Release Notes

Toad^® for Oracle 13.2

Release Notes

Revised 10/17/2019

About Toad for Oracle

Toad for Oracle provides an intuitive and efficient way for database professionals of all skill and experience levels to perform their jobs with an overall improvement in workflow effectiveness and productivity. With Toad for Oracle you can:

• Understand your database environment through visual representations
• Meet deadlines easily through automation and smooth workflows
• Perform essential development and administration tasks from a single tool
• Deploy high-quality applications that meet user requirements; perform predictably and reliably in production
• Validate database code to ensure the best-possible performance and adherence to best-practice standards
• Manage and share projects, templates, scripts, and more with ease

The Toad for Oracle solutions are built for you, by you. Nearly two decades of development and feedback from various communities like Toad World have made it the most powerful and functional tool available. With an installed-base of over two million, Toad for Oracle continues to be the “de facto” standard tool for database development and administration.

Toad for Oracle resources

Toad World is a unique and valuable resource available to all Toad users. Toad World provides forums, blogs, videos, product information, Beta releases (when available), and Trial downloads for Toad products. Visit Toad World at: https://www.toadworld.com.

Two of the most-often used features of Toad World are the Forums and the Idea Pond.

• On the Idea Pond page, you can submit your ideas to improve Toad and vote for or comment on other ideas. The Toad team takes your suggestions seriously, and you may even hear back from one of our developers on the topic. We encourage all Toad users—from new to experienced—to let us know how we can improve Toad.
• On the Forum page, you can ask a question or start a discussion and view all other forums within the Toad community.

The Toad World blog pages feature a broad range of information, including topics of interest to our industry, as well as instructions from team members on how to use the latest Toad features.

The Toad for Oracle web-based training is a perfect accompaniment to your product license. This free training walks you through major product features and explains how to perform frequent tasks. You’ll also see how to utilize time-saving automation functionality. You’ll receive a certificate of completion for each course once you pass the accompanying test.

About this release

Toad for Oracle 13.2 includes component and requirement upgrades. These upgrades address security vulnerabilities previously identified in the third party component.

About Toad^® for Oracle® 2019 Editions

All commercial versions of Toad for Oracle are bundled with additional Quest products, based upon the license that you purchased. These bundles are known as Editions and include the following:

For more information about the products in your Toad for Oracle Edition and the minimum system requirements for running these products, see the Toad for Oracle 2019 Editions release notes at: https://support.quest.com/technical-documents

New Features and Enhancements

Toad for Oracle 13.2

Unit Testing

This release of Toad for Oracle includes a new feature that allows you to easily create unit tests to test your PL/SQL code. Testing PL/SQL objects, such as packages and procedures, is an integral part of the agile development process and helps ensure that your code functions as designed.

Toad's unit testing feature is built on the utPLSQL open source framework.

• A new window guides you through the process of defining a test suite containing one or more unit tests. This process creates suite and test stub code which is generated and sent to the Editor.
• In Editor, you can modify the code, add input values, edit setup and teardown subprograms, and finalize your unit tests.
• A Unit Test Manager allows you to view, access, and run existing unit tests. Test suites and unit tests are displayed in a tree view. From the Unit Test Manager, you can send tests to the Editor.
• Test and suite configuration information is stored within the tests and test suites in the form of annotations. The utPLSQL framework uses these annotations to identify and run tests.
• You can run unit tests from the Editor or from the Unit Test Manager.

• You can select one or more reports to be generated during the run. Reports fall into one of two categories:

  • Run Results — Reports on test pass/fail status.
  • Code Coverage — Reports on the percentage of tested object code covered (i.e. executed) by your tests.

  Note: Reports are available in many formats suitable for consumption by modern CI/CD and code quality systems.

Connections

Connection Toolbar Buttons

Toad now allows you to rearrange connection bar buttons by drag and drop. Right-click on Toad's toolbar and choose Customize. When the customization dialog is shown you can drag and drop any menu item or toolbutton to reposition it, including the buttons for each active connection.

Database Login Window

In the Database Login window, if you display connections in tabs (e.g., Tabbed by User), you can now filter the tabs. This is useful if you have a large number of connections.

• To filter the tabs displayed, right-click a tab and select Filter Tabs. Then enter a text string in the search box. The filter persists while the Database Login window is open.

Export Encrypted Connection Passwords

Toad now allows you to include connection passwords when exporting Toad connections. Encryption is applied to protect the passwords. A master password is used to decrypt when importing the connections from the export file.

Filter Connection Tabs

You now can easily filter tabs to display less connections in New Connection. Right-click any connection tab and select Filter Tabs.

Database and Data Management

ASM Flex Disk Groups

The Create Disk Group window now supports Oracle ASM flex disk groups. Create Disk Group is available from the ASM Manager (Database | Administer | ASM Manager).

Note: Flex disk groups are available in Oracle Database 12c Release 2 and newer.

Compare Databases

When comparing single objects (Database | Compare | Single Objects), you now have the option to compare the triggers on the table. To compare triggers, select the Options tab and then select the Include Triggers check box.

When comparing data (Database | Compare | Data), Toad now supports BLOB, CLOB, NCLOB, and XMLTYPE data types. You must have the EXECUTE privilege on the DBMS_CRYPTO package.

Note: The BLOB data type is not supported for synchronization using a sync script. You must use the Compare Data window.

Compare Schemas

Improved handling of mismatched table columns. When a table in the target schema differs from a table in the source schema by name alone, i.e. datatype, scale, precision, and column position are the same, the sync script will default to rename the column. You can override the rename and opt to drop/create the column, instead, when viewing the Difference Details.

Create Object Window Enhancements

This release includes an enhanced Create (Alter) Object window. New layout and appearance make this window easier to use while functionality remains unchanged. Review the following details:

• Each window includes a toolbar for frequently-used actions. Where applicable, buttons are now intuitive icons for easy identification.
• The tabs have been replaced by a streamlined panel on the left side where applicable categories are listed. Select a category on the left-hand side to display options on the right-hand side.
• Windows that were modal, such as the Create User window, are now modeless.
• The format follows enhancements made to other windows in Toad, such as Compare Schemas.

DBMS Auto Index

Support for Oracle's DBMS_AUTO_INDEX package has been added. This feature allows Oracle to automatically create indexes as needed to achieve optimal performance by analyzing user queries.

Note: DBMS_AUTO_INDEX is available on Oracle Database 19c, Enterprise Edition on Engineered Systems and Exadata Cloud Service, only.

Export Dataset

Use Table Name as Filename

When you export data from a data grid, the Export Dataset dialog allows you to enter a name for the export file. You can now specify whether or not to automatically create a file name based on the name of a table in the query.

• To enable this option, right-click within the File field and select Auto filename from table.

  

• When this option is disabled, the last export file name is used. The option is disabled by default.

Export to XML as Non-Encoded Data

Now when exporting data to XML, if you select an encoding method other than ANSI, certain data is not encoded. Specifically, all the characters listed in “Non-restricted characters” in Valid characters in XML will be exported as clear text instead of using the "&#nnnn;" encoding format.

Export DDL

Include Sequences Used by Triggers

When exporting DDL for a table, if you select to include triggers, you now have the option to include the sequences used by the triggers.

• In the Export DDL dialog (Database | Export | Export DDL), select the Script Options tab and then the Tables tab. After selecting Triggers on the Tables tab, select Sequences used by triggers.

Hybrid Partitioned Tables

Toad supports hybrid partitioned tables in the following areas:

• Script Generation
• Create/Alter Table windows
• Compare Schemas

Note: Hybrid partitioned tables are a new feature of Oracle Database 19c.

Schema Browser

View Objects without Segments

When viewing Tablespaces in the Schema Browser, the Objects tab now includes a new option to view objects that do not have segments. Because Oracle does not always create a segment for a new object until a row is added, these objects do not display in the Segments list. This new option allows you to display a list of objects without segments.

• In the Schema Browser, when viewing Tablespaces, select the Objects tab and then select Objects without Segments from the drop-down list.

Resetting Sequence Value

When altering a sequence (right-click, Alter) you can reset the sequence back to its start value by checking Reset and clicking OK.

Copy Table Data

XMLTYPE is now supported when copying data from one table to another. Copy Table Data is accessible from the Schema Browser's right-click menu, Data | Copy to another schema, and as an action in the Automation Designer.

Sensitive Data Awareness and Protection

Expanded Sensitive Data Detection

New rules have been added to extend sensitive data detection to common European Union personal data formats.

Copy Default Policies to Other Rules

You can configure default policies once and apply them to other rules of the same Category or Severity.

Identify Sensitive Data in Grids

When Sensitive Data Awareness is enabled, Toad identifies sensitive data columns in grids used to display table/view data and query results.

Samples of Matched Values

When viewing rules (View | Toad Options | Sensitive Data | Search Rules) all built-in rules (RuleID < 4000) display a list of sample values the rule will match.

Automation Designer

Analyze Objects Action

Updated GUI is easier to use and still fully featured.

General

Workspace Enhancements

Display the Workspaces toolbar to view the following enhancements:

• You can now rename the current saved workspace.
• Workspaces are now sorted alphabetically, by default. You can toggle this feature on or off in Options | Toolbars/Menus | Toolbars.

Migrate Tasks in the Task Scheduler

You can now easily migrate tasks scheduled to run using a previous version of Toad.

1. Select Utilities | Task Scheduler to open the Task Scheduler.
2. Tasks that are specified to run using a previous version of Toad are marked in red text. To migrate these tasks to run using your current version of Toad, right-click the task and select Migrate Tasks.

Schema Chooser Enhancement

Right-click on Toad's schema chooser control to view the following enhancement:

1. From the Users to Load sub-menu you can opt to Hide Oracle-maintained schemas on Oracle Database 12c and newer. Oracle-maintained schemas are internally managed by the database and identified by having a value of 'Y' for the ORACLE_MAINTAINED column in ALL_USERS.

Enhancements from Idea Pond

The following is a list of enhancements submitted by Toad for Oracle users through Idea Pond and implemented in this release.

The Toad for Oracle Idea Pond on Toad World is a site where you can submit your ideas to improve Toad and vote or comment on ideas submitted by other users. The Toad development team has always been driven by Toad customers, and Idea Pond makes it easy for you to tell us what changes are most important.

• To visit Idea Pond, log in to the Toad Forums at: https://forums.toadworld.com. Select the Categories tab. Then click Idea Pond in the Toad for Oracle category.

Discontinued Features

Knowledge Xpert. Knowledge Xpert is no longer available on Toad World. Beginning with release 13.1, Toad components no longer reference the online Knowledge Xpert.

Ask a Question. The Go to Toad World and Ask a Question commands on the Toad World toolbar have been replaced. To ask a question, click the Forums toolbar button to go directly to the forum. To go to Toad World, click the Forums or the Browse Blogs toolbar buttons. You can also use the Help menu: Help | Toad World | Forums. This change is found in Toad for Oracle 13.1 or later.

Integration with Toad Intelligence Central. Beginning with Toad for Oracle 13.1, Toad no longer provides integration with Toad Intelligence Central. The Toad Intelligence Central window is not available and you cannot publish scripts, files, Code Analysis results, and other resources to a Toad Intelligence Central server using Toad for Oracle. You cannot connect to Toad Intelligence Central through Toad for Oracle.