Piper is more powerful and practical than other Oracle SQL query processor tools. Here are some reasons :-
- Calls the native Oracle SQL*Net V9 Oracle Call Interface (OCI) directly, ie. SKIPS all of ODBC, OLE/DB, OOO(OracleObjectsForOLE), and JDBC. This and our usage of optimal SQL call techniques makes Piper as FAST as any such tool can be.
- Allows you to resize your windows, interrupt your long-running Oracle query, or continue editing your next sql statement while the current statement is running.
- Supports CLOBs and LONGS on output.. you choose whether to render CLOBs as XML, HTML, or Text. Just double-click on a CLOB cell that appeared as a result of a query, and the entire CLOB will be downloaded and rendered in a browser window. It is also then available as a local file.
- You can easily copy multi-row query results and paste them in text or HTML format into your office workgroup tools (eg Outlook, Notes, Excel).
- Supports true bind variables, therefore lets you set and display the IN/OUT parameters being manipulated by your PL/SQL packages
- Automatically instantiates and populates bind variables
- Invokes the Oracle Explain Plan feature on the currently shown query with a single toolbar button
- Includes a powerful Oracle Relational Catalog Object browser (implemented with the OCI Describe call wherever possible, for maximum performance), which also lets you find and edit pl/sql source or the definitions of various other Oracle objects
- Provides comprehensive session logging in a dedicated window. Ensures that PL/SQL compile errors are reported to you.
- Reports in the status line the number of rows affected by updates, inserts, deletes etc.
- Has built-in support for application development that uses Oracle's HTP and OWA packages. This consists of a built-in browser window that lets you preview your web output without needing a web server and without configuring DAD's and other components of PL/SQL web gateways.
- Has built-in support for your debug and informational messages via DBMS_OUTPUT
- Displays query output into a Windows-friendly grid and automatially re-sizes column widths to optimise readability of data
- Keeps a re-usable and searchable history of your SQL commands, with connect strings, and saves them with your Piper document.
- Completes names of valid objects (eg. tables, columns, etc) automatically on right-click or on pressing the "Windows" key.
- Succinct non-patronising HTML Help with keyword index.
- Allows you to save colours and fonts with each Piper Document, for all four window areas. This means you can tailor each of your sessions to have a highly distinctive look and feel.
- Dockable, non-modal dialog boxes mean that you have great flexibility over the arrangement and appearance of your Piper sessions.
- Installs and runs as a single .exe (now with one additional file for the HTML help facility)
- And here's why we built it in the first place: Piper lets you declare that your query or PL/SQL call is to run repeatedly, appending or replacing any previous output, after an optional delay, so that you can trace or monitor database values. This means that Piper is (we think!) the only tool that you can use to read and report results continuously from an Oracle Pipe, thus allowing you to trace and debug your PL/SQL code without monolothic client- and server-side addons. It also allows you to set up a dynamic production message reading facility.
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