DbVisualiser is a nice tool to view large, complex databases graphically. It’s a Java-based GUI client with built-in sql query composer and nifty tricks. Good for us Oracle newbies who (i) hate sqlplus and (ii) want a quick rundown of a complex database to write perl::DBI scripts for.
You’ll have to provide your own drivers, though, which in Oracle’s case are downloadable after registering and swearing to uphold the constitution.
Coincidentally, I just spent a day or so investigating software to display database schemas graphically, with the aim of generating figures for publication. I’ve tried DBDesigner 4, the very-alpha MySQL GUI tools and the Perl GraphViz::DBI module.
None of them work very well. The Perl module came closest, but requires that you edit the source to match your table definitions. There’s also something called DB Schema Viewer – it involves Eclipse and GEF, about which I know nothing.
In the end I hacked up a figure using OpenOffice Impress.
I ask again – is Java inherently a CPU-guzzling, memory-leaking piece of crap, or is a lot of Java software just badly written?
Comment by nsaunders — February 27, 2007 @ 10:00 pm
I think Java suffers from hacker’s curse. It’s easy enough to be used for quick and dirty stuff that just about works, but being compiled tends to have more memory management issues.
This from someone who speaks NO compiled languages at all
Comment by chris — March 6, 2007 @ 5:20 pm