Re: Database Mgmt/Manip Tools

taf1@cornell.edu (Thomas Fredericks) wrote: :I have recently moved to an Informix environment as the DBA. I had previously :been developing C/S apps using Powerbuilder with Microsoft SQL Server on the :back end. I find that the Informix DB tools are a step back from what I'm used :to. I am considering getting Powerbuilder solely for the use of the DB tools :(Data pipelines, GUI view builder, GUI SQL builder, full table data editing :capability, client-side sort and filter, etc.) all of which I miss. I would be :using maybe 10% of the Powerbuilder product. My question is, are there any :similar DB management/data manipulation tools out there that are not bundled :with a whole C/S development environment? Thanks : :Thomas Fredericks :Cornell Lab of Ornithology There is the ROM tool freely available from Informix at http://www.informix.com/trybuy/rom/market.htm It has it's very clear limitations however (no GUI editing of data in the db, all data from a select statement is returned even if you never look at it, no organization of tables - just a simple alphabetical list, no documentation if you create tables with it - unless you use sql directly and save the doucmentation with the sql command file and several other things). For many of the things you mention we use MS Access. That is cheap and works very well for us. Although I know sql fairly well I even use it's GUI sql builder as it is much easier and faster for many purposes than typing in the sql. You can easily type it as well if you want and go back and forth between the gui builder and the sql command created. It's reporting functions are also ok. You obviously don't build any kind of serious applications with it. For that other tools are much better. Nils.Myklebust@idg.no NM Data AS, P.O.Box 9090 Gronland, N-0133 Oslo, Norway My opinions are those of my company The Informix FAQ is at http://www.iiug.org