11. PostgreSQL Management Tools

11.1 PGACCESS - A GUI Tool for PostgreSQL Management

PgAccess is a Tcl/Tk interface to PostgreSQL. It is already included in the distribution of PostgreSQL. You may want to check out this web site for a newer copy

• http://www.flex.ro/pgaccess
• If you have any comment, suggestion for improvements, e-mail to : teo@flex.ro

# man xhost
# xhost +
# su - postgres
bash$ man pgaccess
bash$ export DISPLAY=<hostname>:0.0
bash$ pgaccess mydatabase

Features of PgAccess

PgAccess windows - Main window, Table builder, Table(query) view, Visual query builder.

Tables

• opening tables for viewing, max 200 records (changed by preferences menu)
• column resizing, dragging the vertical grid line (better in table space rather than in the table header)
• text wrap in cells - layout saved for every table
• import/export to external files (SDF,CSV)
• filter capabilities (enter filter like (price>3.14)
• sort order capabilities (enter manually the sort field(s))
• editing in place
• improved table generator assistant
• improved field editing

Queries

• define , edit and stores "user defined queries"
• store queries as views
• execution of queries
• viewing of select type queries result
• query deleting and renaming
• Visual query builder with drag & drop capabilities. For any of you who had installed the Tcl/Tk plugin for Netscape Navigator, you can see it at work clicking here

Sequences

• defines sequences, delete them and inspect them Functions
• define, inspect and delete functions in SQL language

Future implementation will have

• table design (add new fields, renaming, etc.)
• function definition
• report generator
• basic scripting

INFORMATION ABOUT LIBGTCL

You will need the PostgreSQL to Tcl interface library libgtcl, lined as a Tcl/Tk 'load'-able module. The libpgtcl and the source is located in the PostgreSQL directory /src/interfaces/libpgtcl. Specifically, you will need a libpgtcl library that is 'load'-able from Tcl/Tk. This is technically different from an ordinary PostgreSQL loadable object file, because libpgtcl is a collection of object files. Under Linux, this is called libpgtcl.so. You can download from the above site a version already compiled for Linux i386 systems. Just copy libpgtcl.so into your system library director (/usr/lib). One of the solutions is to remove from the source the line containing load libpgtcl.so and to load pgaccess.tcl not with wish, but with pgwish (or wishpg) that wish that was linked with libpgtcl library.

If you get crypt not found during compilation pgaccess source tree then use -lcrypt.

11.2 Windows Interactive Query Tool for PostgreSQL (WISQL or MPSQL)

MPSQL provides users with a graphical SQL interface to PostgresSQL. MPSQL is similar to Oracle's SQL Worksheet and Microsoft SQL Server's query tool WISQL. It has nice GUI and has history of commands. Also you can cut and paste and it has other nice features to improve your productivity.

• http://www.troubador.com/~keidav/index.html
• Email: keidav@whidbey.com
• http://www.ucolick.org/~de/ in file tcl_syb/wisql.html
• http://www.troubador.com/~keidav/index.html
• Email: de@ucolick.org

11.3 Interactive Query Tool (ISQL) for PostgreSQL called PSQL

ISQL is for character command line terminals. This is included in the distribution, and is called "psql". Very similar to Sybase ISQL, Oracle SQLplus. At unix prompt give command 'psql' which will put you in psql> prompt.

bash# su - postgres
bash$ man psql
bash$ psql mydatabase
Type \h to see help of commands.

11.4 MPMGR - A Database Management Tool for PostgresSQL

MPMGR will provide a graphical management interface for PostgresSQL. You can find it at

• http://www.mutinybaysoftware.com/
• Email: keidav@mutinybaysoftware.com
• http://www.troubador.com/~keidav/index.html
• Email: keidav@whidbey.com
• http://www.ucolick.org/~de in file tcl_syb/wisql.html
• WISQL for PostgreSQL http://www.ucolick.org/~de/Tcl/pictures
• Email: de@ucolick.org