Q: How do I retrieve/reset my password?

If you're having any problems logging in and suspect you have forgotten your password:

1. Go to the login page at www.sqlpower.ca/page/login
2. Click the 'Forgot your password?' link
3. In the 'Email' field, enter the email address of your account
4. Double check it: is that the correct email address?
5. Click the 'Enter email & click here to reset password' button
6. Check your email for a new password from SQL Power

If you don't receive an email from SQL Power...

1. Check your 'Junk' or 'Spam' folder
2. If you still don't have an email from SQL Power, you have entered an incorrent/invalid email address somewhere in the process. Please create a new account with the correct email address.

Q: Why doesn't the registration form work?

If you're having any problems with the Registration Form, make sure your browser has Javascript enabled and try again.

Q: Why can't I log-in? When I try to register to download, I keep getting forwarded in a loop...

Your browser must have cookies enabled to recognize that you have registered.

Q: Why won't it download?

If you're having trouble downloading SQL Power Open Source Software, here are the more common reasons and solutions:

• Cookies not enabled
  For apps which require registration before download, your browser must have cookies enabled to recognize that you have registered.

• File HAS downloaded, but you haven't found it
  Have you checked your browser's default download location? Maybe it DID download after all!
• The file downloads, but won't open
  All SQL Power downloads are tested before release, so if your download seems to be "corrupt", just try again.
• When all else fails...
  If you still can't get any of our Open Source apps to download, you can always download a copy from Google Code:
  SQL Power Architect: http://code.google.com/p/power-architect
  SQL Power DQguru: http://code.google.com/p/power-matchmaker
  SQL Power Wabit: http://code.google.com/p/wabit

Q: Why do I have to pay for a User Guide if the software is 'Free'?

We're still trying to find the best balance between "keeping the product financially viable" and "keeping the product open source and readily accessible". We have received mixed feedback on this approach, but we currently feel that keeping the "free download" option with optional user guide purchase is a good way to let people get a feel for the product at no cost.

Q: I'm on Linux and my application doesn't start!

A: Make sure you're using Sun JRE/JDK 6, not Gcj+classpath.

Q: What versions of Java are supported?

A: Our products are tested and supported on Java JDK/SDK 1.6.

Q: How do I connect to my database?

To create a new database connection:

1. Open the file menu and select 'Database Connection Manager...'
2. Click the Add... button, and then select 'Database connection...'
   
   

   In this field...	...do this.
   Connection Name	Enter a unique name for the database connection.
   Database Type	Select the database platform you want to connect to. Note: This list contains the database types you previously defined. For more information, see the section called 'How do I set up database types'.
   Connect Options and JDBC URL	Enter the connection options for the database driver. (Theses options are based on the database type you select.) If you are using one of the fully-supported drivers, the connection option parameters are added into the JDBC URL field in the order that the Java driver expects to see them (this string is sometimes called a "db URL" in Java terminology). In the following example: The default port number from the database type has been entered automatically in the Connect Options. Note: You would not usually change a default value unless the database server you're connecting to has been configured to use a different value. The hostname and database name have been entered manually in the Connect Options.
   Username and Password	If necessary, enter the username and password to connect to the database.

   
   
3. Click OK. The new connection is added to the list of available connections.

Q: How do I connect to SQL Server with my Windows credentials?

Follow these steps to enable connecting to a SQL Server with your Windows domain credentials.

1. Copy the file named 'sqljdbc_auth.dll' which comes with the Microsoft JDBC driver to the Windows system directory.
2. Create a new database type and call it something like 'SQL Server Domain Security'.
3. Use the following JDBC URL template:

   jdbc:sqlserver://<Hostname>:<Port:1433>;integratedSecurity=true;

   Notice the added 'integratedSecurity=true' part.
4. Create a new database connection using the newly defined type.

Q: How do I set up database types?

A: You must define general settings for the database platforms you plan to work with (such as SQL Server, MySQL, Oracle, DB2, etc.). These settings will be used by our products when you set up a connection to a specific database server. The most common database types are predefined by default. If you plan to work with one of these database platforms, all you need to do is define the location of the JDBC driver. For more information, see How do I add JDBC drivers.

Keep in mind that at this point you are configuring general settings only and are not connecting to a specific database. For more information on connecting to a database, see How do I connect to my database.

To add a new database type:

1. Go to the Database Connection Manager, which is embedded in all of our products.
2. Click the 'JDBC Drivers...' button
3. Click '+' below the list of database types.
4. Enter the following information on the General tab:
   
   

   In this field...	...enter the following information.
   Name	Name for the database type (for example, PostgreSQL or SQL Server).
   Driver Class	Java class name of the driver. This is the driver class within the JDBC driver JAR file that will be used for database connections.
   Connection String Template	General format of the JDBC URL for the database platform. Important: You are not creating a connection for a specific database - you are entering a generic connection string that applies to the database platform. Later on, when you set up a connection to a specific database, the Database Connection Manager will use this template to create the URL to connect to the database. The connection string template must conform to a specific pattern that includes literals and variables. Literals are entered like normal text but may not contain angle brackets (< or >), which are reserved for defining variables. As the name implies, literals appear in the URL in the same position and way they appear in the template. Variables are used for values that change often, such as the schema or database name you wish to connect to. To define a variable in the template, use the format <variable_name:default_value> (to include a default value) or <variable_name> (if you don't want to include a default value). If you use a default value. it is entered automatically when you create a database connection. You can modify the value if the database you are connecting to is configured to use a different value. Each variable you define is shown below the Connection String Template field. This provides you with a preview of the values you will be able to modify when creating a database connection. For example, the connection string template to connect to a Microsoft SQL Server database might look like this: jdbc:sqlserver://<Hostname>:<Port:1433> When you create a connection to a specific SQL Server database, the Database Connection Manager will use this template to create the connection URL. In this example, the template will create the URL 'jdbc:sqlserver://:1433', where 1433 is the default port value. Since SQL Server databases listen to port 1433 by default, it makes sense to include this value in the template. When you're creating the actual database connection, you can change the port value if the database you're connecting to is configured differently.

   
   
5. Next, you must define the location of the JDBC driver for the database type. For more information, see How do I add JDBC drivers.
6. Click OK.

Q: How do I add JDBC drivers?

Unlike most applications, which need a distinct driver program to communicate with each type of database, our products use Java-based drivers. These drivers normally come from the database vendor in the form of JAR (Java Archive) files. JAR files are an extension to the file format used by PKZip/WinZip archives.

Most database platforms provide drivers that are fully backward compatible. This means that it is best to use the newest driver available, regardless of the software version on the specific database server you intend to connect to. One exception to this is the Oracle database. It is important to match the major version number of your JDBC driver with the major version number of the Oracle database server you connect to. For example, if you are connecting to an Oracle 10g database, use the latest Oracle 10g driver. If you are connecting to an Oracle 9i database, use the Oracle 9i driver.

To define the JDBC driver for a database type:

• If you do not have the JDBC driver for a specific database platform, you can usually obtain one from the database vendor. (For example, you can find Oracle JDBC Drivers on the Oracle site.) If that fails, you can find a directory of databases drivers on Sun's web site. There is also a permanent thread in the SQL Power Architect user support forum, where you can share information with other SQL Power tool users about finding and configuring drivers for a particular database platform.
• Decide on a permanent location to store your JDBC drivers. A good strategy is to create a JDBC folder under your Documents folder and collect all of you JDBC driver files there.
• Save the JDBC driver (it will usually be one or more JAR files) in the location you've chosen.
• Go to the Database Connection Manager, which is embeded in all of our products.
• Click on the 'JDBC Drivers...' button.
• On the 'JDBC Drivers' window, select a database type.
• Click 'Add JAR'.
• Locate the JAR file and click 'Open'. If there is a valid driver class in the JAR file, a file tree will appear showing the JDBC driver classes within the JAR file.
• Select the driver you want to use by selecting it from the list.
• Click OK.

Q: How do I use a SQL Power product from behind an HTTP proxy?

A: You can use Java's built in proxy support. To do this, you have to set a few system properties:

-Dhttp.proxyHost=myproxyserver.com -Dhttp.proxyPort=80

How you accomplish this depends on which operating system you're using (Windows, OS X, or some form of Unix).

Please note: for clarity, the following examples refer to SQL Power Wabit, but the instructions will work for all of our apps. If you are not using SQL Power Wabit, just substitute the name of the app you're using.

Windows

On Windows, you can provide additional command-line parameters in a file called appname.l4j.ini. To do so, follow these steps:

1. In Windows Explorer, locate the application's .exe file
   (for example, C:Program FilesWabitwabit.exe)
2. In the application's folder, create a new text file called wabit.l4j.ini. An easy way to accomplish this is to right-click on the folder window's background, the select New > Text Document from the popup menu.
   Note: if you are using SQL Power Architect, call the file architect.l4j.ini; for DQguru, call the file dqguru.l4j.ini
3. Open the newly-created file in Notepad
4. Paste the following contents into the file, and edit the settings as necessary for your environment:
   
   # SQL Power Wabit runtime configuration
   -Dhttp.proxyHost=myproxyserver.com
   -Dhttp.proxyPort=80
   
   
5. Save the file, then relaunch Wabit.

Mac OS X

On Mac, you will need to edit the application's info.plist file. To do so, follow these steps:

1. In the Finder, locate the application's icon
   (for example, /Applications/SQL Power Wabit.app.)
2. While holding down the Ctrl key, click the application's icon.
3. Select "Show Package Contents" from the popup menu. A new finder window will appear.
4. In the new finder window, open the Contents folder.
5. Open the Info.plist file in TextEdit. (Once TextEdit is running, you can do this by dragging the Info.plist file onto the TextEdit icon in the dock.)
6. Locate the following lines near the bottom of the file:
   
   <key>VMOptions</key>
   <string>-Xmx600m</string>
   
   
7. Change them to:
   
   <key>VMOptions</key>
   <array>
     <string>-Xmx600m</string>
     <string>-Dhttp.proxyHost=myproxyserver.com</string>
     <string>-Dhttp.proxyPort=80</string>
   </array>
   
   
8. Save the file and re-launch the application.

Linux and other Unix-like Platforms

If you are using the Unix distribution, simply include the appropriate command-line parameters when launching the application. For example:

prompt% java -Xmx600m -Dhttp.proxyHost=myproxyserver.com -Dhttp.proxyPort=80 -jar wabit.jar

Q: Where can I find the source code for SQL Power's open-source projects?

A: The source code for all of our open source projects are hosted on Google Code. You will need to use Subversion to access the source code repositories.

Instructions for how to checkout the source code are available at each of the project's Google Code page:

SQL Power Architect:
http://code.google.com/p/power-architect/source/checkout

SQL Power DQguru:
http://code.google.com/p/power-matchmaker/source/checkout

SQL Power Wabit:
http://code.google.com/p/wabit/source/checkout

But before you try to compile it, make sure you read this tip about JDK 5.

Q: Why won't the code compile?

A: All SQL Power Community Edition projects include valid Eclipse project configurations and Apache Ant build.xml scripts. After checking out the code for the first time, Eclipse will complain about some missing Java source files. These sources need to be generated by the Ant build using apt, the Annotation Processing Tool. Executing the default Ant target and then refreshing the Eclipse workspace should be enough to get the whole project to compile without any errors.

Note: All our products now compile and run on Java 6 or newer. If you had been developing in any of our code bases prior to July 2010, you would have been compiling against Java 5.

Q: Can I use the Free Version of your software in a training class for my students or co-workers?

A: SQL Power Open Source Software is licensed under GPL version 3. In short, you are allowed to download, install and use our software on as many computers as you need, without having to pay any licensing fees.

Q: How do I report bugs?

A: Each project has its own bug tracking system. These bug databases are open to the public and anyone can go and report issues with our products. To obtain the list of our products and their respective bug tracking database, please visit the Community home page.

Q: How can I contact the developers of these projects if I have questions?

Q: How do I make enhancement requests?

A: SQL Power Developers communicate with the developer community using Google Groups. You can contact us at the following Google Groups for each project:

SQL Power Architect Developers:
http://groups.google.com/group/architect-developers

SQL Power DQguru Developers:
http://groups.google.com/group/matchmaker-developers

SQL Power Wabit Developers:
http://groups.google.com/group/wabit-developers

Q: Do you have code formatting conventions for your Java code?

A: Yes: please refer to http://code.google.com/p/power-architect/wiki/JavaFormattingConventions for details.

If you submit patches that don't more-or-less adhere to these conventions, we will ask you to reformat and send in a new patch.

Q: What's the difference between the Client Edition and the Community Edition?

A: Community Edition refers to the standalone app you can download for free; Client Edition refers to the client component that interacts with the server component of the Enterprise Edition.

NOTE 1: Prior to June 2010, our Open Source free downloads were known as "Client" Editions. But with the introduction of our Enterprise Server components, the term "Client" is now reserved for the Client component of the Enterprise Server offering. Therefore as of June 2010, the Open Source free downloads are now more aptly named "Community" editions.

Also note that as of July 27 2010, Premium Support is no longer offered for Community Edition software. Going forward, Premium Support is only included with Enterprise subscriptions.