Running Standard Database Reports

Running Standard Database Reports

Prior to version 7.3, TOAD had only one method of database reporting, the TOAD Reports program for producing standard database reports, shown in Figure 7.1 and located on the main menu at View, Reports. In fact, it's not part of TOAD per se, but rather a separate, standalone executable in the TOAD install directory named TOADReports.exe. You will find the predefined standard reports in the TOAD installation directory under the Reports subdirectory. Note that because these reports run as a separate program and thus an entirely separate process, you can initiate a report and then leave it running ”even if you exit the TOAD program entirely.

Figure 7.1. TOAD Reports ”basic selection.

Although standard database reports are quite useful and provide parameters for user -specified selection criteria, these reports are nonetheless not creatable or customizable by users. So you have only the predefined standard reports as provided.

As shown in Figure 7.1, the TOAD Reports program first displays a screen for selecting reports and specifying parameters. You then simply choose the report you want in the tree view of available reports. Note that there is a Report Description box in the window's bottom left corner to provide you with a definition of what information that report will provide. Finally, you select the parameters for that report on the right-hand side of the window. But be careful, as the parameters shown will vary depending on the report selected.

Also note that reports for tables, indexes, and views support a multi-select capability for certain drop-down list selections. In Figure 7.1, in the Table Name drop-down list, there is an entry for Multiple Selection. Selecting that entry will result in the Multiple Selection screen, shown in Figure 7.2. Now you can select multiple entries using standard Windows techniques of Shift-click and Ctrl-click. After you click the OK button in the Multiple Selection screen, you will be returned to the TOAD Reports screen, but the drop-down list will still just show Multiple Selection. You can only see the actual selected entries while the Multiple Selection screen shown in Figure 7.2 is up.

Figure 7.2. TOAD Reports ” multiple selection.

After you've selected the report and all its parameters, you click the Run button to execute the report. Be patient as this may take a while if you've selected a schema with many objects. Note that a progress dialog window will display so that you know that TOAD is generating the requested reports. When report generation is complete, a preview window will open where you can examine a report's output as shown in Figure 7.3. This preview window has toolbar buttons to print the report, re-run it (that is, refresh the report output in case of database changes), print the report to a file (that is, save as), and resize the display, plus VCR controls for page navigation.

Figure 7.3. TOAD Reports ”Preview window.

If you choose to print the report to a file (that is, save as), a report output selection format window will pop up as shown in Figure 7.4. Clicking Next on this screen will open a second screen for specifying the output destination directory and other optional parameters based on the output format selected. For Adobe Acrobat, TOAD generates a single file in PDF version 1.2 (that is, Acrobat version 3.x and higher). For Excel, TOAD generates a single file in Microsoft Excel Worksheets for version 4.0. And for HTML, TOAD generates an HTML file per page of output (with the option to use or not use cascading style sheets). Note that whatever output format is chosen , TOAD does its best to represent the output exactly as shown in the preview.

Figure 7.4. TOAD Reports ”output format.

Finally, note that the category for Other Reports contains several reports that resemble Health Check-type exception reports, as shown in Figure 7.5. All these reports are from a time prior to the TOAD DBA module and its advanced database monitoring screens and health check reports. The categories and reports under the Other Reports node essentially provide an eclectic collection of exception reports that are very much like the DBA module health check reports. However, you must run all these reports individually, and thus you do not get one comprehensive report regarding the database's overall health. So if you have the TOAD DBA module, its monitoring screens and database health check reports will be far superior to using the Other Reports for database health checks.

Figure 7.5. Other Reports ”Health Checks.