Oracle SQL Developer 2.1: Design and Develop Databases using Oracle SQL Developer and its feature-rich, powerful user-extensible interface with this book and eBook

SQL Developer is available through a variety of sources as both a standalone download and as part of the Oracle Database and Oracle JDeveloper installations.

SQL Developer is a free product, and you can download it from the Oracle Technology Network, http://www.oracle.com/technology/products/database/sql_developer. Use this link to reach the download for the latest standalone production release. It also includes details of the release and is regularly updated with news of preview releases and new articles. While SQL Developer is free to download and use, you are required to read and agree to the license before you can proceed with the download. The product also falls under Oracle Support contracts, if you have a Support contract for the database, which means that you can log Oracle Support tickets.

SQL Developer does not use an installer. All you need to do is unzip the given file into an empty folder, locate, and run the executable.

Unzipping the file creates an sqldeveloper folder, which includes a selection of sub-folders and files, including the sqldeveloper.exe executable.

If your download does not include the JDK, then you'll be prompted for the full path of the java.exe. Browse to the location of the file and select it. The path should include the full path and executable (for example, C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.6.0_13\bin\java.exe):

Migrating settings from a previous release

On the initial startup of any release of SQL Developer, you may be asked one or two questions. The first is the location of the Java executable of the JDK as discussed. If you have installed the full release with the JDK, this question is skipped. The second question is if you want to migrate any preferences from a previous release. Regardless of whether this is the first SQL Developer install on the machine or not, the first time you invoke SQL Developer, you are offered the choice of migrating your settings. You can migrate settings of any release from SQL Developer 1.5 and above. By default, the utility looks for the latest previous installation of the software.

If you want to migrate from a different installation, select the Show All Installations button (seen above). This displays a list of all SQL Developer installations that have the system folder in the Documents and Settings system folder (for example, C:\Documents and Settings\<your_user>\Application Data\SQL Developer\system1.5.1.54.40) and includes releases from SQL Developer 1.5 and above. For releases prior to SQL Developer 1.5, the system folder was created within the SQL Developer install (for example, D:\SQLDeveloper\Builds\1.2.1\1.2.1.3213\sqldeveloper\sqldeveloper\system).

Once you have SQL Developer installed, it is helpful to know about the environmental settings and some of the files that are created when you start the product. Knowing about the version you have installed is important if only to be able to identify this when asking questions on the forum, or when contacting Oracle Support.

Verifying the current release

To verify the SQL Developer release you have, select the Help | About menu once you start SQL Developer or JDeveloper. In the dialog invoked, select the Extensions tab and find the Oracle SQL Developer extension, as shown in the next screenshot. This will match the build number on the download site if you have the latest release. The screenshot shows a number of the extensions that make up SQL Developer. If your dialog does not show the Version or Status columns, you can select the column headers to resize the visible columns and bring the others into focus.

SQL Developer offers a built-in patching and extensions utility, known as Check for Updates. Check for Updates is used to release:

You can control whether Check for Updates warns you about new updates using the Tools | Preferences menu. Select Extensions and then select Automatically Check for Updates. For SQL Developer extensions, if you already have SQL Developer installed and you're not secured by a firewall, you'll be alerted about new updates. You need not use the utility to get the updates, but you'll be aware of the latest release from the alert. For all other extensions, you need to start Check for Updates to see what's available. To do this, select Help | Check for Updates. In either situation, just follow the dialog to find the updates you require.

You can initially elect to see just the third-party updates, or all updates available, by selecting all options, as shown in the following screenshot:

The database drivers for some of the non-Oracle databases are located in Third Party SQL Developer Extensions. The Third Party update center also includes a selection of customer developed SQL Developer extensions. The customer extensions are developed, supported, and updated by the customer involved, and are not tested, certified, or supported by Oracle.

As with all software downloads from the Internet, you are required to read and accept the license agreements. The Check for Updates utility directs you to the appropriate licenses, before downloading the software. If the updates are from Oracle, you will need to provide your Oracle Technology Network sign-on details.

Check for Updates is only used to apply patches to your install. Starting with SQL Developer 1.5.1, the team released patches which are applied to upgrade the product in place. These patches fixed one or two bugs and did not constitute a new download, or even a full install. For all other releases, you need to do a full install as described earlier.

We have been discussing the installation and management of the independent release of SQL Developer available on the Oracle Technology Network. SQL Developer is also available as part of the Oracle Database and Oracle JDeveloper installations.

Troubleshooting

It seems ominous to provide a section on troubleshooting at the start of a book! If you accept that software can get in a tangle sometimes, either if you use the product as it's not designed, or perhaps include extensions that you'd prefer not to have and the product is no longer behaving as expected, then a few hints on how to escape that tangle can be useful.

Removing extensions

If you have created your own extensions, or have downloaded and installed other extensions that you no longer require, then invoke the preferences, using the menu Tools | Preferences and select Extensions from the tree. Here you see that SQL Developer includes a number of default extensions, such as the Oracle TimesTen extension. In addition, any extension that you have included is listed here. You can deselect extensions here and the product will no longer access them. This does not delete the files installed for the extension. You will need to manually delete any files downloaded for that to happen. However, it does mean that you can restart the product and see if the extension is the root of the problem.

Resetting shortcut keys

Some users find that their keyboard shortcuts no longer work as expected. In this circumstance, you can select the menu Tools | Preferences, and then select Shortcut Keys from the tree. Click on the More Actions drop-down list and select Load Keyboard Scheme…, as shown in the following screenshot. Select Default from the dialog to reset the keyboard accelerators to the shipped settings. This also replaces any settings you have added.

Note

In releases prior to SQL Developer 2.1, the Shortcut Keys are called Accelerators. In these releases, to reset the keys, select Load Preset.

Reset the environment, do not reinstall the product

When things go wrong, users sometimes resort to deleting and reinstalling a product. This may even require downloading the files again. This is time consuming, and in the case of SQL Developer, not necessary. Assuming you have not edited any of the .jar files (it's been known to happen and not legally permitted), you can reset the product to the shipped factory settings by deleting the system folder. Before you delete the system folder, export your connections and shut down SQL Developer.

Note

Export Connections: To export your connections, select Connections, right-click and select Export Connections. Save the file to a new location.

When troubleshooting, deleting the system folder is useful. However, by deleting this folder you are also deleting all of the changes made to the preferences, your connections, and any layout changes you have made. Therefore, it is recommended that you delete the folder as a last resort, and not as a standard approach to troubleshooting.

Note

Reset to factory settings

For Microsoft Windows, delete the \Documents and Settings\<your_user>\Application Data\SQL Developer folder to reset SQL Developer to the shipped factory settings.

For Linux, remove the ~.sqldeveloper folder and on the Mac, remove the ~/Library/Application Support/SQL Developer folder.

In addition to deleting all of the preferences set and connections created, this action also deletes user-defined reports, your SQL history, and any code templates and snippets you have created. In general, delete the lower level system folder for a less drastic reset.

To follow the examples in the book, you need access to SYSTEM and the shipped sample schemas, HR, OE, SH, PM, and IX available in Oracle Database 9i, 10g, or 11g. Specifically, this book uses the sample schemas shipped with Oracle Database 11g.

There are two ways to install the sample schema. The first way is when you install the database. You can elect to have the sample schema installed at that point.

Second, if you have not installed these, then you can locate the sample schema in the $ORACLE_HOME/demo/schema folder and follow the instructions on installing them using the Oracle online documentation. Not all of these schemas are available for Oracle Express Edition. In this chapter, we use SYSTEM to verify the HR schema is unlocked, and then we use the HR sample schema, which is available in Oracle Express Edition.

To complete this quick walk-through, you need to know the username and password of the SYSTEM user. You also need to know the location of the database, whether this is the machine name or the IP address, and the database SID.

To begin, start SQL Developer. The very first time you start SQL Developer, you'll be asked if you want to migrate from a previous version. Select No and allow the tool to start up.

The first thing you need to do after you have started SQL Developer for the first time is to create your initial connections.

Create a connection for SYSTEM:

You are now connected as SYSTEM. Use this connection to verify your other users, by continuing as follows:

Now you are really ready to begin!

As soon as you connect to a user, SQL Developer opens an SQL Worksheet. You may have started working with Oracle using the SQL*Plus command line, or even the GUI window. Either way, you'd start with a selection of SQL*Plus and SQL commands.

Enter the following into the SQL Worksheet:

DESC DEPARTMENTS
SELECT * FROM DEPARTMENTS;

Press the F5 key (or use the Run Script button).

The output of both commands appears in the Script Output tab, which appears below the SQL Worksheet (as seen in the previous screenshot). Both commands are handled by a few simple clicks of the mouse in SQL Developer.

Select and expand the HR_11g connection in the Connections navigator. Expand the Tables node and select DEPARTMENTS.

The DEPARTMENTS tab now opens, displaying a list of the column names and details. These are the same details as given by the DESC (describe) SQL*Plus command that you entered in the SQL Worksheet. It also provides additional detail, such as the Primary Key and column comments.

Select the Data tab and notice that you now see the output from your second command. These two tabs are included with a number of other tabs, each with additional details about the DEPARTMENTS table. You would need to write a number of SQL queries in order to get the additional detail from the data dictionary if you were working in SQL*Plus.

Select the EMPLOYEES table. Notice that the new table, EMPLOYEES, immediately replaces the previous DEPARTMENTS table with its details. Select the Triggers tab, and select one of the triggers. The trigger and related trigger detail is displayed in a master-detail window:

Return to the EMPLOYEES data by again selecting the Data tab. The data grid that is displayed provides a variety of options. To get started with the data grid, double-click on an item or field, such as the name of one of the employees, and change it. Tab out of the field and notice that the change is applied to the data grid and an asterisk (*) flags the record. Commit and Rollback buttons are available to send the change to the database, or to undo your action. Roll back the changes.

Once again you get feedback, this time in the Data Editor log, as shown in the following screenshot:

Select the Reports navigator and expand the Data Dictionary Reports node. Expand the Table node and review the available reports. Expand Constraints and select the Unique Constraints report. As you select the report, a dialog displays requesting the Connection name. Select the connection you created, HR_11g, and click on OK. An Enter Bind Values dialog now appears, requesting the table name as an input parameter. Click on Apply to accept the default, which in this case, means all tables:

With the exception of the SQL Worksheet and its associated tabs, all of the main tabbed dialogs can be minimized or maximized and accessed while docked or undocked. These menu controls are available through context menus in the tabs:

You can rearrange tabbed windows by selecting and dragging the tab into place. Once any window is minimized, roll your mouse over the minimized tab to display a floating window that stays active while your mouse lies over it and rolls back into place when you move off. This is very useful when working with temporary windows such as Snippets and Find DB Object. The following screenshot shows the floating window for the Snippets dialog. If you roll the mouse over the area, you can work in the window (for example, navigating about until you have located the snippet of code you are after, and then drag the code onto the worksheet). The window will minimize out of the way once you have moved off it.

You can undock the floating window, move it off to one side, and keep it undocked while you work with the SQL Worksheet. In a dual-monitor setup, you can drag the floating window onto one monitor, while working with the SQL Worksheet on the other monitor.

Tiling windows

Once you start working with connections, you have more windows and tabs to deal with, especially if you have more than one connection created. Select the HR_11g connection created in the previous section, expand the connection and Tables node, and select EMPLOYEES. In the table definition window, select the pin button, as shown below, to freeze the view.

Now, select the DEPARTMENTS table. A second table definition window opens to display the details from the new table. Select the DEPARTMENTS tab and drag it down to the lower portion of the screen. Notice the shape of the dragged object change as you drag it slightly to the left, to the center, and the lower portion of the window. Each of the shapes represents a different layout position. Release the mouse to secure the new position. The screenshots, which follow, display two of the available positions:

Splitting documents

When you tile windows, you can compare the details of two tables. However, as each table has a selection of tabs, it's useful to be able to review details in the tabs without having to switch back and forth between tabs. As is true for other layout features, you can split the document using a menu, or by drag-and-drop. Each of the object definitions tabbed displays has a drag bar on the top and bottom right that you can select and drag to split the window horizontally, or vertically:

If you move your windows about a great deal, you may find that you want to get things back to the default settings.

The example in the following screenshot displays the standard docked Connections and Reports windows to the left. We have also opened the Versioning Navigator, which by default docks below the connections. We have also docked the Snippets window to the right. These windows fill the columns to the left and right, leaving a central window for the editors and log files.

The layout is controlled by the window layout set in the preferences. Select Tools | Preferences, under the Environment node in the tree select Dockable Windows. The default layout, and the one that matches the example in the previous screenshot, is shown in the following screenshot:

Each of the little curved arrows on the diagram is clickable, and as such controls the positioning of the windows. Clicking on the arrow extends or contracts the area taken up by the docked window.

In our example, and in the default SQL Developer environment, there is no full-docked window across the top of the screen. However, if you drag a window into the docked position below the main tool bar, it would stretch across the screen, as shown in the following screenshot:

If you find your windows are in a muddle, first verify that the Dockable Windows layout is what you want, and then drag the various dockable windows back into place. Some suggestions on the SQL Developer forum are to remove the system folder (it works, but that's an extreme solution).