQLConnect
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Just unzip the SQLConnect.zip file. It will create an SQLConnect folder. The folder will contain SQLConnect.jar file which is an executable jar file. To start SQLConnect, double click on that jar file. You have to have Java Runtime Environment version 1.3 or later properly installed on your system.
If double-clicking does not work, open a command prompt and navigate to the SQLConnect directory. Then type:
java -jar SQLConnect.jar
If you wish to start working with the demo database, use File|Open Project menu option and open the demo.pjt file found in the root SQLConnect directory. The demo project connects to a sample HypersonicSQL database and contains a few sample queries to the tables in that database.
SQLConnect allows you to perform different database related functions. Functions related to a database as a whole, like connecting to a database, creating a backup for a database, restoring a database from a backup file, examining the properties of a database, can be found under the Database menu.
To establish a database connection, choose Database|Set DB Connection from the main menu. In this dialog you are asked to supply user name, password, driver class name and driver URL. Those properties are required by all JDBC drivers in order to connect to their corresponding databases.
If your JDBC driver is NOT in your CLASSPATH, you have to add it to SQLConnect using the Tools|JDBC Drivers dialog. See the section below to find out how.
Note: The combo box Database Types contains sample driver classes and driver URLs for most common databases. However, the samples shown are not the only way to use those JDBC database drivers. Please consult your database vendor documentation for more information.
Before connecting to a database you will be usually required to add a JDBC driver to SQLConnect. Select Tools|JDBC Drivers from the main menu. This dialog allows you to add and remove JDBC drivers.
To add a driver, click Add and select the file that contains the driver (usually a JAR or a ZIP file).
To remove a driver, select it from the list of currently loaded ones and click Remove.
To back up your database (or part of it) into a SQL file, select Database|Create Database Backup from the main menu. This dialog allows you to create a backup of several or all the tables of your database.
Navigate to the tables in the tree on the left side and use the arrow buttons to select the tables you wish to backup. If you select the Include Data check box, then along with the table structure, you will create a backup of the tables' data.
Hit the Backup button to create the backup in a SQL file.
Later you can restore the database from that backup by choosing Database|Restore Database from Backup from the main menu.
Once you have your database connection established, you are ready to create and execute queries against that database. There are two ways to create your queries: using a standard SQL query or using the Design Query Dialog.
Once you create your query, just right click on it to execute it, edit it, or remove it if you think you'll no longer need it. Clicking on any one of the queries will display the SQL code that will be executed against the database.
Select Query|Create SQLQuery or press the shortcut button on the toolbar to create a standard SQL query. Put a name of the query that will allow you to recognize it later quickly and type the query body on the right side. Note that you can execute any SQL query against the database including SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE statements, etc.
Tip: Since the Browse/Edit Tables dialog is non-modal, you can check the database definition for table and field names while typing the query.
The Design Query Dialog is the easiest way to create sophisticated SQL queries without actually having any experience in the SQL language. Just navigate down to the fields that you wish to see in your query, specify if you wish to sort on them, add a WHERE clause and you are ready to go.
Query Name: Put a name of the query that will help you recognize it quickly later.
Available Fields Use this tree to navigate down to the fields you wish to add to your query. Once you find them, either double click on them, drag them over to the right side of the dialog, or use the ">>" button.
Selected Fields: This table holds the current field selection for the query you are designing. For each field you have the option to specify if it should be sorted and visible. Some times you may want to add a field only to sort on and you don't wish to actually see it on the query result.
Where Clause: Use this text area to put any restriction to the result records. For example if you have a COUNTY table you may wish to see only countries with population grater than 10,000,000 people. Your where clause should look something like: COUNTY.POPULATION > 10000000. Drag a field from the Available Fields panel and drop it in the Where Clause text area to get the full field name.
After defining a query, you can execute it and the result will be displayed in a table format below. Each query will be displayed in a separate tab. If you wish to close a query result tab that you no longer need, just right-click on it and select the Remove menu option. If you wish to close all query results, select Query|Remove All Query Results from the main menu.
Note that you will get only as many records as you've specified in the Tools|Options dialog. Of course you can choose to get all records back.
After a query is executed, you may print it. Choose File|Print Report and you will see a print preview dialog of your query formatted as a report for printing. In this dialog you can use the File|Page Setup menu option to adjust the layout of the pages and use the File|Print menu option to print the report.
Choosing the Report|Properties menu option will bring up the Report Properties dialog. This dialog allows you to set different properties for the report you are working on.
Report Title - Enter the name of the report here. The default is the name of the query that was used as a base of the report.
Title Position - Choose where you want the title to appear. The default value is CENTER.
Column Width/Row Height - Changing these parameters will affect how many columns/rows you have on a single page, thus making your report use more or less pages to print.
Show Row Lines - Check this box if you want to see the lines that separate the rows.
Some queries to the database may have to bring back big number of records. In order to avoid long delays and insufficient memory problems, you can set the maximum number of records returned from your queries. The default is 100, but you can choose any number. Just go to Tools|Options menu to display the Options dialog. You also have an option to get all records back.
SQLConnect allows you to save your current connection information and the list of your queries into an external project file that can be re-opened for later use. Just select File|Save Project or File|Open Project menu options.
Compatibility: The format of the project files is guaranteed to be backwards compatible starting from version 1.2.
SQLConnect has some useful table manipulation functionality. You can create new tables, delete existing ones, modify the data of a table, etc.
Enter the name of the new table in the Table Name edit box and use the buttons Insert New Field and Remove Field to manipulate the fields.
For each field you should specify name, type, width and decimal width if applicable and set a flag showing if the field is nullable or not.
When you are done, press the Create Table button.
SQLConnect allows you to browse the definition of your database in one compact, easy-to-use dialog. Just select Table|Browse/Edit Tables menu and you will see a dialog that will be populated with information about the schemas, tables, fields, and indexes from your database.
Navigate the tree on the left and click on any node to see the node's properties on the right side.
Right clicking on a table allows you to:
Right clicking on a field allows you to:
Right clicking on an index allows you to remove that index.
In case you execute an update request that changes the database definition, click on the "Reload" button to refresh this dialog.
This dialog allows you to edit the data of a selected table. It has two views: Table View and Form View. The table view gives you all records in a table, while the form view allows you to edit a record at a time. You can switch between the two views by using the radio buttons in the lower right corner of the dialog.
Using the Navigation Panel at the bottom of the dialog you can:
If you are in table view and you have some rows selected, right click on them to see the Cut/Copy/Paste popup menu. This menu is a shortcut for quick and easy re-arranging of rows already entered in the table.
When you are done editing, press Commit. If you make a mistake while editing, you can use the Rollback button to revert to the most recently committed state of the table.
SQLConnect allows you to easily import data into your database. Connect to the database you wish to import to and select Table|Import Wizard from the main menu. You will see the Import Wizard.
The Import Wizard is designed to be used as a central place for importing data from different sources into your database. Currently, SQLConnect supports importing data from other JDBC databases or from DBF files. Make your choice in the initial screen and follow the instructions to successfully import your data.
SQLConnect allows you to easily export data from your database. Connect to the database you wish to export from and select Table|Export Wizard from the main menu. You will see the Export Wizard.
The Export Wizard is designed to be used as a central place for exporting data from your database to different data destinations. Currently, SQLConnect supports exporting data to other JDBC databases, DBF files, ASCII Delimited files, ASCII Fixed Width files, HTML files. Follow the instructions of the wizard to successfully export your data.
