Press Release

The goal of this article is to introduce the reader in Visual Query Tool philosophy, to familiarize him with elementary concepts; to depict the advantages and to introduce him in the world of flexibility. Suitable to near all type of data processing - due its short learning curve both for designer and end user - this product worth the effort.

Synopsis

Visual Query Tool gives you a high-flexibility, universal tool for database querying, processing, and maintenance, based on three-level structured SQL command collections: packages, binderies, and folders.

A command is a sequence of logically binds, parameterized elementary SQL tasks, like SQL queries or DDL, DDM, or PL/SQL statements. Before execution, in order to capture the actual value of the parameters, the commands use the attached customized parameter pages. After a macro-processing phase, the enabled tasks runs, achieving the command\s goal.

The results of a query can be visualized in form or browse view, as business graphics or can be saved ` at user control or based on automated mechanism ` in CSV, DBF and XML format; optionally the result set can be easy printed in a simple report form, using HTML pages.

Optionally, against unauthorized editing, the packages can be password-protected and specifying an incomplete connection, it is possible to disable the unauthorized execution `` at runtime the ODBC will ask for the lack elements.

The hand-on set of tools includes an SQL Editor, Database Structure Inspector, Parameter Enumerator, New-Application Template Manager, a Visual Parameter Page Designer and an ODBC Connection Manager too.

The automating the jobs is possible using the scheduling of Enterprise edition.

For a while	How does it work?	Professional Version
About	Dual mode	Automate at maximum
Scope	Designer tools	Protecting
What is and what is not	The power	Accessibility

For a while

There are on the market an impressive number of specialized tools having the main goal to give to the database administrator powerful utensils to display and apply changes on relational database's structure and tables contents. These are really weak engines, but they are not intended to be used by not-specialist users.

On the other end of scale there are great developing tools having the mean to create sophisticated graphical user interfaces. But what about flexible, user-safe and database-independent solutions? Antagonist attributes as power and safety, flexibility and compatibility, simple development and user-friendliness rarely can by combined together. The silver bullets are behind of Rapid Application Development and Efficiency.

The solution must be tightly integrated with your data store philosophy and must have the ability to respond to a rapidly changing business environment.

These above described needs give explanation for the duality of our solution intended to fill this gap in the large extent of specialized software solutions: right tools for developers, security for databases and power for user.

About

Visual Query Tool is a powerful, high-flexibility, end-user friendly universal tool for database querying, processing and maintenance - based on structured parameterized SQL command collections. It is compatible with all ODBC compliant databases. Distant or local data? No matter...

The primary target of this application is to offer a compelling, easy-to-use graphical interface for data processing and query automation purposes.

For the end-user the implementation details of SQL command sets are totally hidden. The user's view on data is reduced to a designer-customized dashboard, having a highly structured GUI interface.

After selecting the command ought to execute - symbolized by an icon and named intuitively using term of the end-user's domain language - a simple click, and the user sees a page with specific parameter fields.

Selecting and filling the parameters according to user's needs, the command is ready to be executed.

There are two type of commands: interrogative - with a displayable result, as table or record or' business graphics; and processing - those that updates the database, without a result set. The format of former is predefined by designer.

Some exporting task can be automated: the result in the meantime of visualization is exported in an external dbf, xml or text file.

To improve the power of processing, Visual Query Tools supports an extensible object oriented xbase-like scripting language, having access to functions at operating system level. This means that the result exported in a dbf file after a procedural post-processing can be sent by email - all done behind of a single command represented by an icon and executed with two or three mouse-clicks!

Scope

VQT can be used as a stand-alone tool too, for database querying and reporting with multiple displaying and optionally automated exporting possibilities: form and browse view, html-based printable report, business graphic,

dbf and text file, xml data-file - suitable for example for data-island technology.

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The interrogative commands are suitable for selective data visualization and reporting purposes. With little effort the designer can build very sophisticated parameterized queries to fetch the right data. The parameter pages, attached at the second level to command collections, uses the user's namespace and dictionary. The semantic of displayed controls are seamless interpreted by the user.

It is possible to hide some complex data maintenance or manipulation behind processing commands. The user by the specialized parameter pages enters the suitable data, and after a click a whole SQL task chain can be executed.

Obviously the processing and interrogative task can be adequately combined in the same command, building in this way very complex, productive commands.

What is and what is not

Visual Query Tool is not intended for heavy data loading or extracting. It is a smart interface between the end user and the data store, offering an intuitive graphical surface to collect and organize some SQL queries and statements parameterized at extreme - assuring' in this way the safe access of user to a weak tool.

It is not a simple data layout and structure converter nor a simple table editor or ordinary table printer. There are a lot of other applications that do these jobs better. The magic power of Visual query Tool relays in a single commonly used word: parameter. And in four words it is build over structured parameterized SQL command collections.

How does it work?

The user selects a command, fills the requested controls on parameter page with the suitable values and initiates the execution. After a preliminary pre-processing of tasks - replacing the formal parameter references with user-supplied values - Visual Query Tool executes sequentially the tasks of selected command.

Each task according to its properties specified in design time is only executed, displays its result or exports the result set in an external format.

There are not' restrictions regarding the parameter value ahead the SQL semantics. The macro-processing phase is done without a prior lexical or syntactical analysis. In this manner a parameter can replace not only field or constant expressions but full or partial SQL clauses or whole segments in the task's copy - as an SQL query or statement.

Dual mode

From end-user viewpoint the application is simple, straightforward. He identify the requested command in the visually represented three-level structure: package - as a stand-alone file, bindery - represented by a chapter in the outlook-bar on the left side, and a folder - symbolized by the con in the Outlook Bar and the command icon itself. Each above-described element has a short displayed name, a description shown in the status bar and a tooltip - each given by the designer, in user's language and using the terminology of user's domain.

You as a designer can build protected, user-safe command packages too with customized command sets and parameter pages deployed to unqualified end-users - the interface will 'speak' your language.

The VQT can be used - as presented above - as a stand-alone product or as an extension of existent application - to extend their functionality or to fill some fissures of a large, not enough flexible solution.

Designer tools

The available tools of designer mode are: Structure Inspector - to display tables and table structures, Parameter page Designer - to visually build the customized the end-user interface, SQL Editor - with syntax coloring capabilities, Connection Manager - to inspect and define ODBC connections, New Package Template Manager - to make the package creation easier, Package Maintenance - to organize and reorganize all, simple debugging tools - to make the being nice.

Full documentation and tutorial samples are included the in standard install kit.

The power

The professional edition enables iterative DBF processing and support an extensible Object oriented scripting language. This mean you can execute the desired task for each record of a database - replacing the formal parameters with user-given values and database field values. In this manner it is possible to make sophisticated processing iterating on all records of a database.

On the other hand supporting an object-oriented extensible script language, the data can be post or pre-processed in an xbase-like approach. The designer is able to define new classes (but only in design time) and use them in runtime with no restrictions. Using dynamic memory or accessing Windows API - it is not a problem.

Of course these task-types can be parameterized too. In this way the user can significantly modify the mean of a command, or can simply provide the data values for processing - the designer decides.

These task-types - SQL query or statement, DBF-iterative and scripting - can be combined in mighty, parameterized commands, having all implementation details totally hidden for the end-user.

Professional vs. Standard Version

There are some basic functional differences between standard and professional version. These can be summarized in the following table:

Iterative SQL processing

The Commands can be defined not only like a simple sequence of parameterized SQL tasks, but it is possible for each task of type 'Iterate' to nominate a DBF source; this task will be executed for each record of the database.

Before execution after the macro-processing of User Interface's parameters, the text of an Iterate SQL task is macro-processed, replacing each DBF field reference with the corresponding value of the field.

The task processed in this way will be executed for each record of the nominated database. For nominate a DBF there can be used a special interface control, named Iterate File Picker.

Scripting Extension

A new task type is defined: dbScript. In Essence the used language is the same as' VO Scripting. This is characterized by the followings:

• Full object-oriented language, with access to predefined classes
• Clear philosophy in variable scoping
• Full DBF processing
• Access to functions and functionality at OS level
• It is possible to launch external programs working in dynamically specified directories with dynamically built parameter lists
• At basis it is included a simple interface for full e-mail processing like sending, receiving, extracting attachments - using the Windows Simple MAPI interface

The mechanism of dbIterate tasks empower you to execute SQL tasks for each record of a given database file, using the fields of the DBF as parameters.

Automate at maximum

The VQT Enterprise has been designed to assure the execution of all kind of compound tasks (SQL, dbScript or dbIterate) at scheduled time or at a predefined periodicity. This powerful engine runs the commands and generates the required output (DBF, text, xml or printed report), based on an NT service with low resource needs. The processing and the output generation does not require user intervention.

All events are registered in the System Events log to trace the activity of service and further processing too.

Protecting

This mechanism of package-password on the one hand protects a package against unauthorized visualization and editing. The user is able to load a package, to execute the commands of it, but do not has access to details nor make changes in - all editing functions are locked.

On the other hand the execution can be protected against unauthorized users. The packages can contain all the parameters of connection, but specifying an incomplete description, the user ought to complete it for example with the password required to access the services of the data engine.

Accessibility

Download from and activate a trial version for free at www.networks.ro.

Use it!

Due to its user-friendly interface, the learning curve is short and the deployment costs are at a low level. Connecting through widely accepted ODBC drivers, VQT is able to manage and process a very large scale of ODBC compliant SQL databases like Oracle, db2, MySQL and desktop databases like MS-Access, FoxPro or Clipper DBF tables.