Bobby Tables Download
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Engines

Oracle Database

Bobby Tables connects to Oracle Database through Oracle Instant Client, which you install separately, and opens each connection in a SQL workspace with PL/SQL highlighting.

Where to find it

ActionHow
Choose OracleNew connection, ⌘N (Ctrl+N), then Oracle Database under Choose a provider
Fill the form from a URLUse connection URL with an oracle://, oracle+tcps:// or oracle+tns:// URL, then Fill fields
Set the client folderOracle Client and network, then Instant Client directory
Default port1521

Instant Client

Install the Oracle Instant Client Basic package for this computer's architecture: Apple Silicon on macOS, x86_64 on Linux. In the form, open Oracle Client and network and enter the client folder in Instant Client directory, which may stay empty only when the client is already on the operating system library path. The directory applies to the whole app, so restart Bobby Tables before connecting with a different one. When the library cannot be loaded, Test connection says Oracle Instant Client could not be loaded and names the platform package it needs.

Connecting

Choose Service name, SID or TNS alias in Address with, then fill Host, Port, User, the matching name and Password. A TNS alias hides host and port and reads tnsnames.ora from Network config directory. Protocol offers TCP or TCPS with certificate verification, which adds Wallet directory and Expected server DN, and an SSH tunnel works with a service name or SID, as described in SSH and TLS. Open in read-only mode blocks writes before SQL reaches Oracle and disables editing.

What works

  • Browse schemas, tables, views, materialized views, sequences, triggers and routines the user can read in the table grid.
  • Stage edits by primary key, or by ROWID on a heap table without one, as described in Editing.
  • Change structure in the Structure tab, where the preview warns that Oracle commits before and after each DDL statement.
  • Snapshots are not available, so Create snapshot... does not appear.
  • Draw a schema diagram from declared foreign keys.
  • Format result columns with result directives.
  • Stop a running statement with Cancel, ⌘. (Ctrl+.), which calls the client's break operation.
  • Run Explain, ⌘⇧E (Ctrl+Shift+E), in the SQL editor; Explain Analyze is unavailable and says so.

Engine notes

NUMBER and FLOAT values arrive as exact decimal text, and RAW and BLOB values show as hex. Oracle treats an empty string as NULL, so the grid cannot tell them apart. A TIMESTAMP WITH TIME ZONE keeps its offset but not its region name. User and password is the only sign-in method.

Good to know

  • A connection opens one service, so Switch database is not available. Create another connection for another service.
  • Views, materialized views and index-organized tables stay read-only in the grid.
  • The PostgreSQL page has a short video of opening a connection from Home.

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