I am working on a new project that has a lot of data. So I know I will need some good tools. My database is Oracle XE, which comes with a limited command line tool. I decided to look around to see what other tools I could get.My current tool of choice is PL/SQL Developer. I checked their web site. A single user license goes for $180. Plus there is a $50 charge to installation media and documentation. There is a 30-day trial period version available. But there is no free option. I passed on it.
Next I tried SQL Developer form Oracle. It is free of charge. The thing requires the Java Development Kit. I already have that. So the downloaded was smaller. It installed fine. However when I queried a bunch of records, only the first 50 were shown. I had to keep sliding down the control on the side of the results window to get more data. Also the default display for the date columns was MM/DD/YYYY. This product was also out.
Finally I tried Toad for Oracle Freeware. It is, as the name implies, totally free. The install states that it has the same functionality as Toad For Oracle Base Edition. I found it odd that I downloaded the installer. After installation, it said that there was a more recent version available. What? Luckily there was a button to get the whole result set in one swoop. Nice. I did not like that the query results did not append a record number to the left of each record. But I can live with that. Toad you are my tool of choice for now.
