ProductsDatabaseSpyCharting SQL Query Results

A colorful, eye-catching chart is much more vivid and communicates meaning more effectively than a table of numeric data. DatabaseSpy® 2012 is a SQL charts tool that provides a wide variety of charting features to graphically represent SQL query results.

You can choose from the following chart types to provide the most appropriate representation of various data sets:

• Line charts
• 2-D and 3-D Pie charts
• 2-D and 3-D Bar charts
• Round gauge and bar gauge charts

DatabaseSpy SQL Charts Tool Supported Databases

DatabaseSpy® 2012 supports multiple database types and can generate charts from the results of SQL queries to the following databases:

• Microsoft® SQL Server® 2000, 2005, 2008
• IBM DB2® 8, 9
• IBM DB2 for iSeries® v5.4, 6.1
• Oracle® 9i, 10g, 11g
• Sybase® 12
• MySQL® 4, 5
• PostgreSQL 8
• Microsoft Access™ 2003, 2007

 Click here to download a fully functional, free 30-day trial of Altova® DatabaseSpy® 2012!

Charting SQL Query Results

A link in the Altova DatabaseSpy® 2012 SQL Editor Results window toolbar opens the Chart Selection dialog to initiate data charting.

Click the chart tool icon to open the Select columns dialog, where you can specify which column of your Results table should be used for the X-axis. You can also change the order of value columns, or even leave a results column uncharted. This feature lets you generate multiple charts for subsets of data from a single query including many table columns.

After you select which columns to chart, your data is plotted using the default chart type and settings in a new Charts window. Like other DatabaseSpy helper windows, the Charts window can be unpinned, moved, and resized, as a floating window. The Charts window has nine tabs that allow you to specify properties of nine different charts you can assign to different query results.

The Change Type dialog gives you instant access to other chart styles.

Within each chart type, sub-menus let you specify all the details of the chart appearance. Numerous customization options are available for each chart type, including chart titles, foreground and background colors, definition of axis ranges and labels, control of fonts, text colors and sizes, and more.

You can also save and reload customized chart settings in files. This feature lets you store standardized chart styles and reuse them with multiple query results.

The screenshot below shows a few of the settings for the line chart at the top of this page, which illustrates the same temperature and humidity data shown in the SQL query screenshot.

The screenshot below shows a bar chart reporting total sales for the year to date by sales territory. This is a typical example of a chart style you might want to reuse in reports that are updated weekly or monthly with the latest sales data.

Multiple Charts from a Single SQL Query Results Table

You can generate multiple charts from the same SQL query by selecting different columns of data in the Results table. The SQL query in the screenshot below returns the population and land area of the boroughs that make up New York City:

You can choose any tab in the Charts window, then assign data for that chart by clicking the Select Data menu option in the Charts window menu bar.

Here are examples of a 2-D pie chart and a 3-D pie chart generated individually from the population and square miles data columns of the Results table:

DatabaseSpy 2011 lets you change the chart colors by selecting an alternate palette or any custom colors you like.

Gauge Charts from a Single Value or Calculated Results

Gauge charts are used to illustrate a single value and show its relation to a minimum and a maximum value. For a round gauge chart, you can specify the beginning and ending values of the range, and the starting and ending locations on the gauge.

Of course you may also select the background color, border color, needle color, text font, color, and size for gauge charts, and more.

You can generate DatabaseSpy® 2012 charts based on relational data, or on calculations performed in SQL statements. Gauge charts are a good fit for illustrating a single calculated value. The screenshot below shows a percent of quota calculation in a DatabaseSpy® 2012 SQL Editor window, based on a table of stored daily sales and sales quota data.

The calculated value is more dramatic when represented in a DatabaseSpy® 2012 bar gauge chart, where you can choose multiple bar background colors and set their ranges based on ranges within the axis, as shown below.

Export Charts for Reports

You can export DatabaseSpy® 2012 charts to image files in .png, .bmp, .gif, or .jpg files in customized sizes, independent of the size of the chart window on your screen. Use these exported charts to create eye-catching visual elements in reports of all types.

DatabaseSpy® 2012 Advanced Charting capabilities provide even more functionality than the features described here, including:

• Stacked Bar charts
• Area charts
• Stacked Area charts
• Candlestick charts
• Chart overlays
• Background images & color gradients
• Ability to change position of axis labels

To learn more, visit the DatabaseSpy® 2012 Advanced SQL Charting page!

Whether you are a developer, business analyst, research professional, or other database user, DatabaseSpy® 2012 can generate elegant charts from SQL query results to illustrate your data reports – download a free 30-day trial today!