Oracle SQL Developer Reviews

One of the goals of the tool is to allow the user to complete tasks with the least number of steps. For example, to load an Excel spreadsheet into a table, you just have to complete a simple, four-step wizard and all the data will be in your table.

Another example is having quick access to queries you executed some time ago without having to manually save them. That way, you can still access an important or frequently used query that maybe you forgot to save.

Generating data files from queries with minimum setup is a time saver. You can preset the output format you want (CSV, insert, Excel, JSON to name a few), run your query and the file will be generated in that format.

• The tight integration with other Oracle products and database features/options. For example, you can open data models, and review AWR and ASH reports.
• The ability to reuse your own queries to create report definitions in different layouts and to render the output in HTML/PDF formats.
• Export table data and query results in at least 10 different output formats.
• The Cart to collect DDL/DML scripts for DB artifacts that need to be deployed together. Great when you want to execute a repeatable process in several schemas and/or databases.

I would like to see the Monitor Sessions functionality to provide access to SQL Monitor reports in the same format used by Oracle Enterprise Manager. That would help developers to see what their SQL statements are doing as they run.

The output (generated report) is the same. It's an HTML+ flash type of report that both products allow to save. The part that I like about Oracle Enterprise Manager is that once you get into a report, it keeps refreshing its execution statistics and performance metrics as the query progresses. SQL Developer only shows a snapshot of the execution statistics and performance metrics at the moment you request the report.

Both products have access to the same API to produce these reports so I thought it would be nice if SQL Developer could match OEM's default behavior.

I would like to see more functionality to assist in having database-enforced source control on objects and data.

I think the product is really stable and the Oracle Database Tools team is very responsive to any issues that could impact its usability.

Customer Service:

I think this is one of the brightest aspects of SQL Developer. The Product Manager and the main developers are very active in the OTN Forums, Stack Overflow, Social Media, etc. They’re always presenting at conferences, providing articles, blog posts and all kinds of insights on the best ways to use the product.

Technical Support:

Technical Support is also great because the SQL Developer team is available to the community, providing answers to questions and releasing bug fixes in a timely manner.

SQL Developer has reached a maturity level where it offers pretty much the same essential functionality (and much more) that you can find in other solutions, with the benefit of being free. Why not use it then?

Initial setup is as easy as download, unzip and start using it. I recommend using the version that includes its own Java Runtime Environment. Of course, this is from the perspective of a single user.

I did not evaluate other options.

Invest some time on standardizing the preferences/reports and centralize them so that all of your developers use exactly the same setup. For example, you could customize all the preferences that format your code in order to follow your company’s SQL and PL/SQL standards.

It's a free tool which allows you to see an Oracle Database structure and run queries against Oracle Databases.

• It's a free tool
• Ability to analyze performance, using Explain Plan statement
• Ability to export and import data without using any Oracle utilities

It would be nice to have the ability to access DBs than Oracle.

No stability issues.

No scalability issues.

Very good.

I have used tools such as Toad, PL/SQL Developer, SQL Navigator. I switched because this one is free.

Initial set-up was straightforward. Just download the solution from Oracle OTN and after that run the installer.

It’s a free tool.

Toad, SAP ADS, SQL Navigator.

It’s a great tool for accessing and exploring Oracle Databases.

We use it for test queries, before implementing scripts for monitoring. Also, we use it for querying and getting data of the whole environment monitored with our products.

Helps us to test and to develop scripts for monitoring applications.

I only use it for connecting to instances and to do queries, I don't know details of the features.

Queries. 

No stability issues as of yet.

No scalability issues as of yet.

I have not used it.

No, I've always Oracle SQL Developer.

It's very easy to use.

Using execution plan, I am able to do lots of query tuning.

• Easy to use
• Nice interface

Execution plan.

Because it is in Java, sometimes Java crashes the product, and of course there is the total dependence on Java.

I have never stressed the product to find out.

I have never needed to contact technical support.

I used Embarcadero and Toad. I gave up both because one is for every kind of database (I do not believe in this) and the other is only for Oracle, and its IDE is not good.

The initial setup is always a problem, it cannot find the Java SDK.

I have never paid for it, I use open source.

In Brasil, only big companies can use Oracle because of the price. I prefer NoSQL and open source databases.

 Embarcadero and Toad.

Take care during the initial setup and have patience. It can be too heavy and eat your memory.

Export option on query results.

Faster access to DB tables.

Could be made to load faster.

Five years.

No.

No.

No.

Good.

Good.

Yes.

It was easy.

Good.

Good.

No changes required.

No.

Among the most valuable features is the tight integration with database features/options.

• Being able to see all of the database objects.
• Being able to create objects.
• Being able to edit objects.
• Being able to open data models.
• Being able to review AWR and ASH reports.

Standardized tool.

The interface could be friendlier for the DBA by having dashboards, like Enterprise Manager.

Since 2015.

There are occasional run time issues.

I did not encounter any issues with scalability.

Technical support is great. They are extremely responsive and helpful with issues/questions.

Yes, Toad. I changed because my new company didn’t have a Toad license.

Initial setup is very easy. Download, unzip, and start using it.

A license is not needed for this product.

I did not evaluate other options. Invest some time on standardizing the preferences.

Invest some time in standardizing the preferences.

Among the most valuable features is the automated unit test capability for PL/SQL development. It allows us to implement a form of test driven development (TDD) for database-resident code.

We can switch between heterogeneous databases.

After installing a MySQL driver, for example, we can work with these row stores. It also supports Oracle Cloud legacy schema-as-a-service connections and the newer DBaaS connections.

I am not aware of any areas for improvement at the moment.

We have been using the solution for eight years.

We did not encounter any issues with deployment.

There are occasional runtime issues that are easily worked around, especially on a Windows deployment. However, these have never been impediments and the installation is regularly updated with patches and fixes.

We did not encounter any issues with scalability.

This is a self-service offering so customer service is not relevant.

I cannot comment with regard to the technical support.

We did not use a previous solution.

The setup was very simple, using only point-and-click as long as your workstation meets the runtime JDK prerequisite.

Not applicable.

I cannot comment on the ROI.

It's a no-cost license and it offers outstanding functionality on that basis.

For data architects, it offers the advantage of being part of the same tool set as the cost-free license for Oracle Data Modeler. Together, they form a nice tool kit for data architects as well as database developers and other specializations.

This open-source GUI is feature-rich software. If I have to choose one most valuable feature, then I will definitely go with the Data Modeler feature. Modeling the structure of all the data and database objects along with their attributes has always been a challenging and time consuming task. Data modeling always helped me with several projects by being able to draw objects in the plane in no time.

Another interesting feature of SQL Developer is Data Pump. It makes exporting and importing data easier. The wizard form for Data Pump relieves the developer from writing a whole chunk of code, which is a huge relief.

As a database trainer, I would like to say that although SQL developer is an open-source software, yet it provides a lot of features that you can find only in paid versions of its counterparts. It is lightweight; hence, it takes up less memory space, which makes it more efficient and faster. Furthermore, it has an easy installation process that leads to the company spending less time and money on lengthy trainings for its employees; just a refresher course is enough! This single software can connect with other databases provided by different vendors such as Microsoft SQL Server and MySQL, etc.

While working with Data Pump, I have faced a few problems. For example, sometimes it won’t let me change the set file type. Although this was not that big of an issue, yet I think that the Data Pump feature could be further improved.

I have been using SQL Developer for the last three years on a daily basis.

Till now, I haven’t faced any stability issues while working with SQL Developer.

To be frank, I haven’t had the chance to evaluate this software with respect to its scalability.

I didn’t get a chance to talk with technical support because whenever I faced any problem, I just tweeted about it and got the solution from the community. So, a great many thanks to them for helping me out!

I often switch between SQL Developer and TOAD for Oracle depending on their suitability regarding the project that I am working on.

The initial setup was very simple. I just had to download and extract the files. That’s all!

It is an open-source software available for free from Oracle Corporation so no issues with pricing and licensing.

I evaluated TOAD for Oracle, but after using SQL Developer, I kind of grew a liking towards the latter.

It is a great open-source software, power packed with features. The initial setup is simple, which means less mess in terms of training the employees. Moreover, it is fairly stable which makes it a wonderful choice.