DBArtisan XE6 / 9.7.5 is Now Available

by Jun 2, 2015

DBArtisan XE6 version 9.7.5 is now available.

Embarcadero DBArtisan is the award winning DBA tool for enterprise-wide database administration. DBArtisan empowers you to manage all of your critical databases running on current versions of IBM DB2, Oracle, PostgreSQL, Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL, Sybase and Teradata systems, from a single, consistent, user-friendly interface.

If your maintenance has expired, contact Embarcadero Sales. If you have installation questions, you can contact Embarcadero Support. Be sure to follow any policies your company may have on moving to new versions of the tools for production work.

Here is what is new in DBArtisan XE6/9.7.5

PostgreSQL Utilities

The following Utilities menu features are now available against PostgreSQL datasources:

  • Database Monitor – provides details on locks, processes, and prepared transactions.
  • Database Backup – generates a pg_dump script, backing up one or more tables or views of a database.
  • Database Restore – generates a pg_restore operation, restoring data from backup.
  • Data Unload – lets you generate a pgadmin export data call, dumping database data to a file.
  • Data Load – lets you build and submit a COPY… FROM… call, copying data from a file to a table.
  • Schema Extraction – walks you through the process of building an extraction script, executing it for storage of the database or object schema in a file.
  • Schema Migration – migrates schema and table data from one DBMS platform to another.
  • Schema Publication – lets you generate HTML reports documenting the details of your schema, databases, and database objects.
  • Reverse Engineering – lets you analyze, control, and document existing database objects.

PostgreSQL Object Management

The following database object-based features are now available against PostgreSQL datasources:

  • Object Wizards/Editors – You can now create and edit objects of the following types: check constraints, domains, exclusion constraints, foreign keys, functions, indexes, primary keys, roles, rules, schemas, tables, tablespaces, triggers, unique keys, and views.
  • Object Actions – A new Refresh Materialized View action is available against views created using the CREATE MATERIALIZED VIEW statement. It lets you build and submit a REFRESH MATERIALIZED VIEW statement, to replace the contents of a materialized view. The Create Like action is now available against roles, rules, and tables.
  • Datasource Explorer – A Performance node is now available in the Datasource Explorer. As with other DBMS platforms, the PostgreSQL Performance node has Locks and Processes subnodes. A Prepared Transactions subnode provides details on transactions that have been prepared for two-phase commit.

    In addition, a new Server > Logs node provides access to PostgreSQL logfiles. The associated Rotate Log action signals the log-file manager to immediately switch to use of a new output file.

PostgreSQL Updates to the SQL Editor

The Paste SQL Syntax and Paste SQL Statement features are now available against PostgreSQL datasources.

PostgreSQL Tools Menu Updates

The following Tools menu features are now available against PostgreSQL datasources:

  • Database Search lets you search for objects whose DDL contains a specified character string, across multiple databases.
  • Query Builder lets you construct, structure, and manipulate queries using a graphical interface.
  • Data Editor lets you edit table data in real time.

Welcome Window

The Welcome Window helps customers to get information about product features, news and upcoming events. This window also includes direct links to useful DBArtisan's features like New Project, Open Project or links to Recent Datasources.

Project Management, Version Control, and Script Library

DBArtisan project management facilities act as a repository to maintain all source code for a database project. When you create a new project (File > New > Project), you can initialize the project using one of four methods:

  • From an existing database
  • From one or more files (SQL/query scripts, DDL files, ER/Studio files, procedures, Java, Javascript or VB Script files, or text or HTML files)
  • From a version control project
  • Uninitialized.

A project opens in a dedicated Project window. In addition to basic project operations (New, Open, Close), Project menu and right-click options provide basic file and folder options. Other key options let you

  • Specify a build order for your project scripts
  • Execute the build.

The Project menu also provides access to version control support, also new for this release of DBArtisan. DBArtisan supports any source control product that uses the MSSCCI plug-in interface. Basic version control functions are provided: Get Latest Version, Check In, Check Out, Undo Check Out, Add to/Remove From Version Control, Show History, Show Differences, Version Control Properties, Share From Version Control, and Refresh Status.

NOTE: For the 64-bit version of DBArtisan, a 32-bit version of the MSSCCI Provider can be used for version control access. The feature is controlled from the Options Editor's Version Control tab (File > Options > General > Version Control).

The Script Library (View > Script Library) provides a drag-and-drop library interface of all supported DBMS syntax, SQL syntax, built-in functions, optimizer hints, and SQL-conditional syntax. Additionally, it provides the ability to create custom folders to store commonly-used code for quick and efficient access or execution, as needed.

Datasource Registration Updates

For connectivity purposes, DBArtisan is packaged with a native driver as well as a set of one or more JDBC drivers for each DBMS platform. In previous releases, the native driver for each platform was the default connection option when registering a datasource. The Options Editor's Connection page now has a tab for each supported DBMS platform. Options on each tab introduce two enhancements:

  • You can now designate one of the JDBC drivers as the default connectivity option for a DBMS platform.
  • You can universally change the definition for all existing, currently disconnected datasources for a platform to use either the native driver or a JDBC driver as the connection option.

Trace File Logging

As a new diagnostic tool, you can now generate a trace file consisting of the sequence of application event messages. The Options Editor’s Logging page now lets you activate and deactivate, specify a location for, and select a severity level of messages logged. In descending order of severity (and ascending order of total messages logged), Trace Level options are Fatal Errors, Errors, Warning, Info, Debug, Trace, and Max.

DBMS Platform Updates

 

  • Sybase IQ 16 – Functionality available for previous Sybase IQ releases is now available against Sybase IQ 16 datasources.
  • Apache Hive – This release presents a technical preview of Apache Hive support. As with other technical previews, minimal functionality is provided. Features include datasource registration and connection, a minimal Navigator/Explorer tree, and a minimal set of object management features.

Explorer and Database Monitor Updates

Improved numeric column filtering in Explorer and Database Monitor. Users can now filter numeric columns by using operators (>, =, <, <=, >=). When no operator is used, >= is assumed.

ISQL Windows Backup

For Windows Vista and higher, the auto save feature of DBArtisan is now connected to the Restart Manager. Also, unlike the previous version (o Windows XP) all modified ISQL windows will have a backup saved at a regular interval, even those ISQL windows that do not have a file name associated with them. In the event of a crash, those ISQL windows will automatically open up on the next restart. If the Restart Manager is able to detect the crash, it will attempt to automatically restart the application for you. On Windows XP, this feature will function as it did in past versions.

Connectivity Improvement

Connectivity has been improved to have a central location in the options page to set the driver for all datasources of a certain type to use. An individual datasource can override this setting, but by default all datasources will obey the global setting. No longer will customers have to change each individual datasource if they want to use a particular driver for their system.

Performance Analyst for SQL Server Improvements

Performance Analyst improves the space usage functionalities adding information about the database and object that are taking up the most space on the system.

Java Update

DBArtisan has updated to Java 1.7.

Improved Multi-Monitor Support

Users can now detach any MDI tab from the main application window. They can group these detached tabs together or keep them separate.