Fr

ee

At times, Database Administrators

(DBA) support
hundreds of databases at work. In such scenarios, using a
command-line tool like PuTTY adds to the difficulty, while
SQL Developer makes the life of a developer, DBA, or DB
architect easier by providing a graphical user interface
equipped with features that can enhance the user
experience and boost efficiency.

Who this book is written for

This book is intended for Oracle developers who are
responsible for database management. You are expected
to have programming knowledge of SQL and PL/SQL, and
must be familiar with basic Oracle database concepts, have
experience of Linux, Web Services, and basic networking.

Install and navigate through all the advanced

features of SQL Developer that were
introduced in version 4.1
Browse, create, edit, and delete (drop)
database objects
Use the SQL worksheet to run SQL
statements and scripts, edit and debug
PL/SQL code, and manipulate and export
(unload) data
Carry out all DBA-related activities, such as
exporting/importing, tuning, and analyzing
database performance issues
Quickly analyze, create, and edit the data
model using Data Modeler
Extend the SQL Developer's capabilities by
exploring APEX-related pages, and enabling
and working with RESTful services
Use the available reports and create new
custom reports with custom scripts
Learn how to connect to third-party
databases and work smoothly with them

$ 54.99 US
34.99 UK

professional expertise distilled

P U B L I S H I N G

Prices do not include

local sales tax or VAT
where applicable

Visit www.PacktPub.com for books, eBooks,

code, downloads, and PacktLib.

pl
e

P r o f e s s i o n a l

Ajith Narayanan, Oracle ACE Associate

You may be a newbie to databases or a seasoned

database expert; either way, this book will help you
understand the database structure and the different types
of object that organize enterprise data in an efficient
manner. This book introduces the features of the SQL
Developer 4.1 tool in an incremental fashion, starting
with installing them, making the database connections,
and using the different panels. By sequentially walking
through the steps in each chapter, you will quickly master
SQL Developer 4.1.

What you will learn from this book

Oracle SQL Developer

Oracle SQL Developer

Sa

E x p e r t i s e

D i s t i l l e d

Oracle SQL Developer

Learn Database design, development, and administration using
the feature-rich SQL Developer 4.1 interface

Ajith Narayanan, Oracle ACE Associate

professional expertise distilled

P U B L I S H I N G

In this package, you will find:

The author biography

A preview chapter from the book, Chapter 1 'Getting Started
with SQL Developer 4.1'
A synopsis of the books content
More information on Oracle SQL Developer

About the Author

Ajith Narayanan is the chief technology officer (CTO) of InfraStack-Labs in

Bangalore, India, and has more than 11 years of work experience as an Oracle
[apps] DBA and platform architect with expertise in infrastructure architecture,
capacity planning, and performance tuning of medium to large e-business suite
environments.
He holds a postgraduate degree with PGDBA (finance) from Symbiosis, Pune,
an M.S. (software systems) from BITS Pilani, a BE (electronics and communication)
from Amrita Institute of Technology, and a diploma (computer technology) from
Sree Narayana Guru Institute of Technology.
He has worked in different technical positions as an Oracle DBA, APPS DBA,
Oracle apps platform architect, and configuration management technical leader in
companies such as GE, Dell, JP MorganChase, Oracle, and TCS. Ajith was at GE
before joining InfraStack-Labs.
He is also a regular speaker at national and international Oracle user group
conferences such as SANGAM, NZOUG, DOAG, UKOUG, OTN APAC Tour,
AIOUG Tech Days, and so on. His white papers have been published on the Oracle
Technology Network in English, Portuguese, and Spanish. Ajith is currently serving
the ORACLERACSIG board as the web seminar chair (from October 2015), and has
previously served the board as the website chair (September 2011 to September 2013).

Preface
The book dives into the details of Oracle SQL Developer 4.1, which is a graphical
version of SQL*Plus. Oracle SQL Developer has been continuously evolving and
reaching maturity with the capability to give database developers and DBAs a
convenient way to perform basic and advanced database tasks. Oracle Developers
and DBAs can browse, create, edit, and delete (drop); run SQL statements and scripts;
edit and debug PL/SQL code; manipulate and export (unload) data; and view and
create custom reports.
After reading this book, Oracle developers and DBAs will learn to install Oracle SQL
Developer and learn to navigate through all its advanced features that have been
introduced in version 4.1. You will be competent enough to use all the advanced
features available, helping them perform basic and advanced database tasks with ease.

What this book covers

Chapter 1, Getting Started with SQL Developer 4.1, covers how to prepare the SQL
Developer environment on your laptop, including the download, installation,
installation options, creating database connections, and so on.
Chapter 2, Database Connections and SQL Worksheet, covers how to make database
connections and create, update, or delete database objects using the SQL worksheet.
Chapter 3, The Power of SQL Reports, guides a DBA or an application developer to use
reports for running a set of queries that are frequently executed. This chapter will
explain how to categorize a group of these SQL queries (reports). The first section
will discuss the reports navigator in general, how to run and use reports, and any
errors you might encounter.

Preface

Chapter 4, Working with PL/SQL, shows you how to create, edit, compile, and debug
PL/SQL blocks efficiently in the first section, followed
by the use of SQL and PL/SQL tuning tools provided by SQL Developer.
Chapter 5, SQL Developer for DBAs, shows you how a DBA can leverage SQL
Developer's features to efficiently work with multiple databases in the areas
of manageability, monitoring, performance tuning, and so on.
Chapter 6, SQL Developer Accessibility, provides information about the accessibility
features of Oracle SQL Developer. It includes using a screen reader and Java access
bridge with Oracle SQL Developer, Oracle SQL Developer features that support
accessibility, recommendations for customizing Oracle SQL Developer, and highly
visual features of Oracle SQL Developer.
Chapter 7, Importing, Exporting, and Working with Data, uses SQL Developer features
such as the export/import feature using which we can easily and quickly export and
import data from within a database or across a database, and also compare all the
data after the activity.
Chapter 8, Database Connections and JDBC Drivers, uses alternative Oracle connections
such as tnsnames.ora, LDAP, JDBC URLs, and also shows you how to create
non-Oracle database connections.
Chapter 9, Introducing SQL Developer Data Modeler, uses data modeler features such
as diagrams, components, entity relationship diagrams, relational and physical data
models, and some forward/reverse engineering possibilities using SQL developer.
Chapter 10, Extending SQL Developer, helps you learn the range of support available
for adding XML extensions, a task that is easily within the reach of any database
developer with SQL and PL/SQL skills. The nature of these extensions can range
from including a single XML report to adding complex Java extensions bundled
as JAR files.
Chapter 11, Working with Application Express, shows you how to connect to
Application Express, browse your applications, review some of the administration
utilities, and use the SQL Worksheet to refactor PL/SQL code.
Chapter 12, Working with SQL Developer Migrations, reviews the tool support for a
migration without discussing the additional work required when planning and
preparing for a migration.

Preface

Chapter 13, Oracle Data Miner 4.1, teaches you about the new Data Miner features
in SQL Developer 4.1 and the general enhancements to Oracle Data Miner 4.1.
In response to the growing popularity of JSON data and its use in big data
configurations, Data Miner now provides an easy-to-use JSON query node.
Chapter 14, REST Data Services and REST Development, shows you how Oracle REST
Data Services (a JEE-based alternative to Oracle HTTP Server (OHS) and mod_plsql)
can be administered. The second session will be a detailed discussion of how we can
use SQL Developer to create, maintain, and use RESTful services.

Getting Started with SQL

Developer 4.1
This book is divided into chapters that focus on the different areas or functionality
in the recently released SQL Developer 4.1. The progression through the chapters
is from the more frequently-used features to those less-frequently used. This initial
chapter is all about preparing your environment, installing SQL Developer 4.1, and
getting started.
SQL Developer 4.1 is easy to set up and use, so there is very little setup required to
follow the examples in this book. The best way to learn is by practice, and for that
you'll need a computer with access to an Oracle database and SQL Developer. This
chapter, and indeed the rest of the book, is written with the assumption that you have
a computer with Microsoft Windows, Linux, or Mac OS X installed, and that you have
access to an Oracle database. It focuses on the alternative installations available for SQL
Developer, where to find the product, and how to install it. Once your environment
is set up, you can follow a quick product walk-through to familiarize yourself with
the landscape. You'll create a few connections, touch on the various areas available
(such as the SQL Worksheet and Reports navigator), and learn about the control of
the windows and general product layout.

Preparing your environment

Preparing your environment depends on a few factors, including the platform
you are working on and whether you have an earlier edition of SQL Developer
previously installed. First, you need to locate the software, download it, and install it.

[1]

Getting Started with SQL Developer 4.1

Finding and downloading the software

SQL Developer 4.1 is available through a variety of sources both as a standalone
download and as part of the Oracle Database and Oracle JDeveloper installations.
SQL Developer is a free product, and you can download it from the Oracle
Technology Network.
Here's the link:
http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/developer-tools/sql-developer/
overview/index.html

Use this link to visit the page that will allow you to download the latest standalone
production release. It also includes details of the release and is regularly updated
with news of preview releases and new articles. While SQL Developer is free to
download and use, you are required to read and agree to the license before you can
proceed with the download. The product also falls under Oracle Support contracts;
if you have a Support contract for the database, then you can log in to Oracle
Support tickets.

Downloading and installing the Java Development

Kit
SQL Developer 4.1 requires the Java SE Development Kit 8 (JDK8) or later. This
includes the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) and other tools, which are used by
SQL Developer utilities such as the PL/SL Debugger.
For Microsoft Windows, you can download and install SQL Developer with the JDK
already installed. This means that you'll download and unzip the product and will be
ready to start, as there are no extra steps required. For other operating systems, you'll
need to download the JDK and direct SQL Developer to the path yourself. Indeed, as
many other products require a JDK to be installed, you may already have one in your
system. In this case, just direct the product to use an existing JDK installation. For
Microsoft Windows, ensure that you download SQL Developer without the JDK
to make use of an existing JDK installation.
The SQL Developer 4.1 download site offers a selection of download choices, which
are as follows:

Microsoft Windows (with or without the JDK)

Linux RPM (without the JDK)

Mac OS X (without the JDK)

[2]

Chapter 1

Other platforms (without the JDK)

Command Line: sqlcli

In each case, make your selection and download the required file.
JDK 8 can be downloaded using the following link:
http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/jdk8downloads-2133151.html

SQL Developer is shipped with the minimum JDK required for each
release. You can download and use the latest updates to the JDK and
should be aware that some updates to the JDK are not supported. This
detail is posted on the SQL Developer Downloads page for each release.
Starting from SQL Developer 4.1, JDK 1.8 is the minimum JDK supported.

Once you have installed the JDK, you can start SQL Developer.

Installing and starting SQL Developer

SQL Developer does not use an installer. All you need to do is unzip the given file
into an empty folder, locate it, and run the executable.
Do not unzip SQL Developer into an $Oracle_Home folder or an existing
SQL Developer installation.

Unzipping the file creates a sqldeveloper folder, which includes a selection of

sub-folders and files, including the sqldeveloper.exe executable.
If your download does not include the JDK, then you'll be prompted for the full path
of the JDK folder. Browse to the location of the JDK folder and select it. The path
should include the absolute path, as shown in the following screenshot:

[3]

Getting Started with SQL Developer 4.1

Working with different platforms

Whether you are accessing SQL Developer as part of the Oracle Database 11g
installation or as a standalone installation, there is a selection of executables available
to you. These are either platform-specific or provide additional detail while running
the product.

Microsoft Windows
The first executable you'll find is in the \sqldeveloper root folder. This is the
executable more generally used. If you navigate down to \sqldeveloper\bin, there
are two additional executables, sqldeveloper.exe and sqldeveloperW.exe. The
latter is the same as the executable in the root folder. Use either of these for running
SQL Developer.
The additional executable is often used for debugging purposes. Use \
sqldeveloper\bin\sqldeveloper.exe to invoke SQL Developer and a separate
console window will open, which displays additional Java messages. You can use
these messages when encountering errors in the product and if you want to log an
issue with Oracle Support.
The three steps to getting started on Microsoft Windows are as follows:

Download: Download the full file, with JDK, from the Oracle Technology
Network web site

Unzip: Unzip the file to an empty directory

Double-click: Double-click on the \sqldeveloper\sqldeveloper.exe file

Alternative platforms
Microsoft Windows is the predominant platform used by SQL Developer users.
There is a steadily growing audience for Linux and Max OS X. As neither of these
platform downloads include the JDK, you need to first access, download, and install
the JDK. On starting either Linux or the Mac OS, you'll be prompted with the full
path of the JDK as described.

Mac OS X
Download the file specific to Mac OS X and double-click to unzip the file. This creates
an icon for SQL Developer on your desktop. Double-click to run the application.

Linux
Use the Linux rpm command to install SQL Developer. For example, your command
might look like the following:
rpm -Uhv sqldeveloper-4.1.0.19.07-1.noarch.rpm
[4]

Chapter 1

In the same way that unzip creates a sqldeveloper folder, with sub-folders and
files, the rpm command creates a sqldeveloper folder, complete with files and
sub-folders. Switch to this new folder and run the sqldeveloper.sh executable.

Migrating settings from a previous release

In the initial startup of any release of SQL Developer, you may be asked one or two
questions. The first is the location of the Java executable of the JDK as discussed.
If you have installed the full release with the JDK, this question is skipped. The
second question is if you want to migrate any preferences from a previous release.
Regardless of whether this is the first SQL Developer installation on the machine or
not, the first time you invoke SQL Developer, you are offered the choice of migrating
your settings. You can migrate settings of any previous release to the current release
from SQL Developer 1.5 version and above. By default, the utility looks for the latest
version installed of the software.

If you want to migrate from a different installation, select the Show All Installations
button (as shown in the preceding screenshot). This displays a list of all SQL
Developer installations that have the system folder in the Documents and Settings
system folder (e.g. C:\Documents and Settings\<your_user>\Application
Data\SQL Developer\system4.1.0.19.07-1) and includes releases from SQL
Developer 1.5 and above. For releases prior to SQL Developer 1.5, the system folder
was created within the SQL Developer installation (for example, D:\SQLDeveloper\
Builds\1.2.1\1.2.1.3213\sqldeveloper\sqldeveloper\system).
[5]

Getting Started with SQL Developer 4.1

Maintaining your environment

Once you have SQL Developer installed, it is helpful to know about the environmental
settings and some of the files that are created when you start the product. Knowing
about the version you have installed is important if only to be able to identify this
when asking questions on the forum, or when contacting Oracle Support.

Verifying the current release

To verify the SQL Developer release you have, go to Help | About once you start
SQL Developer or JDeveloper. In the dialog invoked, select the Extensions tab and
find the Oracle SQL Developer extension, as shown in the next screenshot. This will
match the build number on the download site if you have the latest release. The
screenshot shows a number of the extensions that make up SQL Developer. If your
dialog does not show the Version or Status columns, you can select the column
headers to resize the visible columns and bring the others into focus.

Using Check for Updates

SQL Developer offers a built-in patching and extensions utility, known as Check for
Updates. Check for Updates is used to release the following:

SQL Developer extensions

General Oracle extensions

Minor patches

[6]

Chapter 1

Third-party tools required by SQL Developer, such as the non-Oracle

database drivers

Third-party extensions

For all extensions, you need to start Check for Updates to see what's available.
To do this, go to Help | Features. Just follow the dialog to find the updates that
you require.
You can initially elect to see just the third-party updates, or all updates available,
by selecting all options, as shown in the following screenshot:

The database drivers for some of the non-Oracle databases are located in Third Party
SQL Developer Extensions. The Third Party update center also includes a selection
of customer developed SQL Developer extensions. The customer extensions are
developed, supported, and updated by the customer involved; they are not tested,
certified, or supported by Oracle.

[7]

Getting Started with SQL Developer 4.1

As with all software downloads from the Internet, you are required to read and
accept the license agreements. The Check for Updates utility directs you to the
appropriate licenses before downloading the software. If the updates are from
Oracle, you will need to provide your Oracle Technology Network sign-on details.

Managing the system folder and other files

SQL Developer stores user-related information in several places, with the specific
location depending on the operating system and certain environment specifications.
User-related information includes user-defined reports, user-defined snippets, SQL
Worksheet history, code templates, and SQL Developer user preferences. In most
cases, your user-related information is stored outside the SQL Developer installation
directory hierarchy so that it is preserved if you delete that directory and install a
new version.
The user-related information is stored in or under the IDE_USER_DIR environment
variable location, if defined, otherwise as indicated in the following table, which
shows the typical default locations (under a directory or in a file) for specific types
of resources on different operating systems. (Note the period in the name of any
directory named .sqldeveloper.)
Default Locations for user-related information resource type system are mentioned
as follows (Windows, Linux, or Mac OS X):
User-defined
reports

User-defined
snippets

Windows: C:\Documents and Settings\<user-name>\

Application Data\SQL Developer\UserReports.xml
Linux or Mac OS X: ~/.sqldeveloper/UserReports.xml
Windows: C:\Documents and Settings\<user-name>\
Application Data\SQL Developer\UserSnippets.xml
Linux: ~/.sqldeveloper/UserSnippets.xml
Mac OS X: /Users/<Your user>/Library/Application
Support/ SQLDeveloper/UserSnippets.xml
Windows: C:\Documents and Settings\<user-name>\
Application Data\SQL Developer\SqlHistory.xml

SQL history

Linux: ~/.sqldeveloper/SqlHistory.xml
Mac OS X: /Users/<Your user>/Library/Application
Support/ SQLDeveloper/ SqlHistory.xml

[8]

Chapter 1

Code
templates

SQL
Developer
user
preferences

Windows: C:\Documents and Settings\<user-name>\

Application Data\SQL Developer\ CodeTemplate.xml
Linux: ~/.sqldeveloper/CodeTemplate.xml
Mac OS X: /Users/<Your user>/Library/Application
Support/ SQLDeveloper/ CodeTemplate.xml
Windows: C:\Documents and Settings\<user-name>\
Application Data\SQL Developer\systemn.n.n.n.n
Linux or Mac OS X: ~/.sqldeveloper/systemn.n.n.n.n

If you want to prevent other users from accessing your user-specific SQL Developer
information, you must ensure that appropriate permissions are set on the directory
where that information is stored or on a directory above it in the path hierarchy. For
example, in a Windows system you may want to ensure that the SQL Developer
folder and the \<user-name>\Application Data\SQL Developer folder under
Documents and Settings are not sharable, whereas on a Linux or Mac OS X system
you may want to ensure that the ~/.sqldeveloper directory is not world-readable.
Sharing preferences.
Preferences are set for your local environment and are therefore not shared globally
between teams. However, you can export the SQL Formatter preferences set. This
allows you to share the settings between team members and ensure that you all
code to the same settings. To export your SQL Formatter settings, go to Tools |
Preferences and expand the Database node in the tree. Select SQL Formatter, and
you can now export or import previous saved settings.

Alternative installations of SQL Developer

We have been discussing the installation and management of the independent
release of SQL Developer available on the Oracle Technology Network. SQL
Developer is also available as part of the Oracle Database and Oracle JDeveloper
installations.

Oracle JDeveloper
Most of SQL Developer is integrated into Oracle JDeveloper, which means you need
to install JDeveloper to access and use the SQL Developer components. Having SQL
Developer as part of JDeveloper means that if you are building Java applications and
working with the Fusion Middleware platform, you can access and work with the
Oracle Database without an additional install of SQL Developer. JDeveloper does
not consume all of the extensions for SQL Developer (for example, extensions like
Migrations and Versioning are not included).
[9]

Getting Started with SQL Developer 4.1

Oracle JDeveloper 12c includes SQL Developer 4.0

Oracle Database 12c

SQL Developer is also shipped with the Oracle Database. Initially, Oracle Database
11g Release 1. SQL Developer is installed by default when you install the database.
Once the installation is complete, locate the sqldeveloper directory (for example,
\product\11.1.0\db_1\sqldeveloper\sqldeveloper.exe) to start SQL
Developer. This was continued in 11g R2 and 12c as well.
Be aware that Oracle database releases are less frequent than those of SQL
Developer, which, by its nature and size, allows for more frequent updates. This
means the version of SQL Developer shipped with the database may not be the
most current release. Oracle Database 12c is shipped with SQL Developer 3.2.20.09.
All examples in this text are using SQL Developer 4.1. You may also update your
database version less frequently than a client tool.
To upgrade the SQL Developer installation in Oracle Database 12c, you need to do
a full new installation. As with other installations, create a new folder and unzip the
latest download.
Oracle Database 11g Release 1 ships with SQL Developer 1.1.3
Oracle Database 11g Release 2 ships with SQL Developer 1.5.5

Oracle Database 12c ships with SQL Developer 3.2.20.09 to work with 12c features like
Multitenant stuff, Redaction, SQL Translation Framework, and Identity Columns.

Troubleshooting
It seems ominous to provide a section on troubleshooting at the start of a book! If
you accept the fact that software can get in a tangle sometimes, either if you use the
product as it's not designed, or perhaps include extensions that you'd prefer not to
have and the product is no longer behaving as expected, then a few hints on how
to escape that tangle can be useful.

[ 10 ]

Chapter 1

Removing extensions
If you have created your own extensions, or have downloaded and installed other
extensions that you no longer require, then go to Tools | Features and select
Extensions from the tree. Here, you see that SQL Developer includes a number of
default extensions, such as the Oracle TimesTen extension. In addition, any extension
that you have included is listed here. You can deselect extensions here and the
product will no longer have access to them. This does not delete the files installed
for the extension. You will need to manually delete any files downloaded for that
to happen. However, it does mean that you can restart the product and see if the
extension is the root of the problem.

Resetting shortcut keys

Some users find that their keyboard shortcuts no longer work as expected. In this
circumstance, you can navigate to Tools | Preferences and then select Shortcut
Keys from the tree. Click on the Load Keyboard Scheme folder icon on the top-right
extreme end, as shown in the following screenshot:

[ 11 ]

Getting Started with SQL Developer 4.1

Select Default from the dialog to reset the keyboard accelerators to the shipped
settings. This also replaces any settings you have added.

In releases prior to SQL Developer 2.1, the Shortcut Keys are called
Accelerators. In releases post 2.1, to reset the keys, select Load Preset.

Reset the environment, do not reinstall the product

When things go wrong, users sometimes resort to deleting and reinstalling a
product. This may even require downloading the files again. This is time consuming,
and in the case of SQL Developer, not necessary. Assuming you have not edited any
of the .jar files (it's been known to happen and not legally permitted), you can reset
the product to the shipped factory settings by deleting the system folder. Before you
delete the system folder, export your connections and shut down SQL Developer.
To export your connections, select Connections, right-click and select Export
Connections. Save the file to a new location.
When troubleshooting, deleting the system folder is useful. However, by deleting
this folder you are also deleting all of the changes made to the preferences, your
connections, and any layout changes you have made. Therefore, it is recommended
that you delete the folder as a last resort, and not as a standard approach
to troubleshooting.

[ 12 ]

Chapter 1

Reset to factory settings

For Microsoft Windows, delete the \Documents and
Settings\<your_user>\Application Data\SQL Developer
folder to reset SQL Developer to the shipped factory settings.
For Linux, remove the ~.sqldeveloper folder and on the Mac,
remove the ~/Library/Application Support/SQL Developer
folder.
In addition to deleting all of the preferences set and connections
created, this action also deletes user-defined reports, your SQL
history, and any code templates and snippets you have created. In
general, delete the lower level system folder for a less drastic reset.

A quick overview
Let's start with a walk-through of the product. This book is all about SQL Developer
4.1, using the product, and getting to know it. You may well ask yourself why there
is a need for a book if we can walk through the product in twenty minutes or less.
Generally only 10% of the SQL Developer features are used by people on average,
but their sweet spots are probably different. By spending a little time delving into
a number of areas of the product, you can start laying down a map of how the
pieces connect and provide a base that you can drill down into later and become
more productive.

Sample schemas
To follow the examples in the book, you need access to SYSTEM schema of a
database and some of the shipped sample schemas, HR, OE, SH, PM, and IX
available in Oracle Database 9i, 10g, 11g, or 12c. Specifically, this book uses the
sample schemas shipped with Oracle Database 11g R2 & 12c.
There are two ways to install the sample schema. The first way is when you install
the database. You can elect to have the sample schema installed at that point.
Second, if you have not installed these, then you can locate the sample schema in the
$ORACLE_HOME/demo/schema folder and follow the instructions on installing them
using the Oracle online documentation. Not all of these schemas are available for
Oracle Express Edition. In this chapter, we use SYSTEM to verify that the HR schema
is unlocked, and then we use the HR sample schema, which is available in Oracle
Express Edition.

[ 13 ]

Getting Started with SQL Developer 4.1

Creating your first connection

To complete this quick walk-through, you need to know the username and password
of the SYSTEM user. You also need to know the location of the database, whether this
is the machine name or the IP address, and the database SID.
To begin, start SQL Developer. The very first time you start SQL Developer, you'll be
asked if you want to migrate from a previous version. Select No and allow the tool
to start up.
The first thing you need to do after you have started SQL Developer for the first time
is to create your initial connections.
To create a connection for SYSTEM, follow these steps:
1. Select Connections, right-click and select New Connection. This invokes
the New Database Connection dialog. You can edit and control all of the
connection details using this dialog.
2. Complete the details, as shown in the following screenshot, relevant
to your environment.
3. Click on Test to ensure that you have the connection details correct and
click on Connect.

You are now connected as SYSTEM. Use this connection to verify your other
users, by continuing with following steps.
[ 14 ]

Chapter 1

4. Select the new connection you have created, expand the node, and scroll
down to Other Users.
5. Expand Other Users and find the user HR. Right-click on it and select Edit
User. Verify that the account for HR is unlocked and the Password has not
expired, that is, the properties Account is Locked and Password Expired are
deselected. If either of these is selected, deselect them. You can change the
password for HR at this point too. It's good practice to modify the passwords
of the shipped sample schemas once you have unlocked them.
Now you are really ready to begin.
1. Once again, select Connections, right-click and select New Connection.
2. Give the connection a name (for example, HR_11g).
3. Provide the Username (HR) and a Password. If you are working on Oracle
Database 11g, be aware that passwords are now case sensitive.
4. Select the Save Password checkbox. This makes life easy while you are
working with SQL Developer. Passwords are stored in an encrypted file.
However, you should always be aware of saving passwords and possible
security implications this may have.
5. Use the Basic connection. This requires no more detail than the location of
the database and the SID, details you have.
6. Click on Test to test the connection.
7. Click on Connect.

Using basic commands in the SQL Worksheet

As soon as you connect to a user, SQL Developer opens an SQL Worksheet.
You may have started working with Oracle using the SQL*Plus command line,
or even the GUI window. Either way, you'd start with a selection of SQL*Plus
and SQL commands.
Enter the following into the SQL Worksheet:
DESC DEPARTMENTS
SELECT * FROM DEPARTMENTS;

[ 15 ]

Getting Started with SQL Developer 4.1

Press the F5 key (or use the Run Script button).

The output of both commands appears in the Script Output tab, which appears
below the SQL Worksheet (as seen in the previous screenshot). Both commands
are handled by a few simple clicks of the mouse in SQL Developer.
Select and expand the HR_11g connection in the Connections navigator. Expand
the Tables node and select DEPARTMENTS.
The DEPARTMENTS tab now opens, displaying a list of the column names
and details. These are the same details as given by the DESC (describe) SQL*Plus
command that you entered in the SQL Worksheet. It also provides additional
detail, such as the Primary Key and column comments.

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Chapter 1

Select the Data tab and notice that you now see the output from your second
command. These two tabs are included with a number of other tabs, each with
additional details about the DEPARTMENTS table. You would need to write a
number of SQL queries in order to get the additional detail from the data dictionary
if you were working in SQL*Plus.
Select the EMPLOYEES table. Notice that the new table, EMPLOYEES, immediately
replaces the previous DEPARTMENTS table with its details. Select the Triggers tab,
and select one of the triggers. The trigger and related trigger detail is displayed in a
master-detail window, as shown in the following screenshot:

Browsing and updating data

Return to the EMPLOYEES data by again selecting the Data tab. The data grid
that is displayed provides a variety of options. To get started with the data grid,
double-click on an item or field, such as the name of one of the employees, and
change it. Tab out of the field and notice that the change is applied to the data grid
and an asterisk (*) flags the record. Commit and Rollback buttons are available to
send the change to the database, or to undo your action. Roll back the changes.

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Getting Started with SQL Developer 4.1

Once again, you get feedback, this time in the Messages Log, as shown in the
following screenshot:

Running reports
To run your report, perform the following steps:
1. Select the Reports navigator and expand the Data Dictionary Reports
node. Expand the Table node and review the available reports. Expand
Constraints and select the Unique Constraints report.
2. As you select the report, a dialog displays requesting the Connection name.
Select the connection you created, HR_11g, and click on OK.

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Chapter 1

3. An Enter Bind Values dialog now appears, requesting the table name as an
input parameter. Click on Apply to accept the default, which in this case,
means all tables:

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Getting Started with SQL Developer 4.1

Run the same report for any user by selecting the Connections
drop-down list on the right-hand side.

Navigating around SQL Developer

SQL Developer has a selection of windows, navigators, and tabs. On start-up,
you are presented with the main navigator toolbars and menus, as shown in the
following screenshot:

The two main navigators, Connections and Reports, are presented in a tabbed
window. These and other navigators, such as the Versioning Navigator, are
available through the main View menu. You can also open windows such as
Snippets, Recent Objects, and Find DB Objects using the View menu.
Any navigators that you open during a session, and that are still
open when you close the product, are automatically opened when
you restart the product.

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Chapter 1

Managing SQL Developer windows

With the exception of the SQL Worksheet and its associated tabs, all of the main
tabbed dialogs can be minimized or maximized and accessed while docked or
undocked. These menu controls are available through context menus in the tabs,
as shown in the following screenshot:

You can rearrange tabbed windows by selecting and dragging the tab into place.
Once any window is minimized, roll your mouse over the minimized tab to display
a floating window that stays active while your mouse lies over it and rolls back
into place when you move off. This is very useful when working with temporary
windows such as Snippets and Find DB Object. The following screenshot shows
the floating window for the Snippets dialog. If you roll the mouse over the area, you
can work in the window (for example, navigating about until you have located the
snippet of code you are after, and then dragging the code onto the worksheet). The
window will minimize out of the way once you have moved off it.

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Getting Started with SQL Developer 4.1

You can undock the floating window, move it off to one side, and keep it undocked
while you work with the SQL Worksheet. In a dual-monitor setup, you can drag the
floating window onto one monitor, while working with the SQL Worksheet on the
other monitor.

Tiling windows
Once you start working with connections, you will have more windows and tabs
to deal with, especially if you have more than one connection created.
1. Select the HR_11g connection created in the previous section, expand the
connection and Tables node, and select EMPLOYEES.
2. In the table definition window, select the pin button (Freeze View),
as shown in the following screenshot, to freeze the view.

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Chapter 1

3. Now, select the DEPARTMENTS table. A second table definition window

opens to display the details from the new table.
4. Select the DEPARTMENTS tab and drag it down to the lower portion of the
screen. Notice the shape of the dragged object change as you drag it slightly
to the left, to the center, and the lower portion of the window.
5. Each of the shapes represent a different layout position. Release the mouse
to secure the new position. The screenshots that follow display two of the
available positions:

Vertically:

Horizontally:

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Getting Started with SQL Developer 4.1

Splitting documents
When you tile windows, you can compare the details of two tables. However, as each
table has a selection of tabs, it's useful to be able to review details in the tabs without
having to switch back and forth between tabs. As is true for other layout features,
you can split the document using a menu or by drag-and-drop. Each of the object
definitions tabbed displays has a drag bar on the top and bottom right that you
can select and drag to split the window horizontally, or vertically, as shown in the
following screenshot:

Maximizing detail
Almost all of the tabs in SQL Developer will maximize when double-clicked. There
are a few that do not follow this rule, such as the tabs related to the SQL Worksheet.
In general, this works for top-level tabs, which is any tab you can undock and move
about, and not for secondary tabs. To maximize a tab, double-click on the tab. A
second double-click will reverse the process.
Double-click on the tab to maximize a top-level tab. Double-click again to
revert to the previous layout.

Resetting the window layout

If you move your windows about a great deal, you may find that you want to get
things back to the default settings.

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Chapter 1

The example in the following screenshot displays the standard docked Connections
and Reports windows to the left. The Reports window, by default, docks below the
connections. We have also docked the Snippets window to the right. These windows
fill the columns to the left and right, leaving a central window for the editors and
log files.

The layout is controlled by the window layout set in the preferences. Go to Tools |
Preferences under the Environment node in the tree select Dockable Windows. The
default layout, and the one that matches the example in the previous screenshot, is
shown in the following screenshot:

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Getting Started with SQL Developer 4.1

Each of the little curved arrows on the diagram is clickable, and as such controls
the positioning of the windows. Clicking on the arrow extends or contracts the
area taken up by the docked window.
In our example, and in the default SQL Developer environment, there is no
full-docked window across the top of the screen. However, if you drag a window
into the docked position below the main tool bar, it would stretch across the screen.
If you find your windows are in a muddle, first verify that the Dockable Windows
layout is what you want, and then drag the various dockable windows back into
place. Some suggestions on the SQL Developer forum are to remove the system
folder (it works, but that's an extreme solution).

Database certification matrix

(Oracle & Third-Party)
This section is just to give an introduction on the information on the databases and
their versions that are certified for the usage of SQL Developer 4.1. Though this
book only deals with examples of Oracle databases, the intention of adding this
section is to inform you about the databases that SQL Developer can work with,
thus projecting the actual capability of this tool (SQL Developer 4.1).

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Chapter 1

Finding more help

SQL Developer has a site on the Oracle Technology Network (http://www.oracle.
com/technology/products/database/sql_developer/index.html). This provides
us with links to current and past magazine articles, white papers, and team blogs. It
also has links to brief product demonstrations and longer hands-on exercises.
There is an active user forum on OTN, which can be found at http://forums.
oracle.com/forums/forum.jspa?forumID=260. This forum is monitored by
the development team and end users.

The SQL Developer Exchange, found at http://sqldeveloper.oracle.com, is

a site where anyone using SQL Developer can log feature requests and vote on
other requests already posted. In addition to posting feature requests, the site
hosts reports and code snippets.

Summary
You've started and should now have SQL Developer installed. You should have a
few connections created and an initial idea of how to navigate around the product.
You are now set to learn a lot more about SQL Developer. From here, you can delve
into different chapters, focusing on the areas you're most interested in.
In the next chapter, you will learn how to browse different types of objects and
use SQL Developer to look at them in greater detail. We'll review the different
editors and dialogs available and you'll learn how to manage what you see using
preferences. You will also discover the different ways in which you can create
objects and learn how to manipulate the data.

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Get more information Oracle SQL Developer

Where to buy this book

You can buy Oracle SQL Developer from the Packt Publishing website.
Alternatively, you can buy the book from Amazon, BN.com, Computer Manuals and most internet
book retailers.
Click here for ordering and shipping details.

www.PacktPub.com

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