Oracle and Open Source

DB_Browser

DB_Browser is a web interface that lets you browse database tables, search for columns containing particular content, and add new data to a database.

Created by Chris Hardie, DB_Browser was last updated in January 2001. The product, a Perl CGI script that uses the mod_perl Apache module, is definitely worth a look. It provides a good illustration of how to use Perl DBI and its various drivers to build a tool that works on various databases, including Oracle. It may provide a good starting point for building your own web-based application.

The main web site for DB_Browser is:

http://www.summersault.com/software/db_browser/

Installing DB_Browser

If you are using DB_Browser with Oracle, follow these steps:

1. Download DB_Browser from the web site mentioned earlier.

2. Edit the browse_lib.pl file for your site. At a minimum, you will need to correctly set the following variables:

   $orahome

   $dbtype

   $dbuser

   $dbpass

   $database

   In the following example, we altered the variables at the top of the browse_lib.pl file. Also make sure that the $orahome variable (which is a bit lower down in the file) is set correctly for ORACLE_HOME. Notice our default table:

   # User defined variables
   $database = "orcl";
   $dbtype = "Oracle";
   $dbuser = "scott";
   $dbpass = "tiger";
   $default_table = 'EMP';
   $compname = "Oracle and Open Source
   Technology";
   # 
   
   Oracle Home
   $orahome = '/u01/app/oracle/product/8.1.5';

3. Copy the .cgi files and browse_lib.pl to a valid /cgi-bin directory.

4. Open http://yourhost.com/cgi-bin/search.cgi ...