more pass-through queries! evaluation code 245 dan debower technical consultant sct tuesday, march...
Post on 26-Mar-2015
214 Views
Preview:
TRANSCRIPT
More Pass-Through Queries!
Evaluation Code 245
Dan DeBowerTechnical Consultant
SCT
Tuesday, March 26th, 20028:00am – 9:30am
2Evaluation Code 245
Session Rules of Etiquette
• Please hold all questions until the session ends
• Please turn off your cell phone/beeper
• If you must leave the session early, please do so as discreetly as possible
• Please avoid side conversation during the session
• But if you have a burning on-topic question, ask!
Thank you for your cooperation!
3Evaluation Code 245
Introduction
• I presented “MS Access Pass-Through Queries” at Summit last year, in Toronto
• This presentation grew out of the feedback I received from that session
• I will not cover the setup of ODBC or other technical issues during this presentation. (Feel free to ask questions at the end, though!)
• Remember: I’m assuming you know some SQL
4Evaluation Code 245
Agenda
• Review Pass-Throughs
• Rename your fields
• The Make Table Query
• Delete and Append (an alternative to Make Table)
• The TimeStamp
• Easy access to Object:Access
5Evaluation Code 245
Review
• Use the latest version of MS Access:if you’re using Office2000, make sure you’re on Service Pack Two (SP2)
• Create and Prepare your query
• Create a Pass-Through query
• Prepare your connection
• Enter your SQL
6Evaluation Code 245
Create a Pass-Through Query
• The NEW button, on the database Queries tab.
• Or from the menu: Insert - Query
• From the wizard, select Design View
• And Close the show table window
• And Query - SQL Specific - Pass-Through
7Evaluation Code 245
Prepare Your Connection
• Create an ODBC Connection String
• In the Properties window enter aconnection string:
ODBC;DSN=???;DBQ=???;UID=???;PWD=???;• DSN - your ODBC Data Source Name
• DBQ - your Oracle database instance
• UID - your Oracle UserID
• PWD - your Oracle Password
8Evaluation Code 245
Prepare Your Connection
• Create an ODBC Connection String
• If you leave out the Username and Password, Access will display a connection window
ODBC;DSN=Banner;DBQ=PROD;
9Evaluation Code 245
Enter Your SQL
• Remember - you can write and test your SQL queries in SQLPlus and then Copy-Paste from the SQL editor to the Pass-Through window!
• [And SQLPlus gives better error messages!]
10Evaluation Code 245
The Make Table Query
• Make Table Queries allow you to save the output of your Pass-Throughs
• Without a Make Table, your Pass-Through will run every time you update your reports or queries that are based upon your Pass-Through
• With a Make Table, your saved data doesn’t change unless you want it to. No more mismatched reports because someone updated Banner
11Evaluation Code 245
Create a Make Table Query
• Create a query in Design View
• Add your Pass-Through with the Show Table window and close Show Table
• Select Query – Make-Table Query
• Enter a Table Name
• Double click ‘*’ in your Pass-Through to select all the fields
• And Save your Query with a unique name
12Evaluation Code 245
Rename Your Fields
• Seeing Banner field names in your Access tables can be hard to read and confusing
• When you enter a field name in your Pass-Through select statement, add a space, and then a unique (short) name
• Fromselect spriden_last_name,
• Toselect spriden_last_name LNAME,
13Evaluation Code 245
Hint
• If you receive an error that your query was “Cancelled by the user”, your ODBC connection probably ‘Timed Out’. In other words, it’s just taking too long
• In the Query Properties window, set the ODBC Timeout property to 0
• Make sure your Pass-Through and Make Table queries both get changed
14Evaluation Code 245
Delete and Append
• A Make Table Query completely deletes and re-creates your table every time you run it
• But what if you don’t want to destroy the table you’ve made? Have you formatted the Datasheet view or added an index?
• Delete and Append allows you to keep your existing table, remove all the records, and repopulate with an Append Query
15Evaluation Code 245
Delete and Append
• Delete• Select the Macro tab
• Select New, creating a new Macro
• Select the action RunSQL
• At the bottom of the Macro page on theSQL Statement line, enterdelete * from [tablename]
• And save your Macro with a unique name
16Evaluation Code 245
Delete and Append
• Append• Open your Make-Table Query
• Select Query – Append Query
• Append Querys add records to an existing table
• Remember -- If you change your Pass-Through, you must re-Make your table. Append doesn’t work if the Query doesn’t match the Table
17Evaluation Code 245
Delete and Append
• By adding a second command to your Macro, you can perform your Delete and Append in one step
• Open your Delete Macro
• Add the Action OpenQuery after RunSQL
• Choose your Append Query for Query Name
• And set Data Mode to Read Only (faster)
• Save your Macro
• Insert a SetWarnings to No Action at the top
18Evaluation Code 245
Delete and Append
• Now you’ve got a single Macro that
1. Doesn’t destroy any changes you’ve made to your Table design
2. Automatically updates your table without asking any questions
3. Can be added to a Button on a Form or as an Event on a report (or even called from another Macro)
19Evaluation Code 245
The TimeStamp
• Always add a field to the end of theselect statement in your Pass-Through• Sysdate TimeStamp
• This TimeStamp field will record the date and time that your Pass-Through was last run
• Every record in your Table will have the same TimeStamp (even if it takes a while to run)
• Use an Append Query, and keep a history
• Valuable for statistical analysis!
20Evaluation Code 245
Easy Access to Object:Access
• Problem:Oracle SQLNet (or Net8) isn’t set up on every workstation because we use web-enabled Banner
• Problem:I like Object:Access, but it’s just too slow
• Problem:The Banner and Network administrators don’t like me running reports during the day…
21Evaluation Code 245
Easy Access to Object:Access
• Solution:Create a simple Data Warehouse!
• Create a Pass-Through Make Table that creates an unrestricted copy of Object:Access output
Select * from as_student_data
Where term_code_key = ‘200220’
• And don’t forget the Manditory Conditions, like Term Code Key…
22Evaluation Code 245
Easy Access to Object:Access
• Create a Macro to Delete and Append
• Put this new database in a shared directory on a Windows server (that has ODBC set up)
• Use the windows Task Scheduler to start this process daily (after hours) with the command line qualifier “/x MacroName”
• Use a LINK to this database from your workstation, and you have a simple warehouse!
23Evaluation Code 245
Final Comments
• Use Macros!
• You can write entire applications without programming a single line of Visual Basic
• Learn more SQL!
• An understanding of SQL gives you an understanding of the inner workings of Oracle and Banner
• And you’ll write better reports!
24Evaluation Code 245
Final Comments
• MS Access is a very broad, powerful application
• But it’s quirky…
• If a technique doesn’t work, try something similar
• Maybe you’re running into a quirk…
• And PLAY with Access!
• Mess around! Try new things! Use techniques you haven’t used before! Get an Access book!
25Evaluation Code 245
Questions?
• Questions and (hopefully!) Answers…
• Would you like to see something demonstrated?
• Any Tips or Tricks you'd like to share?
• Suggesting a topic for next year?
26Evaluation Code 245
Thank You!
Dan DeBower
ddebower@sct.com
Please fill out the Evaluation Form
Evaluation Code 245
Check out the MS Access Reporting (BOF) session
Wed, 10:00am – 11:30am in Marquis NW (M)
top related