Looking to give database programming a more modern look and feel, Oracle
today unveiled a free development tool called SQL Developer.
Formerly known as Project Raptor, SQL Developer is a more sleek, graphical
version of SQL PLus, a command line SQL and PL/SQL language interface that
ships with the Oracle database.
SQL Developer will let database developers create tables, browse database
objects, edit stored procedures and compile and debug PL/SQL, according to
Mike Hichwa, vice president of software development at Oracle.
The tool also features a host of pre-built reports and allows developers to
build custom reports related to their projects.
SQL Developer also has a code formatter and code snippets to cut back on
the amount of coding database programmers need to do.
“It’s kind of bringing Oracle out of the Stone Age of a character mode
interface into the modern world where you can actually see your tables in a
Windows Explorer-style format,” Hichwa said.
The tool is apparently in high demand.
With 76,000 downloads in its test run, Hichwa said SQL Developer was the
third most popular download on Oracle’s technology network, behind Oracle
Enterprise Edition 10g and XE, the company’s free database.
SQL Developer is available as a free download here for customers
with an Oracle database license. Offered for Windows and Linux, the tool
works with all editions of Oracle Database 10g and Oracle9i Database Release
2.
The software utility is the latest step Oracle is taking to make its
products more user friendly. For years, the company weathered grumbles about
its software by people who said it could be tricky to implement and manage.
With its 10g products, the Redwood Shores, Calif.-based database giant was determined to
change that perception. Tools like SQL Developer, the company believes,
should help.
