batoush
asked on
Documentation & Analysis Tool
Hi all,
I'm taking over several Access huge databases (mdb files) which i'll be migrating to SQL Server. I'm wondering if anyone would know of a tool out there that will analyze a database in such a way that given a query name for example, it will list the objects that uses it. the more details the better obviously. such as :
1- Recordsource of Form1
2- Rowsource of combo1 on Form2
3- In the code of Module1
... Etc.
Does such a thing even exist or am i dreaming here? any info is greatly appreciated.
Terry
I'm taking over several Access huge databases (mdb files) which i'll be migrating to SQL Server. I'm wondering if anyone would know of a tool out there that will analyze a database in such a way that given a query name for example, it will list the objects that uses it. the more details the better obviously. such as :
1- Recordsource of Form1
2- Rowsource of combo1 on Form2
3- In the code of Module1
... Etc.
Does such a thing even exist or am i dreaming here? any info is greatly appreciated.
Terry
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dbase118
Access has this partially built in with the documentor. On the Tools menu go to Analyize the Documentor. This will allow you to choose which objects and what level of detail you wish to see for them. It is a good starting point for your database documentation.
>Access has this partially built in with the documentor. It is a good starting point for your database documentation.
I disagree with this statement. The Documentor will show all database objects and it's properties, but it will not show object dependancies (i.e. where in my app is qrySomeQuery used?) in one location.
I disagree with this statement. The Documentor will show all database objects and it's properties, but it will not show object dependancies (i.e. where in my app is qrySomeQuery used?) in one location.
ASKER
thx for your prompt replies guys.
dbase118, i've used the documentor and it's not at all what i want.
jimhorn, i'm looking into the links you posted and i'll be reporting back as soon as i finish playing with the Demos. have u used any of them? if so, any recommendations or positive/negative feedback?
dbase118, i've used the documentor and it's not at all what i want.
jimhorn, i'm looking into the links you posted and i'll be reporting back as soon as i finish playing with the Demos. have u used any of them? if so, any recommendations or positive/negative feedback?
I've used F&R for six years and love it. Have used it at literally every engagement in the last four years. $39ish.
Speed Ferret has a few more bells & whistels, and goes for around $100. One of these days I'll download another trial of it to see if there's any significant benefits over F&R.
Speed Ferret has a few more bells & whistels, and goes for around $100. One of these days I'll download another trial of it to see if there's any significant benefits over F&R.
Here is the one I would have if I could get the company to cough up :-(
http://www.fmsinc.com/Products/analyzer/index.html
Peter
http://www.fmsinc.com/Products/analyzer/index.html
Peter
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LSMConsulting - Good to know.. Would you have any recommendation on Speed Ferret for SQL Server? TIA -Jim
Speed Ferret works great with SQL Server 2000, quickly finding and replacing items as needed. Works better on SQL Server than on Access, IMO. I've not tried it with any other version, but I'd assume it works as well ... the only real issue I've had with SF was the ActiveX control issue with Access. Seems when Speed Ferret encounters an ActiveX control in an Access project, it cannot process this - you have to build an "interface" to tell SF how to deal with that. In my experience, this doesn't always do the trick ... I've had projects where I built the interfaces (actually, SF includes a simple wizard that walks you through this) and re-ran my search, and still had troubles. I've contacted support about this, their standard response was "build an interface" ... of course ... still a very good program.
BTW, the best search facility I've found for Access is the one included with mztools (link in an earlier post) ... this is called from the VB window and shows you a treeview of every instance of your search string, including where it's located, etc etc, and allows you to "jump" to that location to review and edit it ...
ASKER
Ok guys, thx for all your help. This was really better than expected. I’ve been looking at all the choices since yesterday and for my needs here's what I discovered:
MZTools: awesome tool, and very accurate. Two things that I think it's missing is generating a result report & disabling search in the name and description properties. Or I might just be too picky, but it's a winner for sure.
VTools: I could never get it to work for some reason.
SPEED Ferret: It kept generating errors for a few of my searches. It might be related to the ActiveX control issue LSMConsulting brought up. It also wasn't accurate. I ran the same search in multiple programs and it rarely gave me the right amount of hits and it was slower than the others. But you do get a lot of power when it comes to customizing your searches. It would have to pass on this one for now.
Find & Replace: an excellent utility. I wish the cross-reference report was unlocked in the demo since it's the whole reason I started looking into these utilities. But from what I read about it, it seems to be what I need. And for the price, management won't complain much.
Total Access Analyzer: it's the Benz of all utilities indeed. But due to the fact >> it has one glaring problem - it doesn't search code modules for query or table names, so you really can't know exactly where a table is called via an SQL query << which is what I need, then it's of no use to me.
I guess for me this is like buying a new car. You’d never start with a German car. Well unless…
I’ll be settling on using the MZTools and try to get the “government” to pay for Find & Replace. This combination is definitely a good start. Thx for all your help guys. Very much appreciated.
Terry
MZTools: awesome tool, and very accurate. Two things that I think it's missing is generating a result report & disabling search in the name and description properties. Or I might just be too picky, but it's a winner for sure.
VTools: I could never get it to work for some reason.
SPEED Ferret: It kept generating errors for a few of my searches. It might be related to the ActiveX control issue LSMConsulting brought up. It also wasn't accurate. I ran the same search in multiple programs and it rarely gave me the right amount of hits and it was slower than the others. But you do get a lot of power when it comes to customizing your searches. It would have to pass on this one for now.
Find & Replace: an excellent utility. I wish the cross-reference report was unlocked in the demo since it's the whole reason I started looking into these utilities. But from what I read about it, it seems to be what I need. And for the price, management won't complain much.
Total Access Analyzer: it's the Benz of all utilities indeed. But due to the fact >> it has one glaring problem - it doesn't search code modules for query or table names, so you really can't know exactly where a table is called via an SQL query << which is what I need, then it's of no use to me.
I guess for me this is like buying a new car. You’d never start with a German car. Well unless…
I’ll be settling on using the MZTools and try to get the “government” to pay for Find & Replace. This combination is definitely a good start. Thx for all your help guys. Very much appreciated.
Terry