Add an easy-to-use, royalty free SQL query builder to your custom Delphi application

Query Maker for Delphi is a redistributable SQL query builder and report writer component for Delphi programmers. It empowers your end users to build their own ad-hoc queries and reports without needing to understand your database design or table relationships.

Users Use the Language they Know Best, English

While Query Maker generates and executes SQL code, your user will never see it. Instead, they describe their query by selecting plain English terms. Query Maker shows long field descriptions instead of actual field names, operators spelled out (e.g. “greater than”) rather than mathematical symbols (e.g. “>”) and field code descriptions (e.g. “California”) rather than actual codes (“CA”).

Employing a “wizard” like approach, your users are guided through the tasks of building a record filter, selecting output table columns, picking ascending and descending sort orders, as well as picking fields to group and summarize by.

What Can be Queried?

Query Maker can query any database accessible by the Borland Database Engine (Paradox, dBASE or SQL Server such as Microsoft, Oracle, Interbase, etc.). If you are using another database engine that can interpret ANSI standard SQL, Query Maker can generate that and just pass it back to your application to be in turn directly passed into your engine. If your database engine has unusual SQL requirements, let us know what they are and if possible, the developer will add the ability to generate this alternate SQL code for you at no additional charge.

What Does Query Maker Output?

When your user runs a query, Query Maker constructs an SQL SELECT statement designed to capture the information your user specified. Query Maker can pass this statement back to your application or can execute it through the Borland Database Engine. If you let Query Maker execute the SQL, your user will be able to browse through the found records in a searchable grid. Query Maker can also pass back to your application a dataset that can be used with any report writer that works with Delphi datasets.

If you get Query Maker's optional report writer component, your user will also have the option of outputting found records by:

• Generating a report:
  
  • Column layout
  • Form layout
  • Summary/Detail banded
• Writing a database table (Paradox or dBASE).
• Writing an ASCII text file (Fixed with or comma delimited)

What You Get with Query Maker

Query Maker comes to you as a Delphi component written in 100% Delphi. You also get its complete source code including all *.PAS and *.DFM files. You can include it royalty free in your Delphi 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 applications.

Does not require user to know which fields are in what table

From your user's perspective, Query Maker is field, not table oriented. That is, when building a query, the user browses through a master field list that can contain fields from multiple tables. Unless you include the table name in the field description, the user will not know nor does not need to know that the fields they see come from different tables. This is based on the developer’s finding that most users are far more interested in asking questions about data stored in database fields, than in how these database fields are grouped together into tables.

Build Multi-File Queries with Intelligent Joining:

Query Maker can easily make multiple table queries based on table join information you store in its data dictionary. A smart table join method automatically builds a join condition to link the tables whose fields were selected by your user.

Ask at Run-Time Filter Conditions:

If your user selects a query and runs it, but the query's record filter is missing one or more comparison values, your user will be prompted to fill in the missing values in a popup dialog. This eliminates the need to continually re-edit a query before running it to supply values that are likely to change with each use. For example, date ranges.

A Fool-Proof Interface:

Extensive use of safeguards prevent your user from building a query that crashes or contains a syntax error. For example:

• Users can only pick fields from tables that can be joined together.
• Parenthesis validation ensures that the parentheses will always remain in matching balance, even while the user is adding, deleting or moving filter conditions.
• Validation picklists can be used to prevent a user from entering invalid comparison values.

Memo Fields Are Fully Supported

If your database to be queried contains memo fields, Query Maker can both filter on them and output them in reports. The user can filter on whether the memos contain or do not contain specific words or phrases. They can also indicate if this evaluation should match UPPER/lower or not and whether the memo should begin with a particular set of characters or if the characters can occur anywhere in the memo. The report writer module will word wrap and print the memos even if they span multiple pages.

Distribute Royalty-Free

You are given permission to insert the Query Maker source code into your own application that you compile for resale to others. As long as this software remains embedded in your non-competing compiled application, you may distribute and sell as many copies as you like.

Completely Customizable — Includes Full Source Code

Query Maker includes commented, easy to modify source code written in 100% Delphi. The code will compile in either Delphi 1.0, 2.0 or 3.0. No .DLL files or run time files are required other than the Borland Database Engine.

User Interface for Creating Queries
Driven by a Data Dictionary
Database Storage Enables Quick Access to Prior Queries
Easy to Integrate and Call
Disabling the User Interface
Look at Data Dictionary

A version is also available for FoxPro/Visual FoxPro

Prices include full source code and a royalty-free license.