InterBase Database IDE
Aqua Data Studio
This video will provide an introduction to using Aqua Data Studio version 20 with Interbase embedded database. Aqua Data Studio is a database IDE and a productivity tool for different types of users. Here is a list of terminology that we will introduce and that we can tie to some of the menus you see in the background.
Connecting Data Sources to Database IDE
The starting point for using Aqua Data Studio is to connect to your databases. For working with Interbase, the very first icon is the Register Server icon. You’ll see the list of databases. Interbase is now a selection for the databases to connect to. After connecting, you have flexibility in terms of building your navigation tree. We’ll introduce some areas there and then you’re encouraged to explore.
You can see the different object types. In the Interbase platform that are listed. The drill downs into the database or security areas in the navigation trait. So we’ll explore those areas. Of course, you can right click and open up Object Editors. There’s some different tabs that you can see I have opened in the background and we’ll explore different ways of invoking those windows and right click menus throughout the Database Explorer.
SQL Query Analyzer
For working with SQL, either opening up existing SQL or typing SQL. The Query Analyzer is a core window Aqua Data Studio and for connecting to Interbase and existing SQL statements, you’d open those up in the Query Analyzer. If you’re newer to SQL syntax, the Visual Query Builder allows you to drag and drop tables and build syntax against Interbase tables, perhaps without being an expert at SQL syntax. So probably an area many of us are familiar with from different database IDEs. And we’ll introduce that powerful area here.
ER Modeler
In Aqua Data Studio for Interbase, as well as the data modeling component, the ER diagramming for Interbase tables and objects. The ER modeller is a core menu in Aqua Data Studio. So you see query builder, ER modeler.
Visual Analytics
For working with data, the Visual Analytics is very easy to use. All included Aqua Data Studio and now supports Interbase data sets. So you can bring data sets from Interbase or other platforms into the Visual Analytics and build dashboards and worksheets and analyze data through a data visualization component through either Right click menus or the Primary Toolbar menus. Tools menu, you have the drill down areas for moving data in or out of the database. Generating schema or server scripts and then the very popular Compare features are found in different areas either in the right click menu or through the Tools menu.
InterBase
Let’s dive in and take a look at these areas again. When you first install Aqua Data Studio or Connect, you’ll have an empty list of database connections or if you’re an existing user, Aqua Data Studio, the very first icon or server, register Server will allow you to add Interbase to your existing connection list. Here you can see an alphabetical list of all the platforms supported. Choose Interbase and then you have the ability to name that connection. Assign a color coding there, group your connection in different ways and then provide your user credentials and the location of that interbase server.
Create Interbase Database
We’ll come back to the Create database and talk to that in a moment. But if I right click on an existing connection, you could drill into the server properties that you define for that connection. Here you can see examples of the color coding selection, naming this in a way that you can recognize in the navigation tree.
Server Groups
There’s also concepts like server groups. You could group all your interface connections in a folder and then drill into those. There’s a very helpful clone feature. Sometimes I’ll clone a connection and then customize the navigation where if I go into the server properties here you have filtering capabilities. Perhaps you have a certain connection that shows certain objects and that’s flexibility in terms of how you like to navigate and customize your tree. Aqua Data Studio. Okay, so then here you can see an example of a Query Analyzer. After connecting and exploring, you can start navigating the Explorer tree, right click throughout the navigation tree, and this will reveal different helpful areas for Create, Alter and Drop and then other scripting features. I could drill into a table and see easy to develop or Build, SQL, select Statements, DML Statements, insert Update, Delete, DDL Statements, create, Alter, Drop, so very easy to use, right click features.
Table Object Editor
And then as I explore different object types, you can see the specific object types two interface. Here we can see generators, subscriptions domains, and I have some of those object editors open already. Create Table Object Editor would be a graphical interface for creating the table and interbase, naming your columns, defining the structure here’s constraints in the Table Editor. So there’s a Constraints drill down. But to create or alter constraints is in the Table Editor. Here’s some other object editors I’ve opened. Create or alter view, alter generator, alter subscription. Here’s a create or alter domain. You can drill into these different areas, explore these object types, and then right click and you’ll find embedded rightclick features throughout Aqua Data Studio that you might expect in an IDE.
Database Security
Depending on the environment you’re connected to, you’ll see different areas to drill down into. For Interbase we see databases and security. The databases drill down shows my object types and then Security shows Encryptions Roles, users and ACL. So those are some different groupings.
When we explore the Schema script generator or the Service script generator, you can see those scripting features are separated in terms of the database object types and then the security, user roles and permissions drill down.
Query Analyzer
All right, after exploring, the Query Analyzer would be a next step to explore in terms of interbase functionality. Aqua Data Studio so you can just right click on a connection and invoke a query analyzer that way. Or you see on the main toolbar different ways of invoking these icons as well. If I launch a query analyzer on this existing connection here, I could just start typing SQL.
You see some of the color coded pop up editors and the ability to invoke and select tables or fields and then execute the different green run arrows for executing one or multiple SQL parsing. Other features you might expect in a database IDE. Aqua Data Studio so here, if I right click within a SQL statement, you see different features like cloning and folding formatting, and then there’s different ways of taking action on your SQL statement or working on the data set.
SQL History
The query main menu also has other popular features such as the SQL history. Here you can see SQL statements you’ve executed over time, not only against the Interbase platform, but other databases that you might be using Aqua Data Studio against.
Query Builder
Okay, so the query builder is the next area that we’ll introduce. The query builder of Visual Analytics and ER modeler, these are all floating windows. So the database IDE environment for Aqua Data Studio has a combination of pop out windows tabs within the user application and then floating windows.
The query builder, it’s a very popular and easy to use way for dragging and dropping tables, individually selecting fields or dragging and dropping them, and then having Aqua Data Studio build your SQL for you, allow you to execute that and then work on your result set. So you have the ability to drag and drop tables and build SQL.
Data Visualization
And then this is a saveable result. Aqua Data Studio’s query builder, or wherever you have data sets, there’s integration to the Visual Analytics. And so here you can see the Visual Analytics icon from a query builder against interbase tables. Or if I was working in the Query Analyzer here’s an icon to launch the visual analytics against an Interbase data set. And then you have easy to use drag and drop features for building your data visualizations, right? There’s all kinds of flexibility here in terms of the type of visualizations supported in Aqua Data Studio.
Templates
So there’s over 30 different templates. Here are some examples of just some variations. If I was to perhaps, maybe bring up a combination dashboard where I have brought in data from different data sources. To easily access a data set in Aqua Data Studio, you can just click on the data, connect to Data from the Data main menu in the Visual Analytics, and there you’ll see all your available data sets. If I was to choose, say, an Interbase data set, then I could easily start building my data visualization, just dragging and dropping values. I see my dimensions and measures here and I could start building a data visualization story and grouping and sorting in different ways and then saving this or sharing this in Aqua Data Studio.
ER Modeler
The Visual Analytics, the Query Builder and then the ER modeler are all standalone floating windows that you can invoke and then save. You see the launching points here. You have a very flexible user interface. The ER modeler component is a very powerful way for either reverse engineering existing environments in Interbase or forward engineering.
Under the ER Modeler menu, you would have the ability to choose Interbase and then select your drag and drop areas from the left, the right hand side to the white space. I could select a table and then I could define the structure of that table for the Interbase platform. I could drag and drop multiple tables and then perhaps define relationships between those. You can see the one to many to many. You can drag and drop and then see the definition of that relationship here and start customizing that. Of course generating the deployment script. Or if we revisit an existing entity relationship diagram I have here for the Interbase platform. If I expand the Tools menu here are very powerful features for working with tables, views and related objects. So generate script, generate a report, perhaps compare with an existing model or with a live database connection.
Database IDE Features
The ability to make changes to individual objects or entities and drill into the code or DDL behind those. I was mentioning right click features are ways to invoke the Tools menu. After these areas that we’ve introduced: Query Builder, Visual Analytics, ER Modeler, you can drive from the Tools primary menu or if you right click on a connection, you’ll see different areas there that would have shortcuts based on that existing connection. Easy to use wizards for importing or exporting data, searching the Interbase environment for objects or column names or even strings of code within stored procedures. That’s a powerful object search feature that you’d be looking for in a database IDE for Interbase.
Schema Script Generator
And then here’s a launching point for the ER diagram similar to the main menu ER diagram or the Schema Script Generator and Server Script Generator. You have the ability to generate extract scripts for your object types and the Schema script generator. If I right click on this connection and choose Tools Schema Script Generator, you see the list of objects similar to the databases drill down and then the Schema Server Script generator would have your encryption roles and users as the script generator capability.
So these are easy to use windows. You have many scripting features. If I was to perhaps open up an existing DDL script here, you can see there’s different parsing capabilities and then even scroll ahead and very powerful features in the query analyzer that you would expect in a more than 15 year Tool more 15 year old IDE like Aqua Data Studio.
We encourage you to dive in. You can launch the help to find the user community link and I think many of you are aware of that. There’s a lot of helpful resources here on the community site where you have drill downs into the different platform support and then other videos and content here as well.
Interbase on Aqua Data Studio
Good luck with Aqua Data Studio with Interbase. Thank you for joining this presentation.