A new toolset designed to streamline common and complex tasks associated with developing, administering and optimizing Oracle databases, has been announced by Embarcadero. The new toolset, called DB PowerStudio for Oracle, combines several of Embarcadero's most popular database tools into a suite that is intended to make it easier for Oracle developers and DBAs to shorten database development and administration times, and to improve the performance and availability of their databases. The toolset is available in a Developer Edition and a DBA Edition.
The Developer Edition provides Rapid SQL - an integrated development environment that simplifies SQL scripting, query building, object management and version control in live databases or offline source code repositories. It also includes DB Change Manager - a tool that simplifies tasks such as tracking and reporting on database changes, rolling out new releases and pinpointing the cause of performance problems stemming from changes in data, schema and database configuration, and also allows test data to be masked to comply with privacy mandates. In addition, the Developer Edition includes DB Optimizer, a graphical SQL performance optimization tool allows users to discover, diagnose and optimize poor-performing SQL with an interactive Visual SQL Tuner.
The DBA Edition also includes DB Change Manager and DB Optimizer, but replaces Rapid SQL with DBArtisan - a database administration tool that enables DBAs to work with multiple Oracle databases, including various versions, from a single interface. DBArtisan provides graphical editors and wizards to streamline routine tasks and reduce errors so users can manage large, complex databases more efficiently. It also helps identify performance, capacity and storage management issues before they become problems.
The overlapping of components in the two editions is a reflection of the intertwined responsibilities of DBAs and developers in the areas of performance and tuning, and change management, Scott Walz, senior director of product management for Embarcadero, tells 5 Minute Briefing. For example, he says, if a database is having issues, the DBA is the first one who is going to get called, but some responsibility lies with the developer to make sure that the code is optimal. For that reason, he notes, "The DB Optimizer portion of DB PowerStudio allows both DBAs and developers to go in and real-time tune and optimize their SQL as well as, from the DBA perspective, to do some real-time profiling to see what is running inside the database and what might be a good candidate for tuning."
All of the tools within the suite support multiple versions of Oracle from a single interface. In addition, DB PowerStudio comes with Embarcadero's ToolCloud technology, which enables users to access the latest version of DB PowerStudio from any Windows desktop without having to do a conventional install. It also allows larger organizations to track and manage license usage to minimize licensing costs and maximize team productivity.
DB PowerStudio for Oracle can be expanded to support other major DBMS platforms. For more information, go to http://www.embarcadero.com/products/db-powerstudio-for-oracle