 | Level: Introductory Gilles Roux (groux@us.ibm.com), Information Management Software Engineer, IBM
22 Sep 2005 The Cloudscape Workbench is a tool for connecting to Derby and DB2 databases, and performing common tasks such as browsing schemas, altering database objects, and working with SQL scripts and table data. This tool also enables easy migration from a Derby database to a DB2 database. The Cloudscape Workbench is powered by Eclipse technology, and is available both as a stand-alone application (for Windows and Linux) and as a set of Eclipse plug-ins. Eclipse is an award-winning, open source platform for the construction of powerful software development tools and rich desktop applications.
Functionality
With the Cloudscape Workbench, you can:
- Connect simultaneously to Derby and DB2 databases.
- Browse the database schemas in a hierarchical view.
- Create new database objects using SQL templates.
- Alter existing objects by editing their DDL (Data Definition Language).
- Drop objects.
- Generate DDL scripts for all or part of a database.
- Edit SQL scripts with a dedicated editor featuring syntax highlighting and content assist.
- Extract and Load data from tables to local files.
- View and edit the data stored in tables.
- Migrate Derby databases to DB2.
The Cloudscape Workbench allows you to connect to the following databases:
- Derby 10.1, using the embedded driver, the Derby Client, or the DB2 Universal driver
- Derby 10.0, using the embedded driver or the DB2 Universal driver
- DB2 UDB 8.1 and 8.2 for Linux®, UNIX®, and Windows®, using the DB2 Universal driver
Download and install
The tool is available in two different forms:
- IBM Cloudscape Workbench: a stand-alone application for Windows and Linux, based on Eclipse technology.
- IBM Cloudscape Workbench Plug-ins: A set of plug-ins that you can install and use with other Eclipse 3.1 based offerings.
The two versions of the tool require a Java Runtime Environment (JRE) version 1.4 or higher:
- IBM JRE version 1.4.x or higher
- Sun JRE version 1.4.x or higher
IBM Cloudscape Workbench does not include the Derby database. If you do not already have a Derby database on your system, install one of the following:
- Apache Derby V10.1
- IBM Cloudscape V10.1 (includes the DB2 Universal driver)
IBM Cloudscape Workbench (stand-alone version)
Download the IBM Cloudscape Workbench (for Windows or Linux), and unzip the file in the directory of your choice.
To start the Cloudscape Workbench, execute csworkbench.exe (on Windows) or csworkbench (on Linux).
IBM Cloudscape Workbench Plug-ins (plug-ins version)
The IBM Cloudscape Workbench Plug-ins require an Eclipse 3.1 platform with the Web Tools Platform (WTP) plug-ins. (The Cloudscape Workbench
Plug-ins do not work with Eclipse 3.2) You can either:
- Download and install the various components yourself. This can be a long process because WTP itself depends on many other plug-ins.
- Download and install WTP-All in one, which is an Eclipse 3.1 platform, preconfigured with all the components you need. For more information, see the Resources section.
Once your Eclipse platform is installed, download the IBM Cloudscape Workbench Plug-ins, and unzip the plugins directory in the top-level folder of your Eclipse platform.
You can then launch Eclipse, and connect to your databases using the Database Explorer view.
First steps
When you first start the Cloudscape Workbench (stand-alone version), you see the following components:
- Database Explorer view: to connect to and browse databases
- Navigator view: to manage SQL scripts or data files on your local system
- Data Output view: to view the results of the actions performed on the database
- Editor area: to edit SQL scripts or table data
The IBM Cloudscape Workbench main window
Start by familiarizing yourself with the Cloudscape Workbench integrated help, accessible through the Help menu.
Connect to a Derby database:
- In the Database Explorer, click the New Connection button.
- In the wizard, select Derby and the appropriate version.
- In the drop-down combo box, select the appropriate JDBC driver (such as the Embedded driver).
- Indicate the location of your database, the location of the JDBC driver, and other connection parameters.
- Click OK.
Work with your database connection:
- In the Database Explorer, expand the node that corresponds to your new connection.
- Browse the content of the database by exploring the tree structure.
- Right-click any object to see the actions that you can perform. Some actions will be executed right away, while others will launch an editor or a wizard.
- In the Data Output view, see the results of the actions performed against the database.
Downloads | Description | Name | Size | Download method |
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| IBM Cloudscape Workbench (for Windows) 1.0 Beta | csworkbench_windows_1.0.zip | 22 Mb | HTTP |
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| IBM Cloudscape Workbench (for Linux) 1.0 Beta | csworkbench_linux_1.0.zip | 22 Mb | HTTP |
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| IBM Cloudscape Workbench Plug-ins 1.0 Beta | csworkbench_plugins_1.0.zip | 2 Mb | HTTP |
|---|
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About the author | 
| | Gilles Roux is an Information Management software engineer in the IBM DB2 organization. Gilles works on database tooling, with a focus on Derby, DB2, migration technologies, and the Eclipse platform. |
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