Version 3.3.1 for Delphi 5 available

We have released a Delphi 5 version of Direct Oracle Access 3.3.1. The registered and trial version can now be downloaded from our web site.

There are no compatibility issues when upgrading your Direct Oracle Access applications, unless you are using the TOracleProvider component for multi tiered applications. In Delphi 5 the abstract TDataSet has a new IProviderSupport interface that allows descendants to be used in combination with the standard TDataSetProvider. The TOracleDataSet implements the IProviderSupport interface, so that the TOracleProvider component has become obsolete. It is still provided for backward compatibility, though the UniqueFields property is no longer supported. Instead of setting the UniqueFields you can now set the ProviderFlags of the individual fields that identify a record.

Integration with PL/SQL Developer 2.1.3

The latest version of PL/SQL Developer (2.1.3) features an integration with Direct Oracle Access 3.3. In the SQL Editor of Direct Oracle Access (available in the TOracleQuery and TOracleDataSet component), there is a new button named 'Link to PL/SQL Developer'.

If you press this button, the SQL text and variables are copied to a new Test Window in an existing PL/SQL Developer session, or a new PL/SQL Developer session is started (with username/password@database from the related TOracleSession component).

Now you can edit, test, debug and optimize your SQL or PL/SQL code in the comfortable environment of PL/SQL Developer. If you are testing a select statement, the results are displayed on a Result page. This is a new feature of 2.1.3.

When you are done you can press the 'Return to Direct Oracle Access' button in the Test Window. This will update the SQL Text in the SQL Editor, as well as the variables.

There are currently some limitations in the Test Window concerning the variable types and the result page, which will be addressed in the next major release of PL/SQL Developer.

Full Text Search with Rubicon 2.0.5

Tamarack Associates ( http://www.tamaracka.com ) has recently released version 2.0.5 of its Rubicon text search engine. This new release supports Direct Oracle Access 3.3. If you are looking for flexible, cost-effective and easy-to-deploy full text search capabilities in your Direct Oracle Access applications, make sure that you check out Rubicon 2.0.5 at http://www.tamaracka.com/rubicon2.htm