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Microsoft SQL server comes with a not too impressive GUI "SQL manager". However, this simple GUI has been very effective at reaching a broad audience over the years because it has a very low threshold for doing basic tasks such as: - exploring the database - making simple modifications to the database model - creating small database models By simplifying the GUI, the DTP could be made to fill this role, only with database & OS independance. Try finding an "SQL Manager" equivalent which covers MS SQL Server, MySQL & PostgreSQL across Windows & Linux. Not easy. I took the DTP for a quick spin, and it is rather hard to get started: - I found the Data Source Explorer view easily enough. - I had a JDBC connection string + class and at this point this point I was ready to start exploring my database. The first thing I'm asked to do is to create a "Database connection profile". I don't know what a "Database connection profile" is. This is a new concept. It would be much nicer if I was offered something familiar, like "Add JDBC connection". - My JDBC connection string was in my Java project, which the modal requester blocked access to. - Next I have to enter a name for "Database connection profile". IMHO, this requester is superfluous. It is possible to rename the connection afterwards(DTP would then assign some default name like "untitled1"). Since I'm unfamiliar with the "Database connection profile" concept, I have no idea what to call it. As to giving a description... :-) - The "Driver" concept is confusing. "JDBC driver" and "DTP Driver" are different things. - I was able to add a "Connection profile" via my JDBC connection string. Ping works. However at this point I'm stuck. I have not yet been able to explore my database. I would have expected a "+" next to my connection profile. Is this because Generic JDBC connections do not allow exploring the database? This was with an MS SQL Server. It appears to me that the DTP has a much broader scope than just exploring databases. This causes a challenge in the user interface w.r.t. not introducing new concepts any earlier than necessary. E.g. The user may be familiar with JDBC conections. At which point should new concepts be introduced that allows other kinds of data sources/connections? It could be months or years before the user needs anything else than his JDBC connections.
http://www.eclipse.org/rcp might be useful here.
Changed this to assigned by mistake. Reading the description I find it difficult to locate a defect or enhancement request other than "package DTP as a SQL manager replacement," which is very broad and vague, and DTP components be usable within a minimal RCP environment. Please clarify. Thanks, Rob
(In reply to comment #2) > Changed this to assigned by mistake. > > Reading the description I find it difficult to locate a defect or enhancement > request other than "package DTP as a SQL manager replacement," which is very > broad and vague, and DTP components be usable within a minimal RCP environment. > Please clarify. You have understood me correctly. This request is analogous to the "Package Eclipse CDT as Insight killer" and the same arguments apply. https://bugs.eclipse.org/bugs/show_bug.cgi?id=39640 > > Thanks, > Rob >
This is in line with one of the goals for Galileo and should be investigated.
Created attachment 131311 [details] Initial cut of DTP RCP application This is an initial cut of a possible DTP RCP application. Basically think just the DTP Database Development perspective without the rest of Eclipse. Hopefully it will become more than this, but I think this is a good start. Big thanks go to Enrico Schenk of Ingres, who got me going with an initial contribution that I munged a bit and included here.
Enrico, can you help with this a bit? You mentioned that you really pared down the RCP app you guys did so it was a fairly small footprint. Any help you can provide along those lines would be great.
A really *great* application that has this nailed down is http://www.squirrelsql.org/ Perhaps an idea to touch base with those guys before you break your back trying to make an open source competitor?
I understand that. But honestly we're not trying to compete, just provide an alternative to use existing DTP tools.
It wouldn't be a bad idea to touch base with them however, so thanks for that idea. :)
Setting to Helios (1.8) target milestone
I have delivered this to the Enablement directory in CVS. It's available. Running into issues exporting it at the moment, but the code is there.
