If you use Oracle for your projects, you are probably using your custom made interface for database connectivity, SQL*PLUS (integrated in the Oracle package) or some external 3rd party tool.
My choice on DB access when Oracle is the choice is Oracle SQL Developer.
Some features of this tool (from Oracle website):
1. Create Connections
2. Browse Objects
3. Create Objects
4. Modify Objects
5. Query and Update Data
6. Export Data and DDL and Import Data
7. Schema Copy and Compare
8. Process Commands
9. Edit PL/SQL
10. Run and Debug PL/SQL
11. Run and Create Reports
12. PL/SQL Unit Testing
13. Data Modeler Viewer
14. Migrate from Third Party Databases
15. Version Files
16. Review the Robust IDE
One of my favourite functions is trigger on sequence creation. When we need auto increment facility for a table, we usually pass through the following steps:
- Write the table code
- Write the sequence code
- Write the trigger code, connecting sequence to a 'before insert' action on a table.
Using Oracle SQL Developer, we could do:
Create a table with few clicks (defining the appropriate fields)
Create a sequence with the parameters in predefined form from the tool.
Then right-click on the table and create a Trigger -> PK from sequence which would create a trigger, catching a sequence and auto-incrementing an ID key of our own choice.
Great job that decreases the code writing when not necessary.
