Quest Toad for Oracle 11.0 development software User guide
Below you will find brief information for development software Toad for Oracle 11.0. Toad for Oracle 11.0 offers an efficient and accurate way for database professionals of all skill and experience levels to perform their jobs with an overall improvement in workflow and productivity. You can understand your database environment through visual representations, easily meet deadlines through automation and smooth workflows, and perform essential development and administration tasks from a single tool.
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Toad
®
for Oracle 11.0
Beginner's Guide to Using Toad
© 2011 Quest Software, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
This guide contains proprietary information protected by copyright. The software described in this guide is furnished under a software license or nondisclosure agreement. This software may be used or copied only in accordance with the terms of the applicable agreement. No part of this guide may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording for any purpose other than the purchaser’s personal use without the written permission of Quest Software, Inc.
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Toad for Oracle 11.0
Beginner's Guide to Using Toad
August 24, 2011
Table of Contents
Welcome
About This Guide
Shortcut Keys
Toad Insight Pick List Shortcuts
Help and Resources
Create and Manage Connections
About Database Connections
Oracle Clients and Database Servers
Create New Connections
Basic Connection Contols
Automatically Connect on Startup
Change Active Connection in Window
Manage Multiple Connections
About Managing Multiple Connections
Display Connection and Window Bars
15
12
8
8
8
15
16
19
21
Beginner's Guide to Using Toad
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Organize the Database Connections Grid
Color Code the User Interface per Connection
Manage Oracle Homes
Edit Oracle Connection Files
Create a Variable for the TNSNames.ora File
Limitations of the TNSNames Editor
Troubleshoot Connections
Execute and Manage Code
About the Editor
Execute Statements and Scripts
Execute Scripts with Quest Script Runner
Work with Code
View Recently Executed SQL Statements
4
29
34
36
28
36
40
43
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Display Pick List (Automatically Complete Code)
Debug PL/SQL
Work with Database Objects
About the Schema Browser
Customize the Schema Browser
Select the Left-Hand Side Display Style
Create Objects
Copy Objects to Another Schema
Use Existing Object as Template for New Objects
Helpful Features
Jump to Objects in the Schema Browser
View Schema Browser Icon Legend
View Parent/Child Datasets in the Schema Browser
Filter Schema Browser Content
5
57
59
62
52
52
53
49
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Filter Data in the Schema Browser
Quickly Filter the Schema Browser Left-Hand Side
Work with Data Grids
About Working with Data Grids
Edit Data
Understand Editable Resultsets
Customize Data Grid Display
Perform Calculations on Grid Cells
Filter Results
Export Data
Customize Toad
About Customizing Toad
6
69
71
67
72
75
75
66
66
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Customize Shortcut Keys
Customize Schema Drop-Downs
Customize Toolbars and Menus
About Customizing Toolbars and Menus
Reset Default Toolbars and Menus
Search for Options
Appendix: Contact Quest
Contact Quest Support
Contact Quest Software
About Quest Software, Inc
Index
7
77
81
82
75
76
82
82
82
83
1
Welcome
Toad for Oracle provides an efficient and accurate way for database professionals of all skill and experience levels to perform their jobs with an overall improvement in workflow and productivity. With Toad for Oracle you can: l
Understand your database environment through visual representations l
Meet deadlines easily through automation and smooth workflows l
Perform essential development and administration tasks from a single tool l
Deploy high-quality applications that meet user requirements and perform reliably in production l
Validate database code to ensure the best-possible performance l
Manage and share projects, templates, scripts, and more with ease
The Toad for Oracle solutions are built for you, by you. Over 10 years of development and feedback from various communities like Toad World have made it the most powerful and functional tool available. With an installed-base of over one million, Toad for Oracle continues to be the standard tool for development and administration.
About This Guide
The purpose of this guide is to help you quickly start using Toad by learning basic features and tasks. Toad is a very diverse and powerful tool, and there are many features that this guide does not cover. Refer to the online help for additional information about Toad, which you can access at any time by pressing F1.
In addition to the online help, Toad also has a variety of other resources to help you. See
"Additional Toad Resources" (page 14) for more information.
Shortcut Keys
Popular Shortcut Keys
This topic covers some of the most popular shortcut keys in Toad. Toad provides dozens of standard shortcut keys, and you can assign new ones or customize the standard ones. Toad also allows you to print out your current list of shortcut keys. Review the following for additional information: l
Print List of Shortcut Keys (page 12)
l
Customize Shortcut Keys (page 75)
Beginner's Guide to Using Toad
Welcome
9
F10
Debugger
CTRL+F5
CTRL+ALT+B
CTRL+ALT+D
CTRL+ALT+E
CTRL+ALT+C
CTRL+ALT+W
F11
F12
SHIFT+F5
SHIFT+F7
SHIFT+F8
SHIFT+F10
SHIFT+CTRL+F9
Note: If you have customized your shortcut keys, you will not automatically be able to use new shortcuts added in Toad upgrades. However, you can reset your shortcut keys to the default to
General
CTRL+D
CTRL+TAB
F1
F4
Description
Open Quick Describe window. See "Describe Objects"
(page 59) for more information.
Cycle through a collection of "child windows" or tabs in a window
Open the Toad documentation
Immediately describe object in popup window. See
"Describe Objects" (page 59) for more information.
Display right-click menu
Description
Add watch at cursor
Display the PL/SQL Debugger Breakpoints window
Display the PL/SQL Debugger DBMS Output window
Display the PL/SQL Debugger Evaluate/Modify window
Display the PL/SQL Debugger Call Stack window
Display the PL/SQL Debugger Watches window
Run (continue execution)
Run to cursor
Set or delete a breakpoint on the current line
Trace into
Step over
Trace out
Set parameters
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Welcome
10
Editor Description
ALT+UP
ALT+DOWN
CTRL+B
CTRL+E
CTRL+M
CTRL+N
CTRL+P
CTRL+T
CTRL+F9
CTRL+F12
Display previous statement
Display next statement (after ALT+UP)
Comment block
Execute Explain Plan on the current statement
Make code statement.
Find sum of the selected fields. You can also include
additional calculations, such as the average or count. See
"Perform Calculations on Grid Cells" (page 69) for more information.
Strip code statement.
Display pick list drop-down
There are a variety of shortcut keys to use with the pick
list. See "Toad Insight Pick List Shortcuts" (page 11) for more information.
Verify statement without execution (parse) in the Editor
Pass the SQL or Editor contents to the specified external editor.
F6
F7
F8
F9
CTRL+PERIOD
CTRL+ENTER
Display code completion list
Execute current SQL (same as SHIFT+F9)
CTRL+ALT+PAGEUP Navigate to the previous results panel tab
CTRL+ALT+PAGEDOWN Navigate to the next results panel tab
F2
F5
Toggle full screen Editor
Execute as script. See "Execute Scripts in the Editor" (page
Toggle between Editor and Results panel
Clear all text, trace into the Editor
Recall previous SQL statement in the Editor
Execute statement in the Editor
Beginner's Guide to Using Toad
Welcome
11
SHIFT+F2
Find and Replace
CTRL+F
CTRL+G
CTRL+R
F3
SHIFT+F3
Toggle full screen grid
Description
Find text
Go to line number
Find and replace
Find next occurrence
Find previous occurrence
Toad Insight Pick List Shortcuts
There are a variety of shortcuts you can use to display the pick list and make a selection. Toad also provides options for you to customize the pick list behavior. See "Code Assist Options" in the online help for more information.
General
CTRL+T
CTRL+SHIFT+T
LEFT ARROW
RIGHT ARROW
Make Selection
Double-click the selection
ENTER
PERIOD
Description
Display pick list for object (name) at caret. If a stored alias exists by that name, then that alias' object is shown in the pick list.
Display pick list for object (name) at caret. This option ignores aliases with the same name.
Move the caret left while filtering the pick list.
Move the caret right while filtering the pick list.
Description
Insert the selection and close the pick list.
SPACE
TAB
Insert the selection and close the pick list.
Insert the selection and a period after it. The pick list remains open and displays child objects, if there are any.
Insert the selection and a space after it.
Insert the a partial selection if possible and leave the pick list open; if a partial selection is not possible, insert the selection and close the pick list.
TAB accepts as much as possible without changing the list of
Beginner's Guide to Using Toad
Welcome
12
(
OPEN PARENTHESIS
Close Pick List
Click outside the pick list
ESC displayed objects. For example, if the pick list displays a list of columns that all start with MY_COL, Toad would insert MY_
COL when you press TAB and leave the picklist open. If the columns did not have a common preface, Toad would insert the selected column and close the pick list.
Insert the selection and "(" after it.
Description
Close the pick list without making a selection.
Close the pick list without making a selection.
Print List of Shortcut Keys
You can print your list of shortcut keys to use as a reference.
To print the list of shortcut keys
1. Click on the standard toolbar.
Tip: You can also select View | Toad Options.
2. Select Toolbars/Menus | Shortcuts.
3. Click the Category or Shortcut column to sort the list.
4. Click Print.
Help and Resources
Toad Advisor
Toad is self-diagnosing. If you are having difficulties with Toad that you cannot fix, the Toad
Advisor may be able to help you. It offers warnings, alerts, and hints concerning the current state of your Toad installation. If you are in a managed environment, it specifies which features in
Toad are managed, and to what extent.
To use Toad Advisor
1. Select Help | Toad Advisor.
2. Review the results, which are divided into the following categories:
Warnings Describe things that should be fixed immediately
Beginner's Guide to Using Toad
Welcome
13
Alerts
Hints
Describe things that may have an impact upon Toad's functionality
Provide information about your Toad installation that may affect how Toad works
Performance suggestions
Describe settings that could be changed to improve speed of performance
Tip: Select a result for additional information in the bottom pane. You can double click the performance suggestions to navigate direction to the relevant Toad option.
Quick Search Bar
You can find help about Toad quickly from various locations in Quest using the Quick Search bar on the main toolbar. Each resource provides a different focus, such as Oracle technical
references, videos, frequently asked questions, and more. See "Additional Toad Resources" (page
To search for Toad resources
1. Click the drop down arrow and select the locations you want to search.
2. Enter a search term in the box.
3. Press Enter or click to search.
Beginner's Guide to Using Toad
Welcome
14
Additional Toad Resources
There are many resources for you to learn more about Toad, and many of them can be searched
directly in the Quick Search bar. See "Quick Search Bar" (page 13) for more information.
Resource Description
Helpfile
Knowledge Xpert for Oracle
Oracle documentation
Provides step-by-step directions on how to use Toad. Press F1 in any
Toad window to open the helpfile to the relevant topic.
An extensive Oracle technical resource with thousands of insightful topics and working examples.
ToadForOracle.com
The main website for all things Toad for Oracle, including: l
Forums —Connect with thousands of other Toad users to get help.
Tip: Customers often use common Toad acronyms in the forums.
l
Documentation —Download the latest product documentation, including the Install Guide, Release Notes, and other documents.
l
Downloads —Download the latest update, beta, or trial version.
l
Idea Pond —Submit ideas to improve Toad and vote on other customer's ideas.
ToadWorld.com
Oracle's database documentation.Since Toad is a tool to help you manage Oracle databases, the more you understand Oracle the more intuitive Toad becomes.
The parent site for all Toad family products, providing videos, tech briefs, white papers, expert blogs, podcasts, user forums, and tech tips.
2
Create and Manage Connections
About Database Connections
This topic provides a very general overview of how Toad connects to Oracle databases. Please refer to Oracle's documentation for more information on Oracle connections.
Troubleshooting: If your previous connections do not display in the Database Login window, ensure that the Show favorites only and Show selected home only fields in the bottom of the
Oracle Clients and Database Servers
To connect to a database server (referred to as "database"), Toad requires that you have a database client ("client") installed on your computer. A client is simply software that accesses the database through a network.
You can have multiple Oracle clients installed on your computer. The client location is also referred to as the Oracle home, and you can select which one Toad uses on the Database Login
window. See "Select an Oracle Home" (page 28) for more information.
See the Release Notes for a complete list of the client and database versions that Toad supports.
Important: It is recommended that your client version be of the same release (or later) as your database server. This is an Oracle recommendation to prevent performance issues.
Connection Files
The client installation generally includes connection files that are used to communicate between your computer and the database. Toad uses the following connection files, depending on the connection type you select:
Beginner's Guide to Using Toad
Create and Manage Connections
16
Connection
File
SQLNET.ora
Description
TNSNames.ora
LDAP.ora
Specifies configuration details for Oracle's networking software, such as trace levels, the default domain, session characteristics, and the connection methods that can be used to connect to a database (for example, LDAP and TNSNAMES). If a method is not listed, you cannot use it.
Toad uses the SQLNET.ora file for all connection methods, and consequently you must be able to access this file for any connection method.
Defines database addresses to establish connections to them. Toad must be able to access the TNSNames.ora file for TNS connections.
Note: If you have multiple Oracle clients installed or want to use a
TNSNames.ora file on a network, you may want to use the TNS_NAMES
environment variable to simplify managing TNS connections. See
"Create a Variable for the TNSNames.ora File" (page 32) for more information.
Defines directory access information using Lightweight Directory Access
Protocol (LDAP). Toad must be able to access the LDAP.ora file for
LDAP connections.
Create New Connections
There are a few prerequisites you must have to connect to an Oracle database. See "About
Database Connections" (page 15) for more information.
Troubleshooting: There are some common issues and solutions for database connections. See
"Troubleshoot Connections" (page 34) for more information.
Notes:
l l
To edit a login record, click on the Database Login window toolbar.
You can import and export connection settings. See "Import/Export Connection Settings" in the online help for more information.
To create a new connection
1. Click in the standard toolbar to open the Database Login window.
Note: You can also select Session | New Connection.
2. Click on the Database Login toolbar. The Add Login Record window displays.
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17
Note: Instead of creating the connection in the Add Login Record window, you can directly enter the connection information in the Database Login window. However, this method forces you to connect to the database, and you cannot enter some of the additional connection information until after you connect.
3. Complete the User/Schema and Password fields.
4. Select a connection method:
TNS
Direct
LDAP
Select a database in the Database field. Toad uses the listings in your TNSNames.ora file to populate the list.
You can edit the TNSNames.ora file directly in Toad. See "Edit
TNSNames Files" (page 30) for more information.
Note: If you have multiple Oracle clients installed or want to use a
TNSNames.ora file on a network, you may want to use the TNS_
NAMES environment variable to simplify managing TNS
connections. See "Create a Variable for the TNSNames.ora File"
(page 32) for more information.
Enter the Host, Port, and either the Service Name or SID of the database to which you want to connect.
Select the LDAP descriptor in the LDAP Descriptor field. You can
edit the LDAP.ora file directly in Toad. See "Edit LDAP Files"
(page 30) for more information.
Notes:
l
Toad must be able to access the SQLNET.ora file to use any of the connection methods. Toad must also be able to access the LDAP.ora file for LDAP connections and the TNSNames.ora file for TNS connections.
l
If Toad cannot connect to one of these files, a red X displays beside the editor button for that file. For example, the following image indicates that Toad cannot access the LDAP.ora file. You would have to resolve the issue before you could make an LDAP connection.
5. Complete the remaining fields as necessary. Review the following for additional information:
Connect as Select the connection privilege level field.
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18
Color
Connect
Using
Alias
Execute
Action upon
Connection
Custom
Columns
Save
Password
Auto
Connect
Favorite
Read Only
Select a color to border windows that use the active connection.
Note: The color displays in all Toad user interface elements that use the connection, which is very helpful when you have multiple active
connections. See "Color Code the User Interface per Connection"
(page 27) for more information.
Select the Oracle home.
Note: You can only connect to one Oracle home at a time. This field
is disabled if you are already connected to a database. See "Select an
Oracle Home" (page 28) for more information.
Enter a description or nickname for the connection.
By default the alias only displays in the connections grid, but you can have Toad display the alias instead of the database name. To enable this option, select View | Toad Options | Windows and select the Use alias instead of database checkbox.
Select to execute an action whenever Toad connects to the database.
Then, click by the Action field to select the action. See
"Automation Designer Overview" in the online help for more information.
You can also select a parameter file. See "Action Parameter Files" in the online help for more information.
Note: Toad only executes actions upon connection when you execute through the user interface. Toad does not execute actions when it is executed through command line.
Complete the custom fields, if you have defined any. See "Add
Custom Columns" (page 25) for more information.
Select to have Toad remember the password for only this connection.
If Save passwords is selected in the Database Login window, then
this field is selected by default. See "Save Connection Passwords"
(page 20) for more information.
Select to have Toad automatically make the selected connection on startup.
Select this checkbox to mark the connection as one of your favorites.
You can have the Database Login window only display your favorites by selecting Show favorites only at the bottom of the window.
Select this checkbox to make the connection read only, meaning that you cannot make any changes to the database. This option is especially helpful when you want to access data for a production database but you do not want to accidentally make any changes.
Beginner's Guide to Using Toad
Create and Manage Connections
6. Save the login record. Review the following for additional information: l
To save the record without connecting to the database, click OK l
To save the record and connect to the database, select the Connect checkbox and click OK.
l
To save the record and reuse the field values to quickly enter new connections, click Post.
7. Optional: Manage multiple connections. See "About Managing Multiple Connections"
(page 21) for more information.
Basic Connection Contols
Automatically Connect on Startup
To select connections to automatically make when Toad starts
1. Click in the standard toolbar to open the Database Login window.
Note: You can also select Session | New Connection.
2. In the connections grid, select the checkbox in the Auto Connect column.
Use Previous Connections
Toad saves your previous connections so you can easily connect to them again. You can also
change the active connection in open windows. See "Change Active Connection in Window"
(page 19) for more information.
To open a previous connection
» Select one of the following: l
Click in the standard toolbar to open the Database Login window, and then double-click the previous connection from the grid.
l
Click the arrow beside connection from the list.
in the standard toolbar, and then select a
Change Active Connection in Window
You can easily change the connection in an open window to a connection you currently have open or a connection that you have recently used.
Tip: Toad provides a variety of features and options to help you manage multiple open
connections. See "About Managing Multiple Connections" (page 21) for more information.
19
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Create and Manage Connections
20
To change the active connection in a window
» Click the arrow beside from the drop-down.
in the window toolbar and select an open or recent connection
Save Connection Passwords
You can have Toad save all passwords automatically or individually save passwords for selected connections. Passwords are saved in an encrypted file called connectionpwds.ini. The encryption is tied to the currently logged in user profile, and it supports roaming profiles and Citrix installations.
Important: To save a connection password, you must connect to the database first, and then you can save the password in the connections grid.
Note: If the Save Password field is disabled, your ability to save passwords may have been removed during installation. See the Toad for Oracle Installation Guide for more information.
To automatically save all passwords
1. Click in the standard toolbar to open the Database Login window.
Note: You can also select Session | New Connection.
2. Select the Save passwords checkbox in the bottom of the window.
To save passwords for individual connections
1. Click in the standard toolbar to open the Database Login window.
Note: You can also select Session | New Connection.
2. Clear the Save passwords checkbox in the bottom of the window, if it is selected.
3. Select the Save Pwd checkbox for the connection in the connection grid.
Note: If the connection is not listed in the connection grid, ensure that the Show
favorites only and Show selected home only fields are cleared. If it still does not display, connect to the database again.
4. Enter the password in the Password field on the right.
5. Click Connect.
Commit or Rollback Changes
You can commit or rollback recent changes to the database from the Session menu at any time while working with Toad.
Note: You can configure Toad to either automatically commit changes or prompt to commit on exit. See "Oracle Transaction Options" in the online help for more information.
Beginner's Guide to Using Toad
Create and Manage Connections
To commit or rollback your changes
» Select Session | Commit or Session | Rollback.
Tip: You can also right-click the connection in the Connection Bar, and select
Commit or Rollback.
End Connections
To end one connection
» Select Session | End Connection.
Or
Click in the standard toolbar to end the currently active session. You can also click the arrow by the button to select a different open connection to end.
To end all connections
» Select Session | End All Connections.
Test Connections
To test connections if the session has dropped
» Select Session | Test Connections (Reconnect).
To test connections in the Database Login window
» Select connections in the grid and click . Toad opens a new session to test the connection and lists any errors that occur.
Manage Multiple Connections
About Managing Multiple Connections
When working with Toad you may have multiple connections open at once. Trying to keep track of which open window is related to which connection can be difficult. Toad provides a variety of features and options to help you manage multiple open connections.
Method
Description
The Database Login window displays all of your previous connections in the connections grid. You can reduce the number of connections that display and organize how they display in a variety of ways.
21
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22
Method
Display Connection and Window Bars
Description
You can use connection colors to help you distinguish between open connections. The color coding displays prominently throughout Toad's user interface. For example, you may use red for all production databases and yellow for all test databases.
You can use the Window and Connection bars to help you keep track of your open windows and connections. The active window and connection are selected in the bars (they display with a lighter color), which is helpful so you can always tell which connection you are using.
You may also find the following general connection management features helpful: l
Automatically Connect on Startup (page 19)
l
Change Active Connection in Window (page 19)
l
Commit or Rollback Changes (page 20)
l
Customize Schema Drop-Downs (page 76)
l
Use Previous Connections (page 19)
Display Connection and Window Bars
You can use the Window and Connection bars to help you keep track of your open windows and connections. The active window and connection are selected in the bars (they display with a lighter color), which is helpful so you can always tell which connection you are using.
1) Connection Bar 2) Window Bar
Notes:
l
Toad provides a variety of features and options to help you manage multiple open
connections. See "About Managing Multiple Connections" (page 21) for more information.
l
You can rearrange the order of items in the Connection and Window bars. Right-click the bar and select Connection/Window Bar Button Order. Then, use the arrows to determine the order for items to display. Toad remembers these settings. For example, if you list
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23
Editor first, then Editor windows always display in front of other windows (even if the
Editor was opened last).
l
You can customize the display settings, such as displaying connection strings or allowing the bars to span multiple lines. See "Toolbar Options" in the online help for more information.
Connection Bar
The Connection bar lists all of the connections that you have open. Right-clicking one of the connections in the Connections bar gives you helpful options, including: l
Opening a new Editor or Schema Browser window for the connection l
Ending the connection, which closes all windows that use the connection l
Rearranging the order of connections in the Connection bar
Tip: Select Show All to display connections that are not currently open.
l
Committing or rolling back changes l
Viewing a list of all of the windows that use the connection, which you can click to bring the window to the front
To display the Connection bar
» Right-click the file menu area and select Connection Bar.
Window Bar
The Window bar lists all of the windows that you currently have open. Right-clicking one of the windows in the Windows bar gives you helpful options, including: l
Rearranging the order of windows in the Window bar
Tip: Select Show All to display windows that are not currently open.
l
Only displaying windows for the active connection, which can be very helpful when you have numerous windows open for one connection
Note: To use this feature, right-click a blank area in the Window bar and select Show
Buttons for Current Connection.
l
Closing all open windows
To display the Window bar
» Right-click the file menu area and select Window Bar.
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24
Organize the Database Connections Grid
The Database Login window displays all of your previous connections in the connections grid.
You can reduce the number of connections that display and organize how they display in a variety of ways: l
Display Only Favorite Connections (page 24)
l
l
Group Connections (Create Tree View) (page 25)
l
Hide/Display Columns (page 26)
l
Display Only Connections for Selected Oracle Home (page 26)
l
Display Tabs for Each Server or User (page 26)
l
Delete Previous Connections (page 27)
Tips:
l
Toad provides a variety of features and options to help you manage multiple open
connections. See "About Managing Multiple Connections" (page 21) for more information.
l
Click at the top of the Database Login window to refresh the connections grid.
Access the Database Login Window
All of the organization options are configured from the Database Login window.
To access the Database Login window
Click in the standard toolbar to open the Database Login window.
Note: You can also select Session | New Connection.
Display Only Favorite Connections
If you have a long list of connections but only use a few of them regularly, you can mark the connections that you use frequently as favorites and hide the other connections. You can still view the other connections by displaying all connections instead of just favorites.
To select favorite connections
» In the connections grid, select the Favorite check box of the connection you want to make a favorite.
To view only favorites in the connections grid
» Below the connections grid, select the Show favorites only checkbox.
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25
To view all connections in the connections grid
» Below the connections grid, clear the Show favorites only checkbox.
Add Custom Columns
You can add columns to the connections grid. For example, you may want to add a Locations column if you manage databases in multiple physical locations, or you may want to add an
Environment column to distinguish between Test and Production databases.
Tip: You can also group the connections grid by custom fields. See "Group Connections (Create
Tree View)" (page 25) for more information.
To add a custom column
1. Click in the Database Login window toolbar.
2. Click Add.
3. Enter the name for your custom field.
Group Connections (Create Tree View)
You can group connections by column header to create a tree view. You can add multiple column headers to add grouping levels.
To group connections in the data grid
1. Drag a column header into the grey area above the grid.
2. Drag additional column headers to add grouping levels.
Tip: The image above is grouped by a custom column. See "Add Custom Columns" (page
To remove grouping
» Drag the column header into the connections grid.
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Create and Manage Connections
Hide/Display Columns
If you have a small screen area, you can hide some of the columns that display in the connections grid.
To hide or show columns
1. Click in the left-hand side of the grid headers.
2. Select the columns you want to display, or clear the checkbox for columns you want to hide.
26
Display Only Connections for Selected Oracle Home
If you have many connections using different Oracle homes, you may want to display only those using a particular home in the grid.
To limit connections to one Oracle home
1. Select the Oracle home you want to display in the Connect using field on the right side of the Database Login window.
Note: You can only connect to one Oracle home at a time. This field is disabled if you
are already connected to a database. See "Select an Oracle Home" (page 28) for more information.
2. Click the Show selected home only checkbox at the bottom of the window.
Display Tabs for Each Server or User
By default, the connections grid does not contain tabs; it is a unified grid that displays all connections. You can change the grid to display separate tabs for each server or user. Each tab contains a grid of its database connections.
To display tabs for each server or user
» Click at the top of the Database Login window and select Tabbed by Server or
Tabbed by User.
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27
Delete Previous Connections
To permanently remove connections from the Database Login window
» Select the connection and press the DELETE key.
Color Code the User Interface per Connection
You can use connection colors to help you distinguish between open connections. The color coding displays prominently throughout Toad's user interface. For example, you may use red for all production databases and yellow for all test databases. The color coding would display as follows: l
Any open window related to that connection l
Window and Connection bar buttons l
Status bars
1) Connection Bar 2) Window Bar
Tip: Toad provides a variety of features and options to help you manage multiple open
connections. See "About Managing Multiple Connections" (page 21) for more information.
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28
To select a connection color
1. Click in the standard toolbar to open the Database Login window.
Note: You can also select Session | New Connection.
2. Select a color in the Color column in the connection grid.
Manage Oracle Homes
Select an Oracle Home
Only one Oracle home can be in use at one time. This means that once a connection is made, all future connections use the same Oracle home, regardless of default home. If you want to use a different Oracle home, you must close all open connections first.
Default homes can be assigned for a connection or for Toad. When a default Oracle home is assigned to a particular connection, any time you make that connection from the connection grid,
Toad automatically uses that Oracle home. When a default Oracle home is assigned to Toad,
Toad automatically uses that Oracle home any time you create a connection to a new database.
Toad searches for Oracle homes in several different ways. See "How Toad Finds Oracle Homes" in the online help for more information.
Notes:
l
If you have multiple Oracle clients installed or want to use a TNSNames.ora file on a network, you may want to use the TNS_NAMES environment variable to simplify
l
This topic focuses on information that may be unfamiliar to you. It does not include all step and field descriptions.
To select an Oracle home
1. Click in the standard toolbar to open the Database Login window.
Note: You can also select Session | New Connection.
2. With no open connections, select an Oracle home in the Connect using field.
Note: To see more information about the home you have selected or change the SID,
NLS_LANG, or SQLPATH, click
to open the Oracle Home Editor. See "Edit the
Oracle Home" (page 29) for more information.
3. To set this as the default Oracle home for all connections, select Make this the Toad
default home.
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29
Edit the Oracle Home
You must restart Toad to have changes made here take effect.
Note: This topic focuses on information that may be unfamiliar to you. It does not include all step and field descriptions.
To edit the Oracle home
1. Click beside the Connect using box on the Database Login window.
2. Select an Oracle home by clicking on its node. You can then: l
Click Clipboard. This will copy the selected information to the clipboard so you can past it into an email, or another document.
l
Click Advice. This will tell you if you have a proper Net8 installation for this home, or suggest changes to your installation.
l
Right-click and choose to edit one of the following: l
SID for the selected home l
NLS_LANG for the selected home l
SQLPATH for the selected home
Edit Oracle Connection Files
Edit SQLNET Files
From the SQLNET editor you can easily edit your SQLNET.ora parameters. The parameters on this window are standard Oracle parameters. See Oracle's documentation for more information.
To edit your SQLNET.ora file
1. Click in the standard toolbar to open the Database Login window.
Note: You can also select Session | New Connection.
2. Click SQLNET Editor.
3. To back up your file before editing it, click Create Backup File.
Note: It is recommended that you create a backup file before you make any changes. This assures that if something goes wrong you can restore the original settings.
4. Make any necessary changes.
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Note: If you are using a multi-threaded server and plan to use the PL/SQL Debugger, make sure you check the USE_DEDICATED_SERVER checkbox. This allows the
PL/SQL Debugger to work.
5. To view the SQLNET.ora file after you update parameters, click View File as Modified.
Edit LDAP Files
You can use the LDAP editor to edit your LDAP parameters. Toad supports both Oracle LDAP and Windows LDAP servers.
The parameters on this window are standard Oracle parameters. See Oracle's documentation for more information.
To edit your LDAP.ora file
1. Click in the standard toolbar to open the Database Login window.
Note: You can also select Session | New Connection.
2. Click LDAP Editor.
3. To back up your file before editing it, click Create Backup File.
Note: It is recommended that you create a backup file before you make any changes. This assures that if something goes wrong you can restore the original settings.
4. Make any necessary changes.
Note: The directory server types apply to all servers listed in the Directory Servers area.
5. To view the file after you update parameters, click View File.
Edit TNSNames Files
From the TNSNames Editor, you can easily edit your TNSNames files. You can add a new service, edit a service, delete a service, or work with two files and transfer services back and forth between the two.
Notes:
l
The TNSNames Editor supports much of the standard Oracle syntax, but there are certain
old or advanced features that it does not support. See "Limitations of the TNSNames
Editor" (page 32) for more information.
l
An incorrect TNSNames.ora entry may block all valid entries after it. You can copy names to the top of the list until you find the incorrect entry.
l
This topic focuses on information that may be unfamiliar to you. It does not include all step and field descriptions.
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To edit TNSNames files
1. Select Utilities | TNSNames Editor to open the TNSNames Editor.
2. Open a TNSNames file in one or both sides of the window.
Note: If you are working with two TNSNames files at the same time, the TNSNames
Editor does not prevent duplicate entries in the tnsnames.ora file. This allows you to copy a service and then edit it. Use the arrows in the middle of the screen to copy entries between the two files.
3. Make changes as necessary. Review the following for additional information:
Add new service
Clone a service
Copy and paste entries
Test a connection
Click and complete the required fields.
To clone a service: a. Right-click the service and select Clone Service.
Note: When you clone a service, the new service entry will have a blank Net Service Name and displays at the top of the service list.
b. Select the new service and click modifications.
to make necessary
You can paste entries directly into either side of the TNSNames
Editor from either the Project Manager or from a text file. To copy connections to the TNS Names Editor: a. Copy the text of the connection information from the email, file, or Project Manager.
Note: To copy from the Project Manager, right-click the connection in the Connections tab and select TNSNames
information to clipboard.
b. Click in the pane containing the TNSNames.ora where you want the information.
To test a connection: a. Save the file to the location where your TNSping executable reads files.
b. Select the connection and click
.
Tip: Click to check the syntax of your TNSNames file from the editor. If there are errors, Toad lists them in the Message tab and suggest ways to fix them.
Note: You can add a UR tag to a CONNECT_DATA tag of a TNS entry. This is available ONLY through the text edit area of the editor, not the Edit Service
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32 window. This tag is supported as a patch to Oracle 10g and is no longer necessary in
Oracle 11 and later.
Create a Variable for the TNSNames.ora File
If you have multiple Oracle clients installed or want to use a TNSNames.ora file on a network, you may want to use the TNS_NAMES environment variable to simplify managing TNS connections. This variable specifies the location of your TNSNames.ora file, and all installed
Oracle clients use this file for connections. If the TNS_ADMIN variable is not defined, then each
Oracle client must have its own TNSNames.ora file. Consequently, using the TNS_NAMES variable allows you to maintain one TNSNames.ora file instead of maintaining multiple copies for the clients.
To create an environment variable for the TNSNames.ora file
1. Access the Environment Variables window:
Windows 7
Windows Vista
Windows XP
Select Start | Computer | System Properties | Advanced
system settings | Environment Variables.
Select Start | My Computer | View system information |
Advanced | Environment Variables.
2. Click New beneath the System variables field.
3. Enter TNS_ADMIN in Variable name the field. This must be an exact match.
4. Enter the TNSNames.ora file location in the Variable value field.
Note: This file is generally located in the following directory: ORACLE_
HOME\NETWORK\ADMIN.
Limitations of the TNSNames Editor
The TNSNames Editor supports much of the standard Oracle syntax. There are, however, certain old or advanced features that it does not support: l
Multiple Description Lists
Note: Multiple Description entries are supported, and a DESCRIPTION_LIST will be created automatically to encompass them.
l
Multiple Address Lists l
No ADDRESS_LIST keyword (The editor parses it correctly, but it adds the ADDRESS_
LIST parameter back in to the entry, which produces a completely equivalent configuration. Existing entries with multiple ADDRESS_LIST tags are preserved, even if edited in the Editor window. )
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In all of these cases, the TNSNames Editor will not change the entry unless the user chooses to edit that particular entry. If you do not try to change a non-supported entry, the file will remain useable.
If you do try to edit a service name with one of these unsupported features, the editor does its best to parse the entry into the Edit Service dialog box. It will write the entry into a structure it does support, if you click OK in the Edit Service dialog box and then save the file.
Whenever the TNSNames Editor overwrites a file, it first makes a backup of that file in the same directory. So if you do accidentally cause problems to your file, you can revert to the backup.
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Troubleshoot Connections
General Connection Issues
Problem
Cannot connect to
Oracle
Toad is connecting with the wrong Oracle Home
OCI/DLL Not Found
(Cannot load OCI DLL:
<path to OCI.DLL>)
Description and Possible Solution
You must have a full install of a 32-bit version of Net8.
Connecting by SQL*Plus is not verification that Net8 is installed.
Confirm that the registry setting specifies the correct folder where your TNSNames.ora file lives:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Oracle\TNS_ADMIN
If you cannot connect to Oracle using Toad, your Oracle client software may not be installed correctly. Re-install the Net8 client from the Oracle setup disks. Or, if you have installed
OEM, NetAssist, Oracle Lite, or any other Oracle software recently, remove that software and see if you can connect using
Toad.
This issue can also be caused by an error in the TNSNames file.
See "Edit TNSNames Files" (page 30) for more information.
The default home that Toad uses matches the one you have chosen in the Oracle Home Selector, unless you have previously selected the checkbox: Make this the Toad default
home.
Only one Oracle home can be in use at one time. This means that once a connection is made, all future connections use the same Oracle home, regardless of default home. If you want to use a different Oracle home, you must close all open connections first.
This problem commonly occurs when customers use a 64-bit
Oracle client, which is not supported. Toad requires a 32-bit client. See the Toad for Oracle Installation Guide for more information.
If you have a 32-bit client, make sure that the Oracle BIN directory is in your system path. This directory will be
ORAWIN\BIN, or ORANT\BIN, or something similar.
To check your path, Open a command line window, type
PATH, and then press Enter.
34
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35
Database Login Window
Problem
There's an X beside
TNSNames Editor or
SQLNet Editor.
All of my past connections are not visible in the grid.
Toad is/is not saving the password for a connection.
Description and Possible Solution
Toad can't find the TNSNames.ora file or the appropriate
SQLNet file. Make sure they are in the appropriate directory, and that your path points to them.
Clear the Show favorites only and Show selected home only fields in the bottom of the Database Login window.
Make sure the Save Password column is selected or cleared as appropriate in the row for that connection. If Toad is saving all passwords and you do not want them saved, make sure the
Save passwords checkbox beneath the grid is cleared.
Note: If the Save Password field is disabled, your ability to save passwords may have been removed during installation. See the Toad for Oracle Installation Guide for more information.
3
Execute and Manage Code
About the Editor
The Toad Editor lets you edit many types of statements and code, and Toad provides many
The Editor attaches itself to the active connection in Toad, but if you do not have a connection you can still use it as a text editor. You can also change the schema to execute against from the
Current Schema toolbar. See "Change Current Schema" (page 43) for more information.
Tips:
l
The Editor's right-click menu contains many options to help you work with code. When you are trying to figure out how to do something, try right-clicking the Editor to see if it is available in the menu.
l
Select an object and press F4 to display the object's properties. See "Describe Objects"
(page 59) for more information.
l
If you press CTRL and click a PL/SQL object, the object opens in a new Editor tab. If you press CTRL and click a non-PL/SQL object, the object opens in the Describe
Objects window.
Editor Panels
The Editor is organized into the following areas:
Area
Navigator
Panel
Editor
Description
The Navigator Panel is a desktop panel that displays an outline of the Editor contents in the active tab. You can click on the items listed to navigate to that statement in the Editor. The Navigator Panel is displayed on the left-hand side by default, but you can change where it is docked.
The main Editor window displays code in separate tabs. You can create tabs for different bits of code, or different types of code. SQL and PL/SQL can go in the same tab. Toad can tell where the cursor is located and compile PL/SQL or run SQL as required.
Note: If you have multiple statements in the Editor, you must trail them with a valid statement terminator such as a semi-colon.
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Area
Desktop
Panels
Description
The desktop panels contain many options for tab display, depending on what kind of code you are working with and what you want to do with it. In addition, you can configure how these panels display to make Toad work for
you. See "Customize the Editor Layout" (page 38) for more information.
Important Editor Settings
Toad provides many options to let you customize the Editor's behavior. The following table describes some of the most popular or important Editor options:
Option
Code templates
Commit after every statement
Font
Syntax highlighting
Tab stops
When closing connections
Description
Select code template settings. Code templates use a manual keystroke (CTRL+SPACE) to perform substitutions. See
"Code Completion Templates" in the online help for more information.
Commit every time a statement is run, after any posted edits are made in the grid, and after a row is deleted in the grid.
Enabling this option makes it very easy to accidentally
change or delete data. It is recommended that you do not select this option, and you should never have it enabled when you are working on a production database.
Select the Editor display font.
Navigate
View | Toad
Options |
Editor |
Behavior
View | Toad
Options |
Oracle |
Transactions
Select syntax highlighting settings. See "Syntax
Highlighting" in the online help for more information.
Enter the number of spaces entered when you press TAB.
Commit, rollback, or prompt when closing connections. This field is disabled if you select Commit after every
statement.
Selecting Commit makes it very easy to accidentally change or delete data. It is recommended that you select
Prompt.
View | Toad
Options |
Editor |
Display
View | Toad
Options |
Editor |
Behavior
View | Toad
Options |
Editor |
Behavior
View | Toad
Options |
Oracle |
Transactions
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Customize the Editor Layout
You can easily configure which panels display on your Editor desktop and where they display. You can select panels to display one at a time or in groups. When you have configured it, you can save the desktop with its own name, returning to it whenever the need arises. In addition, you can turn on Auto-save current desktop, and however you have the desktop set when you change tabs or close Toad will be how your desktop is defined the next time you open the Editor.
You can split the Editor to easily compare code revisions. See "Split the Editor Layout" (page
Note: This topic focuses on information that may be unfamiliar to you. It does not include all step and field descriptions.
To display panels one at a time
1. Right-click the Editor and select Desktop.
2. Select the panel you want to display or hide.
To configure your desktop
1. Right-click the panel area near the bottom of the window.
2. Select Desktop | Configure Desktop Layout.
3. Select the panels you want to display in the Show column, and click the drop down menus in the Dock Site column to change where the panel is docked. By default, all except the Navigator will be docked below the Editor.
To save your desktop
1. Click on the Desktops toolbar.
2. Enter the name you want to use for this desktop.
To use a saved desktop
» From the drop-down desktop menu, select the desktop you want to use.
To restore a desktop
» Click the drop-down arrow on
Default Desktop.
and select Revert to Last Saved Desktop or Restore
Split the Editor Layout
You can split the Editor to easily compare code revisions.
Tip: To remove the split layout, right-click in the Editor and select Split Editor Layout
| Not Split.
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Execute and Manage Code
To split the Editor
1. Right-click the Editor and select Split Editor Layout.
2. Select one of the following options: l
Left-Right
39 l
Top-Bottom
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40
Execute Statements and Scripts
Toad provides many different options for you to execute scripts:
If you want to...
Execute a script in the
Editor
Execute a long-running script without tying up Toad
(execute a script outside of Toad)
Execute multiple scripts
Schedule execution
Execute through the command line
Review the following:
Use Execute as script (F5) in the Editor. See "Execute Scripts in the
Editor" (page 41) for more information.
Considerations:
l
Long-running scripts can tie up the Editor.
l
Does not support bind variables and cannot produce editable data.
Alternately, you can execute the code as a statement. See
"Execute Single Statements" (page 41) for more information.
l
Fetches all matching records at the same time, which may cause it to execute slower and use more resources.
Use Quest Script Runner for scripts that may take a long time to execute
Considerations:
l
Compared to executing a script in Toad, Quest Script Runner does not offer all of the Editor's features l
You can also use SQL*Plus to externally execute scripts.
SQL*Plus does not have data grids or other Toad features, and it does not support Unicode. See "Execute SQL via SQL*Plus" in the online help for more information.
You can use the Automation Designer or Script Manager. Review the following topics in the online help for more information: l
Automation Designer Overview l
Script Manager Overview
Create a Toad Action and schedule it to run. See "Scheduling Actions and Apps" in the online help for more information.
Execute scripts or Toad Actions with scripts from the command line.
Review the following topics in the online help for more information: l
Command Line Syntax l
Execute Actions from the Command Line l
Automation Designer Overview
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41
Execute Single Statements
You can easily execute a single statement in the Editor. Toad's parser identifies and executes the statement or compiles the PL/SQL at the cursor.
Note: If you select code and execute, Toad ignores the parser results and executes the portion that is selected. This may cause errors, especially if you select more than one statement. It is better to place your cursor in the statement you want to execute and let
Toad select the statement.
This method fetches matching records in batches to improve performance. The default is 500 records, but you can change the default by editing the OCI Array Buffer size option. See
"General Oracle Options" in the online help for more information.
Notes:
l
Executing a statement can produce editable data. See "Understand Editable Resultsets"
(page 67) for more information.
l
Toad provides several options to execute a full script or multiple statements. See "Execute
Statements and Scripts" (page 40) for more information.
l
You can easily execute a SQL statement embedded within PL/SQL. See "Execute SQL
Statements within PL/SQL" in the online help for more information.
To execute a statement in the Editor
» Place the cursor in the statement and click
Note: To cancel the execution, click on the Execute toolbar (F9).
in the Execute toolbar.
Execute Scripts in the Editor
Toad's Execute as script command is generally the best method when you want to execute multiple statements or a script in the Editor. However, there are some important differences
between executing scripts and a single statement (Execute Single Statements (page 41)). For
example, executing scripts: l
Does not support bind variables l
Cannot produce editable datasets l
Fetches all matching records at the same time, which may cause it to execute slower and use more resources than executing a single statement
If you want to execute a script that may take a long time to run, executing with Quest Script
Runner may be the best choice. Quest Script Runner is an external execution utility, which
allows you to keep working in Toad while the script executes in the background. See "Execute
Scripts with Quest Script Runner" (page 42) for more information.
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42
Notes:
l
Toad does not support all SQL*Plus commands. See "SQL*Plus Commands" in the online help for more information.
l
Linesize in Toad defaults to 80, just as in SQL*Plus. If you want to change this to a longer amount, you can do it using the SET LINESIZE command in your script.
l
To load and immediately execute a script file, select Editor | Load and Execute a
Script File.
To execute the contents of the Editor as a script
» Click on the Execute toolbar (F5).
Caution: If any changes have been made, the script in the current window is
automatically saved, and then executed as a script.
Note: To cancel the execution, click in the Execute toolbar.
Execute Scripts with Quest Script Runner
Quest Script Runner (QSR) looks and operates the same way as the Toad Editor, but it only includes a subset of the Editor's features. Quest Script Runner is a small script execution utility that can run in the background or from the command line. Quest Script Runner can be helpful when you need to run long scripts and want to perform other tasks in Toad. In addition, several instances of Quest Script Runner can run at one time because of its small size.
The Quest Script Runner window is divided into the following regions: l
Editor (top)—Displays the script for you to review and edit. You can use the toolbar to save the script, open a different one, search, manage your connection, and other options.
l
Script output (bottom)—Displays the script output and variable settings. See "Script
Output Tabs" in the online help for more information.
Notes:
l
Quest Script Runner is not completely SQL*Plus compatible; however, most DDL and
DML scripts should be supported. See "SQL*Plus Commands" in the online help for more information.
l
If you change data in the script session, the changes will not reflect in Toad until you commit the changes in the script session. Also, any session control statements executed in the script session (such as ALTER SESSION) are not visible to the Toad session.
l
This topic focuses on information that may be unfamiliar to you. It does not include all step and field descriptions.
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43
To execute scripts from Toad in Quest Script Runner
1. Open the script in the Toad Editor.
2. Select Editor | Execute SQL via QSR. Quest Script Runner opens using your current connection and executes the script.
Note: You can also click the drop-down beside the
To execute scripts within QSR
1. Open the script in the Quest Script Runner Editor.
2. Click on the Quest Script Runner toolbar.
icon and select Execute in QSR.
Work with Code
Change Current Schema
The Current Schema drop-down lets you work with a schema other than the one to which you are connected. This can be useful if, for example, you have tested a SQL statement in your test schema and now want to execute it on several other schemas without disconnecting and reconnecting.
By default, the current schema is set to your current connection. When you use this drop-down,
Toad issues an
ALTER SESSION SET current_schema command. After you execute, Toad issues the
ALTER SESSION SET current_schema command again to return to the original connection schema.
Note: You must have the ALTER SESSION system privilege to use this feature. If you do not have the privilege, the drop-down is disabled.
To change the current schema
» Select a different schema in the Current Schema toolbar.
Change the Schema in Scripts
The Current Schema drop-down does not work with script execution or debugging commands.
However, because Execute as Script is designed to mimic SQL*Plus, you can use a set schema command to change the schema.
To change the schema in scripts
» Include the following command at the beginning of your script:
ALTER SESSION SET current_schema = "USERNAME"
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44
Save and Reuse SQL Statements
You can save SQL statements and easily insert them into the Editor at any time. The best way to save SQL statements is with the Named SQL feature. Toad also allows you to export and import your saved SQL. See Import/Export Saved SQL for more information.
Toad lists saved and recently executed SQL statements in the SQL Recall pane. See "View
Recently Executed SQL Statements" (page 45) for more information.
Notes:
l
If you want a quicker way to save SQL statements, you can save them as Personal SQL statements by selecting Editor | Add to Personal SQLs. This bypasses the dialog to name the SQL. However, the only way to reuse Personal statements is from the SQL
Recall pane.
l
Toad stores all saved SQL in
User Files\SavedSQL.dat
.
l
This topic focuses on information that may be unfamiliar to you. It does not include all step and field descriptions.
To save statements from the Editor
1. Select the statement in the Editor.
2. Select Editor | Add to Named SQLs.
3. Enter a name for the SQL statement.
Note: The name is case sensitive. For example, you can save both "sql1" and "SQL1".
To use a saved statement in the Editor
1. Select one of the following options: l
Press CTRL+N in the Editor and select the statement from the pick list.
l
Enter ^MyNamedSQL in the Editor, where MyNamedSQL is the name of your saved SQL statement. Toad replaces the SQL name with the saved statement at execution.
l
Double-click or drag the statement from the SQL Recall pane.
To view saved statements
» Select View | SQL Command Recall | Named.
To edit statements in the SQL Recall pane
» Select a statement and click on the SQL Recall toolbar.
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View Recently Executed SQL Statements
Toad saves recently executed statements in the History tab of the SQL Recall pane. This list is organized with the most recent SQL at the top by default. You can select a statement from this list and run it, save the statement for easy recall, or remove a statement from this list.
The SQL Recall pane also lists your saved SQL statements in the Named and Personal tabs. See
"Save and Reuse SQL Statements" (page 44) for more information.
Notes:
l
You can change the number of statements that SQL Recall saves in the History (500 is default) or save only SQL statements that executed successfully. You can select these options and other SQL Recall settings on the Code Assist options page. See "Code Assist
Options" in the online help for more information.
l
This topic focuses on information that may be unfamiliar to you. It does not include all step and field descriptions.
To view previously executed SQL statements
» Select View | SQL Command Recall | History (F8).
Tip: You can also press ALT+UP ARROW or ALT+DOWN ARROW in the Editor.
To open SQL statement directly in the Editor
» Double-click or drag the statement from the SQL Recall pane.
To save statements in the History tab
1. Select a statement and click in the SQL Recall toolbar.
2. Select Named in the Type field and enter a name for the statement in the Name field.
To edit statements in the SQL Recall pane
» Select a statement and click on the SQL Recall toolbar.
Format Code
You can have Toad format your code in the Editor. The following images display part of a script before and after formatting:
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Before
After
46
You can customize how Toad formats the code, such as inserting spaces instead of tabs or changing the case for SQL commands. See "Formatter Options" in the online help for more information.
Note: Format multiple scripts at one time from the Project Manager. See "Format Files" in the online help for more information.
To format a statement
» Select the statement you want to select and click on the Edit toolbar.
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Execute and Manage Code
To format an entire script
» Click on the Edit toolbar.
Tip: You can also right-click the script and select Formatting Tools |
Format Code.
Display Pick List (Automatically Complete Code)
The Toad Insight feature helps you write code by displaying a pick list with relevant object or column names. For example, if you start typing
SYS and invoke the pick list, the
SYSTEM user would be included in the pick list:
47
Toad provides options for you to customize Code Insight's behavior, such as adjusting the length of time before the pick list displays. See "Code Assist Options" in the online help for more information.
To display the pick list
» Press CTRL+T, or begin typing a name and pause 1.5 seconds.
Note: There are additional shortcut keys you can use with Toad Insight. See "Toad
Insight Pick List Shortcuts" (page 11) for more information.
Extract Procedures
You can extract a procedure from existing code into a new stored procedure or locally defined procedure.
Creating the new procedure and call depend heavily on the parser to determine which identifiers in the text selection must be declared as parameters in the new procedure. If Toad cannot parse the code, no extraction occurs.
Note: This topic focuses on information that may be unfamiliar to you. It does not include all step and field descriptions.
To extract procedures
1. Select the code you want to extract in the Editor.
2. Right-click and select Refactor | Extract Procedure.
3. Select a procedure type.
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Note: If you select stored procedure, you can choose to either include the "CREATE OR
REPLACE" in the DDL instead of just "CREATE".
4. Enter the procedure name.
Tip: The new procedure and the resulting procedure call are created an inserted so that the code is syntactically correct, but no formatting is done to the code. You can have
Toad format the code by pressing SHIFT+CTRL+F.
Comment Out Code Block
These commands add or remove comments from the selected block of text by adding or removing
"--" from the beginning of each line.
To comment code
1. Select the code block.
2. Right-click and select Refactor | Comment Block.
Tip: You can also press CTRL+B.
To uncomment code
1. Select the code block.
2. Right-click and select Refactor | Uncomment Block.
Tip: You can also press SHIFT+CTRL+B.
Find Unused Variables
Toad can find unused variables and identifiers in PL/SQL with code refactoring. If Toad find unused variables, it displays the variables and lets you jump to the occurrence in the Editor.
Notes:
l
Toad only searches the object in the Editor, and does not evaluate other PL/SQL objects that may reference it. Be careful when removing unused variables from package specifications, as they maybe be referenced in other PL/SQL that is not searched.
l
This topic focuses on information that may be unfamiliar to you. It does not include all step and field descriptions.
To find unused variables
1. Right-click code in the Editor.
2. Select Refactor | Find Unused Variables.
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Rename Identifiers
You can easily rename identifiers (variables, parameters, or PL/SQL calls) for PL/SQL in the
Editor with code refactoring.
Notes:
l
Toad only searches the PL/SQL object in the Editor. Be careful when renaming identifiers in package specifications, as they maybe be referenced in other PL/SQL that is not searched.
l
This topic focuses on information that may be unfamiliar to you. It does not include all step and field descriptions.
To rename identifiers
1. Right-click an identifier in the Editor and select Refactor | Rename Identifier.
2. Enter the new name in the Name field.
Debug PL/SQL
About Debugging
You can debug PL/SQL, SQL scripts, and Java in Toad. Toad's documentation includes tutorials on how to debug. See "Debugging a Procedure or Function Tutorial" in the online help for more information.
Notes:
l
There are minimum Oracle database requirements for using this feature. See "Minimum
Oracle Database Requirements" in the online help for more information.
l
The debugger is not designed to work with word-wrapped lines, since the Editor will then have a different set of line numbers than what is stored in Oracle. Toad provides a warning message about this if you open the procedure Editor while word-wrapping is enabled. To disable word-wrap, select View | Toad Options | Editor | Behavior and clear Word wrap.
Types of Debugging
Debugging in Toad requires you to select one type of debugging at a time for all database instances open per instance of Toad. For example, if you have three database connections in one instance of Toad, they must all be in the same debugging state. If you then opened another instance of Toad, with the same or different connections, they could be in a different debugging state. Review the following about the debugging types:
DBMS
Debugger
Debugs PL/SQL. Using the Debugger, you can set breakpoints, watches, and see call stacks. In addition, you can view DBMS output.
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Script
Debugger
Note: When using the PL/SQL Debugger and connecting to a RAC instance, you must have the TNSNAMES entry for the instance with the server directed the use connection or session here. Or, you must connect directly to an instance of the cluster without letting the server assign an instance.
Debugs SQL scripts. You can set breakpoints, run to cursor, step over, trace into, and halt execution of your scripts.
You can also use Toad's Auto Debugger, which automatically inserts DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_
LINE statements into the DDL. Once you compile the code and inspect the contents of the
DBMS_OUTPUT buffer, you can remove all instances of DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE with the click of a button. See "Automatically Insert DBMS_OUTPUT Statements (Auto Debugger)" in the online help for more information.
Compile with Debug Information
To use the debugger fully with PL/SQL or Java packages, you need to compile your object with debug information. If you have not compiled with debug information, in databases in versions before 10g you can step into a unit, step over and so on, but you cannot see watches unless the object is compiled with debug. In a 10g database you cannot step into code or step over unless the object was compiled with debug. You can only execute.
In addition, if you are debugging an object that has dependent objects, you cannot step into the dependents unless they, too, are compiled with debug information. See "Dependencies and
References" in the online help for more information.
To enable compile with debug
» Click on the main toolbar or select Session | Toggle Compiling with Debug.
Note: You can have Toad enable Toggle Compiling with Debug by default for each new session. See "Execute and Compile Options" in the online help for more information.
Start Debugging
You can debug PL/SQL objects in the Editor. When you open a complete package or type in the
Editor, the spec and body open in separate tabs by default. However, Toad provides options to control how objects are split, reassembled, and saved. See "Editor Options: Open/Save" in the online help for more information.
Note: This topic focuses on information that may be unfamiliar to you. It does not include all step and field descriptions.
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To start the Debugger
1. Open a PL/SQL object in the Editor.
2. Click on the main toolbar or select Session | Toggle Compiling with Debug. This enables debugging.
3. Compile the object on the database.
4. Select one of the following options on the Execute toolbar to begin debugging: l
Execute PL/SQL with debugger ( ) l
Step over ( ) l
Step into ( ) l
Run to cursor ( )
View DBMS Output
Oracle provides a specifically designed package called DBMS_OUTPUT with functions for debugging PL/SQL code. It uses a buffer that your PL/SQL code writes into and then a separate process queries the buffer out and displays the contents.
You must enable DBMS Output before executing the PL/SQL. In Toad, output displays after the procedure has completed execution, not while you are stepping through the code. In nested procedure calls, all procedures must have run to completion before any DBMS Output content is displayed.
Troubleshooting
If you do not see DBMS Output, try the following suggestions: l
Right-click the lower pane and select Desktop Panels | DBMS Output.
l
Make sure the Toggle Output On/Off button is on ( ) in the DBMS Output tab. Then, set the interval in the Polling Frequency box. If the toggle is on, Toad periodically scans for and displays DBMS Output content.
l
Contact your Oracle DBA to make sure the DBMS_OUTPUT package is enabled on your database.
4
Work with Database Objects
About the Schema Browser
The Schema Browser allows you to view, add, and modify database objects. It also displays detailed information about a selected object. For example, the detailed information for a table includes its subpartitions, columns, indexes, data, grants, and so on.
Notes:
l
Some Schema Browser features may not be available unless you have the commercial version of Toad with the DB Admin Module.
l
You can set the Schema Browser to open automatically when a new connection is made.
Select View | Toad Options | Windows and select the Auto Open checkbox of the
Schema Browser row.
Schema Browser Panes
The Schema Browser is divided into two panes to help you review objects and their details:
Pane
List of objects
(left-hand side)
Object details
(right-hand side)
Description
The left-hand side of the Schema Browser provides a list of objects that you can view. In general, you select a schema and an object type, and the list refreshes to display the relevant objects. You can filter the objects
and save your filters for future use. See "About Schema Browser Filters"
(page 62) for more information.
The list can display additional information about the objects, such as the tablespace and number of rows. To view additional information, rightclick a column in the left-hand side and select additional columns to display. (This feature is unavailable with the tree view display.)
Tip: In drop-down mode, you can hide leading characters of object names in the left-hand side. Right click a column and select Hide
leading characters of name. The display resets when you change the schema or connection.
The right-hand side initially displays the same list of objects as the lefthand side. When you select an object on the left-hand side, Toad displays its details in the right-hand side. This format makes it easy for you to compare details between objects of the same type.
Note: You can use Toad's Describe Objects feature to display an object's details in a new window. The Describe Objects window displays the
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53
Pane Description
same information you would see in the right-hand side of the Schema
Browser. See "Describe Objects" (page 59) for more information.
From the Schema Browser you can drop most objects, enable/disable applicable objects, and disable triggers for a table or for an entire schema.
You can recompile procedures, functions, packages, triggers, and views, or they can be extracted from the database and loaded into the clipboard or Editor.
Tips:
l
To reset the right-hand side to mirror the list of objects on the left-hand side, click in the toolbar or select multiple objects on the left-hand side.
l
Many of the panes within the Schema Browser have icons to identify the objects. See
"View Schema Browser Icon Legend" (page 60) for more information.
l
Many of the objects and panes have enhanced right-click menus. Right-click an object or its details to see what options are available.
Customize the Schema Browser
You can customize how the Schema Browser displays to better suit the way you work. The most
Toad also provides dozens of options to further customize the display and behavior of the
Schema Browser. Select View | Toad Options | Schema Browser to view the options.
Customize the Schema Browser
Select the Left-Hand Side Display Style
You can customize how the Schema Browser displays to better suit the way you work. The most common customization is to change how object types display in the left-hand side. Once you select a basic display style, you can rename, hide, or rearrange the object types on the left-hand
Tips:
l
To hide the right-hand side of the Schema Browser, press F12. You can press F12 again to display it again.
l
To hide or display images and tips in the left-hand side, click toolbar and select the appropriate option.
in the Schema Browser l
In drop-down mode, you can hide leading characters of object names in the left-hand side.
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Right click a column and select Hide leading characters of name. The display resets when you change the schema or connection.
To select the left-hand side display style
1. Click in the Schema Browser toolbar.
2. Select one of the following options:
Drop-down Displays object types in an alphabetical drop-down field.
54
Tabbed
(single row of tabs)
Displays object types as a single line of tabs. You must scroll through the tabs to view all object types.
Tabbed
(multi line tabbed)
Displays multiple rows of tabs instead of the scroll bar.
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Tree view Displays object types in a tree view.
Note: You may need to close any open instances of the Schema Browser for the new browser style to display.
Customize Schema Browser Tabs
The Schema Browser displays object types on the left-hand side and detail tabs on the right-hand side. You can rename, rearrange, and hide the object types that display in the left-hand side or the tabs on the right-hand side.
Note: This topic focuses on information that may be unfamiliar to you. It does not include all step and field descriptions.
To customize tabs and object types
1. Click on the Schema Browser toolbar.
2. Select Configure LHS Object Types to customize the left-hand side, or select Configure
RHS Tabs to customize the right-hand side.
3. Customize the display settings. Review the following for additional information:
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If you want to...
Rename an object type or tab
Hide an object type or tab
Rearrange tabs
Complete the following:
Enter a new name in the Caption field.
Clear the Visible field.
Select a tab and click the up or down arrow on the right.
Note: You can only rearrange the order of object type tabs
if you are in a tabbed view. See "Select the Left-Hand Side
Display Style" (page 53) for more information.
Tip: To restore the default settings, click at the bottom of the window.
4. To save the left-hand side settings as a configuration file, click of the window.
at the bottom
Notes: You can save and load different configurations. This gives you more flexibility when you are working, because you can easily change the display to suit different tasks.
Group Favorite Objects
You can group objects that you use frequently into a tab on the Schema Browser. These different objects can be grouped into one or several folders. Folders are specific to an instance (not a connection or a schema).
Notes:
l
The configuration file for this tab is saved as Projects.lst in the User Files folder.
l
This topic focuses on information that may be unfamiliar to you. It does not include all step and field descriptions.
To group favorite objects
1. Click on the Standard toolbar to open the Schema Browser.
2. Select Favorites in the object list in the left-hand side.
3. Add one or more folders to group the objects: a. Click on the Favorites toolbar.
b. Enter a folder name.
4. Add objects to a folder. Review the following for additional information:
To search for and select objects
Complete the following: a. Click on the Favorites toolbar.
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To add objects directly b. Search for objects. See "Object Search" in the online help for more information.
c. Highlight the objects you want to add in the Results tab and click .
d. Select the folder where you want the object.
Complete the following: a. Right-click an object in the left-hand side and select
Add to SB Favorites List.
b. Select the folder where you want the object.
To add scripts/files
Complete the following: a. Right-click the folder where you want the item in the
Favorites list and select Add Files.
b. Select the file and click Open.
Note: Multi-select files to add more than one at a time.
c. Select the folder where you want the object.
Tips:
l
To remove objects from a folder, select the object in the Favorites list and click .
l
To empty or remove favorites folders, right-click the folder and select Remove
Folder to remove the folder and its contents or Empty Folder to leave the folder in the list but remove its contents.
Create Objects
Toad lets you select Oracle object parameters and generate a DDL statement to create or alter objects. It is generally a good idea to review the DDL statement before executing it. When you execute the statement, Toad passes it to the database, and the object is created or altered.
The options to create or alter an object in Toad follow the parameters defined by Oracle. If you need clarification on what an option means or how it should be used, see Oracle's documentation for more information. Oracle provides detailed documentation about objects, including their purpose, properties, and restrictions.
Notes:
l
You can also find detailed information about parameters in Knowledge Xpert.
Knowledge Xpert is an extensive Oracle technical resource which you can search in the
Quick Search bar. See "Quick Search Bar" (page 13) for more information.
l
You can use an existing object as a template when creating a new one. See "Use Existing
Object as Template for New Objects" (page 59) for more information.
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58 l
This topic focuses on information that may be unfamiliar to you. It does not include all step and field descriptions.
To create an object
1. Click on the Standard toolbar to open the Schema Browser.
2. Select the object type in the left-hand side and click .
Note: You can also create an object by selecting Database | Create | <Object type>.
3. Complete the fields as necessary.
4. To add the object to the Project Manager, select Add to PM. See "Project Manager
Overview" in the online help for more information.
5. To view the CREATE statement, click Show SQL or select the SQL tab.
6. Click OK or Execute to create the object immediately. You can also schedule the script to run later.
Note: To alter or edit an object, double-click it in the Schema Browser. You can also press F2 to rename an object (if it can be renamed).
Copy Objects to Another Schema
From the Schema Browser, you can use existing objects to create identically formed objects in a different schema. This feature uses the Export DDL feature to export the code for the objects, and then import it into the new schema.
Note: This topic focuses on information that may be unfamiliar to you. It does not include all step and field descriptions.
To copy objects to another schema
1. Click on the Standard toolbar to open the Schema Browser.
2. Right-click the object you want to copy in the left-hand side and select Create in
another schema.
3. Select export settings and click OK. See "Export DDL" in the online help for more information.
4. Enter the destination connection and destination schemas.
5. To review the script to create the objects, click the Script tab.
6. Click Execute.
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Use Existing Object as Template for New Objects
You can use an existing object as a template for creating a new object. Toad loads the original object's properties in the Create window for you to edit as necessary and execute.
Notes:
l
This feature is not available for all object types.
l
This topic focuses on information that may be unfamiliar to you. It does not include all step and field descriptions.
To create an object based on an existing one
1. Click on the Standard toolbar to open the Schema Browser.
2. Right-click the object you want to use as a template in the left-hand side and select
Create Like.
3. Complete the fields as necessary.
4. To view the CREATE statement, click Show SQL or select the SQL tab.
5. Click OK or Execute to create the object immediately. You can also schedule the script to run later.
Helpful Features
Describe Objects
You can use the Describe Objects feature anywhere in Toad to find objects and display their information in the Describe Objects window. The Describe Objects window displays the same information you would see in the right-hand side of the Schema Browser.
Note: You can describe many objects types through database links. However, the following object types are not supported: policy, policy group, java, refresh group, resource groups/plans, sys privs, and transformations.
To immediately describe the object
1. Select the object and press F4.
Tip: You can also right-click the object and select Describe.
2. If multiple objects have the same name, select the appropriate object from the Multiple
Object Found window. (This only applies to the object types in DBA_OBJECTS.)
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To specify the object schema and name before describing the object
1. Press CTRL+D to open the Quick Describe window.
2. Enter the object name in the Object Name field. You can complete the rest of the fields to refine your search. These fields are helpful when multiple schemas may contain objects with the same name, or when different object types have the same name (for example, a
SYSTEM user and table).
3. Click Describe and Close to open the object in the Describe Objects window and close the Quick Describe window. If you click Describe instead, the Quick Describe window remains open.
Jump to Objects in the Schema Browser
Objects are displayed in the Schema Browser right-hand side within a data grid or a label. You can directly jump to the displayed object.
Tip: You can also describe the object to view its details in a new window. See "Describe
Objects" (page 59) for more information.
To jump to the object from the data grid
» Select the object and press SHIFT+F4.
To jump to an object in a label
» CTRL+click and the object. In the following screenshot, you would click SCOTT.EMP to jump to the SCOTT.EMP table in the Schema Browser.
View Schema Browser Icon Legend
Many of the panes within the Schema Browser have icons to identify the objects. Toad includes an Icon Legend that you can use to easily decipher these images.
To view the icon legend
» Click on the Schema Browser toolbar.
View Parent/Child Datasets in the Schema Browser
When you view a table's data in the Schema Browser, you can split the window to also show child or parent tables in a new detail grid. You can also change the query for the detail grid.
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To view parent/child datasets in the Schema Browser
1. Select a table in the Schema Browser.
2. Select the Data tab and click on the Data tab toolbar.
If the table has a single foreign key, Toad automatically displays the related table. If there is more than one foreign key, click the arrow beside select the a table. Toad remembers your selection.
on the detail grid toolbar and
3. To edit the query in the detail grid, click on the detail grid toolbar.
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Filter Schema Browser Content
About Schema Browser Filters
The Schema Browser has several different types of filters:
Type Description
Object filter
(left-hand side)
QuickFilter
(left-hand side)
Data filter
(right-hand side)
Object filters reduce the number of objects displayed in a schema. By default, Toad automatically saves your filter settings per schema name.
When you reopen the schema, Toad remembers and applies the last filter that you used for it. However, Toad provides other options on how to save and apply filters. You can: l
Create and apply new filters, which you can save to reuse later.
See "Create Schema Browser Filters" (page 63) for more information.
l
Create a default filter for each object type, which is used for all schemas. See "Create Default Schema Browser Filters" in the online help for more information.
Note: You can have Toad automatically apply the default filter when you open a schema, instead of the last filter used. See
"Schema Browser Left-Hand Side Options" in the online help for more information.
The QuickFilter is a client-side filter, so it filters all Schema Browser object lists without re-querying the database. This filter works in
conjunction with the existing browser filters. See "Quickly Filter the
Schema Browser Left-Hand Side" (page 64) for more information.
This is a server-side filter that limits which rows are retrieved from the database. This method is much faster than the grid filter when you are
filtering a large dataset. See "Filter Data in the Schema Browser" (page
Note: For performance reasons, Toad caches the list of table names for the current schema once the list has been queried from any window. The browser filter, although primarily intended to filter the Schema Browser window, also affects the table lists throughout Toad.
For example, if your filter is set to display only tables that begin with GEO, every table list displays a filtered list until the filter is changed.
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Create Schema Browser Filters
Object filters reduce the number of objects displayed in a schema. See "About Schema Browser
Filters" (page 62) for more information.
Note: This topic focuses on information that may be unfamiliar to you. It does not include all step and field descriptions.
To create browser filters
1. Click in the left-hand side. This displays the browser filter for the selected object type and schema.
2. Complete the fields as necessary.
3. To save the filter, click Saved Filters and select Save Current Filter As.
4. To customize or review the query before applying it, select View/Edit Query Before
Executing and click OK.
Notes:
l
Do not change the SELECT list.
l
When entering the IN clause, you must enclose the table name in single quotes
('TEST'). This lets you enter multiple table names ( such as
'TABLE1',
'TABLE2', 'TABLE3'
) or enter a sub-query.
Filter Data in the Schema Browser
The Schema Browser has the following methods to filter data: l
Filter/Sort—This is a server-side filter that limits which rows are retrieved from the database. This method is much faster than the grid filter when you are filtering a large dataset. Access this filter by clicking the button in the tab's toolbar.
l
Filter Data—This is a client-side filter that retrieves all rows from the dataset before
Note: This topic focuses on information that may be unfamiliar to you. It does not include all step and field descriptions.
To filter data in the Schema Browser
1. Click in the tab's toolbar (right-hand side of the Schema Browser).
2. Complete the fields as necessary.
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Quickly Filter the Schema Browser Left-Hand Side
The QuickFilter is a client-side filter, so it filters all Schema Browser object lists without re-
querying the database. This filter works in conjunction with the existing browser filters. (See
"Create Schema Browser Filters" (page 63) for more information.) The QuickFilter provides a
faster way to filter the list than just using the browser filters.
The QuickFilter field is located below the schema drop-down for the tabbed and drop-down
Schema Browser display styles:
64
Notes:
l
QuickFilter does not work in the tree view Schema Browser or the Favorites Schema
Browser tab.
l
This topic focuses on information that may be unfamiliar to you. It does not include all step and field descriptions.
To use the QuickFilter
» Enter the filter information. You can use wildcard characters at any point in your filter.
Wildcard Description
* and %
? and _
Use for multiple character wildcards.
Use for single character wildcards.
!
Use to exclude the following characters.
One exclamation point affects the entire string. For example, !A*;B* would return everything that does not start with A or B.
Notes:
l
You can use multiple filters by separating them with a semicolon. For example,
A*;B* would display everything that starts with A or B.
l
The QuickFilter maintains a history of up to 25 items, listed most recent first. Right-click the QuickFilter to access this list.
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Clear Schema Browser Filters
To clear filters on the left-hand side
» Click the arrow beside and select Clear Filter.
To clear data grid filters in the Schema Browser
» Click on the Schema Browser right-hand side.
65
5
Work with Data Grids
About Working with Data Grids
Throughout Toad, information is presented in a grid format. Within grids, you can customize grid views, filter resultsets, print the grid contents, and other standard operations.
Grids that provide query results have additional functionality. In most data grids you can:
Edit data
Manage what and how content displays
Filter results
Export data
The dataset must be editable for you to make any changes. See
"Understand Editable Resultsets" (page 67) for more information. If
the dataset is editable, you can: l
Post/Revert Edited Data (page 67)
l
Insert and Delete Rows (page 67)
l
Edit Data in Popup Editor (page 68)
l
Use an External Editor (page 68)
l
Access the Calculator (page 68)
Toad data grids support many of the same features as spreadsheet editing software, such as rearranging and resizing columns. You can also: l
Perform Calculations on Grid Cells (page 69)
l
Anchor Column in Data Grid (page 70)
l
View a Single Record (page 70)
l
Preview Selected Column (page 71)
l
l
Review the following for additional information: l
l
Use Excel-Style Filtering (page 72)
Note: Schema Browser filters have special features. See "Create
Schema Browser Filters" (page 63) for more information.
You can export data to a variety of formats, such as an Excel,
HTML, or flat file: l
l
Export Data to Flat File (page 73)
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Edit Data
Understand Editable Resultsets
A data grid is fully editable providing that the query itself returns a resultset that can be updated.
Query statements must return the ROWID to be editable. For example:
Not Editable
select * from employee
Editable
select employee.*, rowid from employee
Notes:
l
You can substitute
EDIT for
SELECT * FROM
. Toad translates it into the editable version of the statement. For example, edit employee returns the same result as select employee.*, rowid from employee
.
l
If the resultset should be editable but remains read only, make sure the Use read-only
queries checkbox is not selected on the Data Grids | Data options page. See "Data Grid
Options: Data" in the online help for more information.
Post/Revert Edited Data
To post data
1. Make changes to an editable resultset in the data grid.
2. Click in the grid navigator.
To revert data
» Click in the grid navigator.
Insert and Delete Rows
The dataset must be editable for you to make any changes. See "Understand Editable Resultsets"
(page 67) for more information.
To insert a blank row
» Click on the data grid toolbar.
To copy an existing row
» Right-click the cell you want to copy and select Duplicate Row. If you have a sequence set, then the sequence number advances when you finish editing.
To delete a row
» Click on the data grid toolbar.
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Edit Data in Popup Editor
You can view and edit data in a Popup Editor. This feature is helpful when there is too much data to view in the data grid.
Note: The dataset must be editable for you to make any changes. See "Understand Editable
Resultsets" (page 67) for more information.
To edit data in the Popup Editor
» Right-click a cell in the data grid and select Popup Editor.
Use an External Editor
You can use an external editor of your choice, and copy the text to the external editor, edit the text, and bring the results back into Toad.
To set up your External Editor
1. Select View | Toad Options | Executables.
2. Navigate to and select the executable for the external editor in the Editor field.
To open text in External Editor
» Select Edit | Load in External Editor (CTRL+F12).
Note: If you have not saved the contents of the Toad Editor to a file, Toad prompts for a filename before launching the external editor.
To return to Toad from the External Editor
1. Save the file from the external editor and then close it.
2. Open Toad and load the file.
Note: Toad prompts you to reload the contents of the file only if the Prompt for reload
on activation if timestamp has changed option is selected on the Editor | Open/Save page. See "Editor Options: Open/Save" in the online help for more information.
Access the Calculator
You can access a calculator within Toad data grids. To use the calculator, the table must be
editable. See "Understand Editable Resultsets" (page 67) for more information.
To access the calculator
1. Click in a numeric cell. A drop-down arrow displays.
2. Click the arrow to display the calculator.
Beginner's Guide to Using Toad
Work with Data Grids
Customize Data Grid Display
Perform Calculations on Grid Cells
You can perform basic calculations on grid cells, such as finding the sum or average of the selected cells.
Note: This feature is not available if Row Select is enabled. To disable Row Select, right-click the grid and clear the Row Select option.
To perform calculations on grid cells
1. Select adjacent cells in the grid.
Note: Calculations on non-adjacent cells is not supported.
2. Click in the grid toolbar (CTRL+N). The calculations display in a new row below the grid.
69
Tip: You can also right-click the grid and select Calculate Selected Cells.
3. To include additional types of calculations (such as the average or count), click the arrow by and select the appropriate options.
Sort and Group Data
If the query does not contain an "Order By " command, you can sort the grid manually. You can also group data by column header.
To sort by column
1. Click a grid column header.
2. Select the appropriate option, and click Apply.
Beginner's Guide to Using Toad
Work with Data Grids
Group Data by Column
To group by column
» Drag the column header into the area above the grid:
70
Anchor Column in Data Grid
You can anchor a column on the left side of the data grid (also referred to as locking, fixing, or freezing the column). This can make it easier to track information you must scroll through a large amount of content.
Note: Row numbers automatically display as fixed columns. With the exception of row numbers, fixed columns remain editable.
To anchor a column
» Right-click a column and select Fix Column.
To remove the column anchor
» Drag it to the right of the bold fixed column divider bar.
View a Single Record
You can view an individual record from a data grid. This feature presents the information in a format that is easy to view and edit, which is very helpful when the record contains long or complicated information.
To view a single record
» Right-click the grid and select Single Record Viewer.
Tip: Click alignment.
. to edit the display options, such as the sorting order and
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Work with Data Grids
71
Preview Selected Column
You can display or hide a full row below each data row that shows the value of the selected column.
To preview current column
» Right-click the column in the Data grid and select Preview Column.
Hide Columns
You can hide columns from the data grid after running a query.
To select columns to display
1. Click in the upper left corner of a data grid.
2. Clear the checkbox by the column name.
Tip: To sort the column list alphabetically, right-click the column list and select Sort
Alphabetically.
Filter Results
Filter Data
Filters reduce the amount of data displayed and let you display only what you want to see. They work by modifying the query used to fetch the data. If you frequently search for the same criteria, you can save the filter for reuse.
Notes:
l
l
This topic focuses on information that may be unfamiliar to you. It does not include all step and field descriptions.
To filter data
1. Right-click the data grid and select Filter Data.
2. To change the grouping clause, click AND and select a different option.
3. Click press the button to add a new condition.
4. To change the column, click the listed column and select a new one. The first column in the grid is selected by default.
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72
5. To change the condition, click equals and select the appropriate condition (LIKE,
EQUAL TO, LESS THAN, and so on).
6. Click <empty> and add your criteria.
7. To add additional conditions or groupings, click Filter and then select Add Condition or Add Group.
Use Excel-Style Filtering
Toad automatically uses Excel style filtering in its data grids.
To use Excel-style filtering
1. Hover over a column heading to display the drop-down arrow.
2. Click the arrow and select a filter.
3. If you selected (Custom), specify the filter criteria.
Export Data
Export Dataset
You can export the dataset to the clipboard or a file. Toad preserves your sorting and filtering settings in the exported file. In addition, you can set your choices here and then run the actual export of the results from the command line later. See "Run Actions from the Command Line" in the online help for more information.
Notes:
l
You can export to a flat file, which is a file that does not contain TAB or comma
characters between values. See "Export Data to Flat File" (page 73) for more information.
l
CLOBs and BLOBs are automatically exported, but LONG columns are not exported using this method.
l
This topic focuses on information that may be unfamiliar to you. It does not include all step and field descriptions.
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73
To export a dataset
1. Right-click the data grid and select Export Dataset.
2. Select in the output file format in the Export format field.
Notes:
l
You can use a variable to create dynamic filenames, such as including a date or a timestamp.
l
For the Fixed Field Spacing format, the widths come from the definition of the table in the database, not the way it looks in the grid.
l
If your table contains columns with XML data, you may experience issues exporting to the SQL Loader and XML formats.
3. Select options as necessary. Review the following for additional information:
Data
Substitution
Columns to exclude
Commit
Interval
Click the Data Substitution button to specify a constant value or expression to save into a column, instead of the actual value. For example, use this when you want to put SEQ.NEXTVAL in the
INSERT statements in place of an ID column, instead of actual ID's, or to cover up a value in a column when you save the data to
HTML.
Click the drop-down and select the object types or columns to exclude from the export.
A commit inteval of 0 produces one insert statement after all of the
SQL statements. A commit interval of -1 omits the commit entirely.
This field is only available for the Merge and Insert Statements export formats.
Note: You can generate these statements from any version of Oracle, but can only run them in Oracle 9i and newer.
Export Data to Flat File
You can export to a flat file, which is a file that does not contain TAB or comma characters between values.
Notes:
l
The SQL*Loader tab in this feature is only available in the commercial version of Toad with the optional DB Admin Module.
l
This topic focuses on information that may be unfamiliar to you. It does not include all step and field descriptions.
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Work with Data Grids
74
To export data to a flat file
1. Right-click the grid and select Export to Flat File.
or
Select Database | Export | Table as Flat File.
2. Click Load Spec File and select the specifications file.
3. Complete the fields as necessary.
4. Click Execute.
6
Customize Toad
About Customizing Toad
When you install Toad for the first time, it prompts you to select some of the most common customization options. You can change these at any time after installation.
Toad provides hundreds of options for you to customize its behavior. If there is a specific feature
Customize the Editor
Customizing the Editor is covered in a different chapter. See "Customize the Editor Layout"
(page 38) for more information.
Customize the Schema Browser
Customizing the Schema Browser is covered in a different chapter. Review the following for additional information: l
Select the Left-Hand Side Display Style (page 53)
l
Customize Schema Browser Tabs (page 55)
l
Group Favorite Objects (page 56)
Customize Shortcut Keys
This topic focuses on information that may be unfamiliar to you. It does not include all step and field descriptions.
Note: If you have customized your shortcut keys, you will not automatically be able to use new shortcuts added in Toad upgrades. However, you can reset your shortcut keys to the default to
Menu Hot Keys
Menu hot keys are the keys that you access by pressing the ALT key and then the character in the menu item that is underlined to open that menu or command. You can configure the underlined character.
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Customize Toad
76
To change the hot key
1. Right-click the toolbar and select Customize.
2. Right-click the menu item you want to change.
3. Change the underlined character by changing the location of the ampersand in the Name field. For example, &Tools underlines the T, while T&ools underlines the o.
Shortcut Keys
To change shortcut keys
1. Click on the standard toolbar.
Tip: You can also select View | Toad Options.
2. Select Toolbars/Menus | Shortcuts.
3. Select the command for which you want to set or change the shortcut keys.
4. Type the keystrokes you want to use.
The shortcut key is changed as you type. If there is a conflict with another shortcut key, an asterisk (*) displays in the Conflict column. You can then find the conflict and remove it.
Note: This option only allows you to use one keystroke after a control key (such as
CTRL or ALT).
Customize Schema Drop-Downs
You can customize schema drop-downs by creating a list of favorites, hiding schemas, setting the default schema for connections, and other options. Changes apply to allow windows with the schema drop-down, such as the Editor and Schema Browser.
Note: This topic focuses on information that may be unfamiliar to you. It does not include all step and field descriptions.
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Customize Toad
77
To set a default schema
» Right-click the schema in the schema drop-down and select Set <schema name> to
Default Schema.
To customize schema drop-downs
1. Right-click the schema drop-down and select Customize.
2. Select schemas to categorize and click the > button.
3. To hide schemas, select Hidden Schemas in the Category field for the schema.
4. To create a new category, enter the category name in the Category field for the schema.
The new name becomes available in the Category drop-down.
5. To change when the schema is categorized, select the When to Categorize field for the schema and click .
Customize Toolbars and Menus
About Customizing Toolbars and Menus
You can customize Toad's default menus and toolbars, and you can create new ones with custom options. This lets you arrange Toad to best reflect how you want to work. Review the following for additional information: l
Create New Toolbars and Menus (page 78)
l
Customize Toolbars and Menus (page 78)
In addition, Toad menu bars can configure themselves to how you work with Toad. As you work, Toad collects usage data on the commands you use most often. Menus personalize themselves to your work habits, moving the most used commands closer to the top of the list,
View New or Previously Removed Commands
If you are using a custom configuration, new commands are not added to your custom toolbars when you upgrade Toad. However, you can see both new commands and commands that have been completely removed from the toolbars and menus.
Note: Commands that have been removed from the toolbar and not the menu bar (or the other way around) do not display in the Unused area. Because of this, it may not be obvious that you have removed a command from one location and not the other.
To view new/removed commands
1. Right-click the toolbar/menu and select Customize.
2. Select the Commands tab.
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78
3. To view new commands, select [New] in the Categories field.
4. To view commands you removed, select [Unused] in the Categories field.
5. To add a new/removed command to a menu/toolbar, drag the command to the toolbar/menu.
Create New Toolbars and Menus
If you want to heavily modify an existing toolbar or menu, it may be easier to create your own custom toolbar or menu instead.
Note: This topic focuses on information that may be unfamiliar to you. It does not include all step and field descriptions.
To create a custom toolbar or menu
1. Right-click the toolbar/menu and select Customize.
2. Create the new toolbar/menu. Review the following for additional information:
To create a...
toolbar menu
Complete the following:
a. Click New.
b. Enter a name your new toolbar. A blank toolbar displays in the user interface below the existing toolbars.
a. Select the Commands tab.
b. Select New Menu in the Categories field.
c. Select New Menu in the Commands field and drag it to the menu bar where you want it located. The pointer changes to a vertical I-bar at the menu bar.
Tip: You can create sub-menus by dragging a new menu into an existing one.
3. To add commands, select the Commands tab in the Customize window. Drag the command from the Commands field to the toolbar/menu. An I-bar pointer marks where the command will be dropped
Note: You can rearrange and rename the commands, toolbars, and menus. See "Customize
Toolbars and Menus" (page 78) for more information.
4. To lock the toolbars, right-click a toolbar and select Lock Toolbars.
Customize Toolbars and Menus
This topic focuses on information that may be unfamiliar to you. It does not include all step and field descriptions.
Beginner's Guide to Using Toad
Customize Toad
79
To customize the toolbar or menu
1. Right click the toolbar or menu and select Customize.
2. Change the toolbar or menu. Review the following for additional information:
If you want to...
Complete the following:
Change the order of commands
Add commands
Drag the item on the toolbar/menu to where you want it.
An I-bar pointer marks where the command will be dropped.
Complete the following: a. Select the Commands tab in the Customize window.
b. Drag the command from the Commands field to the toolbar/menu. An I-bar pointer marks where the command will be dropped.
Rename the toolbar, menu, or command
Complete the following: a. Right-click the icon or text on the item you want to change.
b. Enter the new name in the Name field. If you want to define a hotkey, include an ampersand (&) before the letter you want to assign as the hotkey.
Note: These are not the same as Toad shortcut keys, but rather the underlined letter for keyboard
navigation. See "Customize Shortcut Keys" (page
Remove a command or menu
Right-click the item and select Delete.
Tip: You can create sub-menus by dragging a new menu into an existing one. See
"Create New Toolbars and Menus" (page 78) for more information.
3. To have Toad menus configure themselves, select Menus show recently used commands
first on the Options tab.
If you select this option, Toad collects usage data on the commands you use most often.
Menus personalize themselves to your work habits, moving the most used commands closer to the top of the list, and hiding commands that you use rarely.
4. To lock the toolbars, right-click a toolbar and select Lock Toolbars.
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80
Display Additional Menus
You can display additional menus, such as Team Coding or Create Objects.
To display additional menus
1. Right-click the menu bar and select Customize.
2. Select the Commands tab.
3. Select Menus in the Categories field.
4. Click the menu you want to add (for example, Team Coding) in the right pane and drag it to the menu bar where you want it located. The pointer changes to a vertical I-bar at the menu bar.
Display/Hide Toolbars
To change the toolbars you display
1. Right-click the toolbar area.
2. Select the toolbars you want to display, and clear the toolbars you want to hide.
Reset Default Toolbars and Menus
To reset default toolbars and menus
» Right-click a toolbar and select Restore defaults.
Restore Lost Toolbars
It is possible to remove all the toolbars from the Editor. If this happens, you can restore the toolbars to your windows without resetting all the default settings.
To restore lost toolbars from the Editor
1. Right-click the Desktop panels tab area.
2. Select Desktop Panels | Customize Toolbar.
3. Select the Toolbars tab.
4. Select the Editor toolbars you want to display.
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Customize Toad
81
Search for Options
You can search for the option you want. This can be useful if you remember a basic option, but cannot remember where it falls in the categories.
To search for an option
1. Click on the standard toolbar.
Tip: You can also select View | Toad Options.
2. Enter search terms in the Search field.
3. Click Search.
4. Select a result and press ENTER or double-click it. The page with with the result displays and the result temporarily flashes in a bold font.
5. To close the search results area, click the arrow beside the Search button.
Appendix: Contact Quest
Contact Quest Support
Quest Support is available to customers who have a trial version of a Quest product or who have purchased a Quest product and have a valid maintenance contract. Quest Support provides unlimited 24x7 access to SupportLink, our self-service portal. Visit SupportLink at http://support.quest.com
.
From SupportLink, you can do the following: l
Retrieve thousands of solutions from our online Knowledgebase l
Download the latest releases and service packs l
Create, update and review Support cases
View the Global Support Guide for a detailed explanation of support programs, online services, contact information, policies and procedures. The guide is available at: http://support.quest.com
.
Note: This document is only available in English.
Contact Quest Software
Mail [email protected]
Quest Software, Inc.
World Headquarters
5 Polaris Way
Aliso Viejo, CA 92656
USA
Web site www.quest.com
See our web site for regional and international office information.
About Quest Software, Inc
Quest Software simplifies and reduces the cost of managing IT for more than 100,000 customers worldwide. Our innovative solutions make solving the toughest IT management problems easier, enabling customers to save time and money across physical, virtual and cloud environments. For more information about Quest go to www.quest.com
.
Index
accelerator keys actions execute upon connection
See shortcut keys
Auto Commit
Automation Designer
A
B
See also actions background process execute scripts
C
calculator code code assist
Code Insight uncomment colors, per connection columns anchor hide in grid lock position pick list previewing view/edit large columns command line execute scripts comments uncomment code block
See also SQL
See Toad Insight
connections automatically connect colors create new disconnect edit login record execute action upon connection favorites organize connection grid refresh connection grid set Oracle Home test toolbar of active connections tree view use previous current
D
data grids post changes sort databases commit changes new connection rollback changes save password
DBMS OUTPUT debug overview
See grids
Beginner's Guide to Using Toad
Index starting describe objects disconnect editor cusomize layout external external editor overview
LDAP
Popup Editor split layout
TNSNames
Excel export dataset to filtering style execute scripts single statement export datasets flat file
E
F
favorites connections schemas files end connections test connections
84
filters apply in data grids apply to SQL results excel style
Schema Browser
Schema Browser left-hand side
G
grids delete rows edit large columns edit resultsets flat file export insert rows perform calculations popup editor save results sort
H
hot keys See shortcut keys
I
indexes intellisense
See also objects
See Toad Insight
K
keyboard shortcuts
Knowledge Xpert
See shortcut keys
L
LDAP login window
See connections
Beginner's Guide to Using Toad
Index
85
M
menus create new customize rename restore defaults shortcuts parameters rename passwords save pick lists preview column procedures debugging extract
O
objects alter or edit create in another schema create new favorites pick list
Quick Describe
Schema Browser legend use existing objects as template for new objects
Oracle Homes
P
See Toad Insight
QSR
Quest ScriptRunner
Quest Software
Q
See Quest ScriptRunner
contact information
Quest Support
R
refactor code extract procedures find unused variables rename identifiers results edit rows editable resultsets
ROWID
S
Schema Browser customize left-hand side display customize tabs filters group favorite objects legend of object icons lost right hand side overview view child/parent datasets schemas create objects in another schema customize dropdown list
Beginner's Guide to Using Toad
Index
86 favorites
ScriptRunner scripts execute services add
See Quest ScriptRunner
shortcut keys customize general print list of
SQL editor execute single statement format in Editor save statements view previously executed
SQL Recall view statements
SQLNET.ora
statements sum cells support
Quest Support
See also code
See SQL
T
tables hide columns
TNS Names Editor limitations
TNS_ADMIN
See also objects
Toad actions
Toad Insight pick list shortcuts
Toad World toolbars display active connections display open windows restore defaults troubleshooting
ToadAdvisor
U
uncomment code
V
variables find unused rename
W
wildcards windows toolbar of open windows
See actions
Download
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Key features
Visual database environment understanding
Automation and workflow improvement
Single tool for development and administration
Code validation for performance optimization
Project, template, and script management
Frequently asked questions
Toad for Oracle offers features for automation and streamlined workflows, which can help you complete tasks more efficiently and meet deadlines.
You can perform various development and administration tasks, including creating and managing connections, executing and managing code, working with database objects, and handling data grids.
Toad includes features for code validation and optimization, which can help identify potential performance bottlenecks and improve overall database efficiency.
