The design of a typical DBsurfer/WEBserver ad-hoc query…
This is an example (DBsurfer 2.9) of an advanced query - one you cannot express without technical support using other query software. See how it was done(DBsurfer 2.8)
Simple
Component-based ad-hoc query builder and business intelligence-gathering tool entirely for end-users
The design of a typical DBsurfer/WEBserver ad-hoc query…
This is an example (DBsurfer 2.9) of an advanced query - one you cannot express without technical support using other query software. See how it was done(DBsurfer 2.8)
Simple
This query was assembled by dragging and dropping elements from the left-hand frame into the right-hand frame and applying two conditions. The condition builder is point-and-click, fault-proof, self-guided and so simple and advanced as to be unique. There is also an expression builder that combines data (even across entities) and works similarly.
Efficient
DBsurferÔ Webserver is a comprehensive, powerful and practical server-based method of using drag-and-drop to quickly and easily design optimized ad-hoc or production queries for large-capacity ANSI SQL databases. Easier to use than a spreadsheet, faster to compose than a letter, it generates executable ad-hoc programs that respect the value of your database by virtue of their efficient and professional structure.
Scalable
But what DBsurfer brings to the table above all is end-user demand scalability - it removes the annoyance and hidden cost of a system that doesn't keep pace with the increasing sophistication of its users. The design of Dbsurfer is rooted in the philosophy that end-users do not perform simple queries forever, that their expectations should not soon meet limits, that their range of expertise and eventual demands can be significant.
Fast
Not only are Dbsurfer's productions efficient and fast - its server is fast. Its speed has been compared to the best in the business and it is well-known 3rd party technology. In addition we endowed its SOAP communications protocols with high-speed enhancements to keep up with heavy user loads.
Far-reaching
Dbsurfer WEBserver offers a federated query processor that combines data from multiple databases into a single answer. The databases can be local or spread over the globe. You can combine local data with off-site data, or meld your own data with 3rd party data for increased insight.
The federated query feature can also be used intra-database. If you are dealing with a very large database it allows fact tables to be broken into logical segments and combined with dimensions; these segments can then be combined among themselves. There is currently a 2GB limit on answer sets of this type.
Each accessed database type requires database-supplier provided Java Type 4 JDBC drivers to be collocated in the DBsurfer application server machine.
Comprehensive
If you ask a library database to give you names of borrowers that have late returns, that is considered a simple query; to then ask for borrowers that always have late returns should be equally simple. And asking for borrowers that have more than one book on loan should be just as simple as asking for borrowers that have never borrowed a book. However, these equally simple queries which may only be one or two mouse-clicks different in a DBsurfer query, require vastly different productions, which DBsurfer generates transparently and seamlessly.
Many so-called ad-hoc query programs that will query 'any' database seem very attractive at first sight. If you ask them to display dates greater than, smaller than, or equal to a specified date they will comply, but if you attempt to ask for say, orders older than 30 days, or for the number of years an employee has been employed, they may be unable to comply. The reason is that they lack the ability to search databases by computed values.
The inclusion of database graphics in the answers is just as simple as including normal text data. But you cannot apply conditions to graphics.
Reusable
Queries can be designed and saved so that each time they are used they request certain parameter values; feeding new values at run-time allows users to obtain new answers from the same query, based on the values of these parameters. Queries combining multiple data entities can also be saved so as to constitute a single, encapsulated entity, which is re-incorporated into the database. These so-called virtual entities can then be applied, or recycled as component entities of more comprehensive and more sophisticated queries, as though part of the database. They can even be linked to other virtual entities or to other original database entities to display preconfigured joins. Entities of this nature cannot contain parameters or sorts, although these can be added when the entity is actually used.
Flexible
The DBsurfer zero-footprint client is a sophisticated Java applet that can display multiple open databases and multiple open queries per database as well as multiple answers per query. The number of open windows that you can use to inquire, display, test and compare information is only limited by computer memory. On the other hand, the core query capabilities - when aimed at obtaining pinpoint answers - can operate in as little as 400x200 pixels of screen real estate. The applet's display graphics require the Java2 browser plugins under Windows and Unix. Supported browsers are IE5+ on Windows, Netscape7 on Windows and Unix, Firefox on Windows, Unix and Macintosh and Safari and Firefox on Macintosh.
DBsurfer can also be delivered as a downloadable application using Java Web Start technology - that way you can fire it up directly from a desktop icon, and only new versions will be actually downloaded.
Customizable
DBsurfer will run "out of the box", but in practice you'd probably like to use jargon native to your business to formulate your queries. DBsurfer lets you rename the contents of your database with appropriate synonyms and more familiar nouns. The queries will automatically reflect the new terms you define.
The dynamic link redesign feature of DBsurfer means that you - as an end-user - can easily override and re-design the actual structure of each database you are accessing. This can be done just for your own purposes, to test an idea, or by maintenance staff as a query facilitation procedure. In any case, the database is not directly affected, only its appearance to DBsurfer users is.
This feature is surprisingly useful when you consider it can also be applied to virtual entities (above, Reusable.)
Vigilant
One of the key features of DBsurfer is its commitment to query integrity in the hands of non-technical end-users. Sometimes very innocent queries can lead to very complex productions. DBsurfer ensures that not only are these productions accurate and professionally fast, but also that they are complete. This care pervades the entire query process, from presentation of the available data to be queried as the query evolves, to production of the corresponding language fragments that actually access the databases. Other query products depend on professional support to implement this vigilance. For example, some databases contain technically virtuous and complex relationships that cannot be queried directly by non-technical end users. DBsurfer simplifies and reconfigures them automatically.
Elegant
DBsurfer does not let you down when it comes to generating presentation-level information. Its report designer is also end-user oriented - it's simple yet complete. It provides a wizard to select grouped and detail data; it provides control over font, size, color; it allows you to include graphs, charts and static and dynamic (database) pictures in a report. It supports calculated fields as well as summary fields. It allows you to apply dynamic conditions to the report to selectively highlight its contents.
Optionally Secure
DBsurfer WEBserver/Secure allows you to publish the same ad-hoc query service, but running over secure SSL HTTPS links.
Economic
In a nutshell, DBsurfer yields a state-of-the-art query system with a high performance/price ratio and a low TCO. The TCO is low because only light IT support is needed, if any. First year maintenance and upgrades are free.
... and to complete the above example, the (transparent) production by DBsurfer:
IBX datasystems limited
+1 (604) 726-4903 (Pacific Time)
Currently supported targets: Oracle, Sybase, SQLServer, Caché, Postgress, DB2, mySQL
Operates as server software for any Java2-enabled environment
Typical environment: HTML page server software, optional HTTPS IP address, 500MB RAM, 100GB disk, megabyte/sec intranet bandwidth
Price : as low as USD 75.00 per concurrent seat (NOT named user) in 1000-seat increments.