3. Query and Reporting Tools

Some query tools available for Linux-based databases include:

• PgAccess

  A frontend for PostgreSQL written using Tcl/Tk

• Cognos ReportNet

• There are some SQL Mode Modules to assist those that use Emacs as their "editor of choice."

• CNET News.com - Applix offers OLAP for Linux

• Applix TM1 (OLAP System)

• gnome-db - DB Access/Front End for GNOME applications

• Conetic VAL - Visual Authoring Language

  A report writing system that integrates with Conetic C/BOOKS

• Rekall

  For KDE , this can communicate with various SQL databases, including MySQL™, PostgreSQL, Oracle, Informix.

• Rekall Revealed

  Most of Rekall is now licensed as free software under the GPL . The relevant code comprises Rekall itself, as well as drivers providing access to MySQL™ , PostgreSQL , and XBase databases.

  Rekall can be extended using Python as its scripting language.

  You may also find it at a former vendor site.

• knoda

  A database front end for KDE using the hk_classes C++ class that provides a C++-based access scheme very similar to ODBC.

• Zaval Database Front-end (JDBC + Web)

• DataVision

  DataVision is a database reporting tool similar to Crystal Reports. Reports can be viewed and printed from the application or output as HTML, LaTeX2e, XML, DocBook, or tab- or comma-separated text files. From the LaTeX2e and DocBook output files you can in turn produce PDF, text, HTML, PostScript, and more.

  Written in Java , it can access any DBMS for which a JDBC driver is available.

• Agata Report

  Agata Report is a cross-platform database reporting tool with graph generation and a query tool like Crystal Reports that allows you to get data from PostgreSQL , MySQL™ , Oracle, DB2, MS-SQL, Informix , InterBase, Sybase, or Frontbase and export that data as PostScript , plain text, HTML , XML , PDF , or spreadsheet (CSV) formats through its graphical interface.

  Implemented using PHP and GTK .

• jFreeReport

  JFreeReport is a free Java report library that requires Sun's Swing libraries, uses XML report definitions, and generates output in various forms including HTML , PDF , and as spreadsheets .

• Kexi

  A KDE application that wants to be somewhat equivalent to MS Access.

• RLib Reporting Engine

  Generate Reports in PDF, HTML, TXT, and CSV, with an XML-based report definition scheme. Licensed under either the GPL or a traditional commercial license.

• QLR Manager

  A commercial server-based report generator for use with MySQL™ and Oracle . Version 3 has added graphing. Bar, pie, line and scatter graphs are supported. It functions with most any browser, with no client code to install. Free 30 day trial available.

• GRG - GNU Report Generator

  The GRG program reads record and field information from a dBase3+ file, delimited ascii text file or a SQL query to a RDBMS and produces a report listing. The program was loosely designed to produce TeX/LaTeX formatted output, but plain ASCII text, troff, PostScript, HTML or any other kind of ASCII based output format can be produced just as easily.

  The GRG program is intended to be good at generating large bodies of text where various parts of the text are substituted with information from a database.

  • Multiple input databases

  • Support for ASCII text, dBase3+, CA-Ingres and GNU SQL Server databases

  • Sorting of database records

  • Automatic banner placement at the start of each sorted group

  • Filters using regular expressions or GRG equates

  • Five main text bodies - header, footer, record, 1st page, and Nth page

  • User defined macros and text bodies

  • User defined equations on field contents, including conditionals

  • User configurable input parsing patterns (default is like awk)

  • Include files

  • Environment variables

  • System variables

  • General purpose processing language

  • Optional GUILE support

• dbMetrix

  Last updated in about 1999...