SQL Output options

SoupyNorman

Hi Guys/Gurls,

Just wondering what options I have at my disposal in relation to SQL output, I’d be a dab hand at generating SQL*plus formatting and I currently churn out some mean looking .txt and .csv reports however they look drab and not very user reader friendly. They are also executed via a .bat file (slightly embarrassed over such an admission).

It’d be cool to know if there was an alternative way to a) run the queries and b) produce some kind of nicer output.

I’ve enquired with IT in work to see if they will dedicate me some space on the ORACLE server so that users can run queries from a web front-end using the ever marvellous PHP but they wont give the resource.


All suggestions welcome.

Eoin

You're in luck - there are so many ways to do this.

You don't need space on the Oracle server, you just need a webserver with pretty much any serverside language that can connect to the database server over the network.

I'm sure that something like Excel could connect to the database and generate some nice reports and graphs.

Here's a list of software for reporting:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_reporting_software

Tom Dunne

You do know that SQL*plus can output to HTML?

Certainly a step up from plain text, but might be worth looking at in the short term. You may have already seen this link: http://download.oracle.com/docs/cd/B19306_01/server.102/b14357/ch12040.htm

Also, would your Oracle heads allow you to use APEX? It does require it's own schema, so not sure if that is a runner, but it does allow for some pretty nifty output and application generation.

Edit: To further what Eoin said, have a look at this: http://www.freereporting.com/product/index.html . I've hooked it up to an Oracle DB before (it runs on it's own web server, so all your Oracle heads have to give you is an account, which you have already).

stevenmu

A bit manual, but you could open the CSV files you're already creating in excel and in a few short seconds have it formatted up nicely, maybe throw in a graph or chart or something and just save back to XLS.

Boom_Bap

the output to HTML is decent enough, i use this quite regularly and it's simple

amen

users can run queries

thats why you are not allowed. Who knows what the users will be doing if running their own queries and what resources they will be using?

Eoin

Given that the OP mentioned PHP, I think he meant users can view web-based reports rather than manually execute queries.

SoupyNorman

Thanks for all the suggestions, so far the SQL*plus HTML output is the immediate winner. I have some HTML in my arsenal so was able to whip up a crude .htm of an existing report and it looks much better already.

Current practice has users running queries via .bat execution, it’s very primitive but where I am would not considered to be on the cutting edge of new technologies however the .bat’s get the job done for the moment. I am designing a web interface using PHP to allow queries to be run via drop-downs, it’s so much more app pro po for business users. Main reason it’s not done already is the Dev’s work in a sister company and they are very wrapped up in the main technologies of the business so this would be major small fry for them.