Database Life Cycle - Database Development and Data Management

Xcase is a complete database development tool and covers data managment as well by allowing you to manage physical data:

• Automatically Port Data (convert from SQL to Oracle, Foxpro to MySQL, SQL Server to Firebird etc.)
• Automatically Validate Physical Data
• View and Edit Data

Automatically Port Data (Professional Edition)

Move from one database to another by changing the target database of a model:

• Xcase creates a new model for a new target database based on an a model previously created for another database, automatically executing at model level all of the necessary transformations such as translating data types.
• Xcase automatically recreates the data for the new target database based on the existing data from the original database.

Automatically Validate Physical Data

• Check that data in your database conforms to the constraints defined in your model
• Check relations to verify:
  • That there are no orphan records
  • That there are children for a relation defined as "0 Not allowed"
  • That only one child exists in a 1-to-1 relation
• Check uniqueness to verify that keys in the database are unique for primary keys, alternate keys and unique indexes as defined in the model
• Check fields and records to verify
  • That fields defined as "Not Null" in the model do not contain Null values in the database
  • That enumerated type fields only contain valid values
  • That fields and records comply with the rules and constraints defined in the model
• Produce detailed reports on all the data integrity errors found
• View and edit the "faulty" data in dedicated browsers that allow you to "fix" data integrity errors

View and Edit Data

• Test Rules
• Demonstrate Model
• Input Data
• Test Model
• Prototype User Interface
• Maintain Data

Towards the end of your database development, even before creating the final application, Xcase's powerful and innovative features to view and edit data relationally allow:

• The developer to test the model, particularly the associated database related code such as triggers, constraints and views, without leaving the Xcase environment.
• The developer to more effectively demonstrate an essentially abstract and conceptual model by showing the user the physical data.
• The customer to input data before the final application has been completed so that he not only does not "waste time" waiting for the final application in order to begin inputting data, but customer satisfaction is secured by providing a working model at the early stages of development.
• The customer to test whether the design of the database has been accurately and completely structured to meet his requirements. By testing the validity of the structures and business rules, the customer may provide feedback on whether the model includes all of the fields and tables, as well as on the accuracy and suitability of the business rules.
• The customer to direct the development of the user interface by providing feedback on how he would like to organize the data on screen. Because the browsers are readily configurable, he can effortlessly arrange the data as he chooses. The customer may also determine how he wishes to access data by easily designing queries for which Xcase will automatically generate ready to use SQL code that may then be incorporated into the database by creating views or by simply integrating them into the final application as queries.
• The developer to have direct and easy access to every piece of data in the database in order to perform maintenance operations with integrity. This is a very powerful maintenance feature since, in general, data is only partially accessible in the final application.

These powerful and unique view and edit features include:

Full relational navigation within the database:

• By opening a table to view its physical data, a completely configurable browser appears listing the children on the bottom pane of the selected parent in the top pane.
• You can view all of the children for the different relations outgoing from the parent table.
• At the click of a button, you can drill down into the children on the top pane of the browser, or see the grandchildren of the original parent record on the bottom pane.

Automated editing features:

• While editing data, look-ups are automatically set for each foreign key.
• It is possible to set fields for enumeration in the Xcase Data Dictionary so that when editing a field, a drop down will appear.