PL/SQL Developer is an Integrated Development Environment that is specifically targeted at the development of stored program units for Oracle Databases. Over time we have seen more and more business logic and application logic move into the Oracle Server, so that PL/SQL programming has become a significant part of the total development process. PL/SQL Developer focuses on ease of use, code quality and productivity, key advantages during Oracle application development.

The following are major features of PL/SQL Developer
Powerful PL/SQL Editor
With its Syntax Highlighting, SQL and PL/SQL help, Object Descriptions, Code Assistant, Compiler Hints, Refactoring, PL/SQL Beautifier, Code Contents, Code Hierarchy, Code Folding, Hyperlink Navigation, Macro Library and many other sophisticated features, the Unicode compliant editor will even appeal to the most demanding user. Information is automatically presented to you when you need it, or is at most one click away.

Integrated Debugger
The integrated debugger offers all features you could wish for: Step In, Step Over, Step Out, Run Until Exception, Breakpoints, View & Set Variables, View Call Stack, and so on. You can debug any program unit without making any modification to it, including triggers and object types.

PL/SQL Beautifier
The PL/SQL Beautifier allows you to format your SQL and PL/SQL code through a user-defined set of rules. Your code can automatically be beautified when you compile, save, or open a file. This feature will increase your coding productivity and will improve the readability of your PL/SQL code if you are working in large project teams.

SQL Window
The SQL Window allows you to enter any SQL statement or multiple statements and view or edit the results in a grid. The result grid supports a Query By Example mode to search specific records in a result set. You can easily recall previously executed SQL statements from a history buffer. The SQL editor provides the same powerful features as the PL/SQL Editor.

Command Window
To develop and execute SQL scripts you can use PL/SQL Developer's Command Window. This window has the same look and feel as SQL*Plus, and additionally has a built-in script editor with corresponding syntax highlighting. Now you can develop your scripts without the "edit script / save it / switch to SQL*Plus / run script" cycle, and without leaving the comfortable PL/SQL Developer IDE.

Reports
To run reports against your application data or against the Oracle dictionary, you can use PL/SQL Developer's built-in Report functionality. There are a number of standard reports, and you can easily create your own custom reports. These custom reports can be saved in a report file, which can in turn be included in the reports menu. This makes it very easy to run your own frequently used custom reports.

Diagrams
The Diagram Window allows you to create a graphical representation of a selection of objects. This way you can easily visualize (a part of) the database objects of your application or project and their relations. A diagram can be used for documentation purposes, but can also serve as a workspace. Right-clicking on an object provides access to all object functions, and double-clicking on an object will invoke the default action for the object type.

Projects
To organize your work you can use PL/SQL Developer's built-in project concept. A project consists of a collection of source files, database objects, notes, and options. It allows you to work within the scope of a specific set of items, instead of a complete database or schema. This makes it easy to find the project items you need, to compile all project items, or to move a project from one location or database to another.

Regression Testing
For regression testing you can use PL/SQL Developer's built-in Test Manager. You can define and run a Test Set, and quickly determine if all tests run correctly. In case of an error, the Test Manager can launch the Debugger to investigate the cause of the error. You can run Test Sets from the Command Window for automated regression testing.

To-Do Items
You can use To-Do Items in any SQL or PL/SQL source file to make a quick note that something needs to be done in this source file. You can access this information later from the To-Do List, either at the object level or at the project level.
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