it_user285066 - PeerSpot reviewer
Consultant at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
I'm able to develop the back-end database functionality and look up schema information during design meetings, but there were a couple of minor issues with scripts and memory errors.

How has it helped my organization?

I am able to develop the back-end database functionality and look up schema information when we are having design meetings. It really is the software that we are developing/maintaining that is the improvement for the business.

What needs improvement?

Better documentation would be a benefit.

For how long have I used the solution?

I’ve used Toad for most of the last seven years, but that really doesn’t make me an expert by any means.

What was my experience with deployment of the solution?

No issues encountered.

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Database Development and Management
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Generally no, although I have had a couple minor issues with large scripts and memory errors.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

No issues encountered.

How are customer service and support?

Customer Service:

I haven't had to use it.

Technical Support:

I haven't had to use it.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

No previous solution was used.

How was the initial setup?

The only hassle was the EUA process.

What about the implementation team?

In-house, via an EUA request, and we used a software center to install.

What was our ROI?

I don't know the financials, but I wouldn’t be able to do my job (build applications/databases) without it.

What other advice do I have?

It works well for Oracle design and development.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
it_user751089 - PeerSpot reviewer
Sales Engineer at BAKOTECH LLC
Real User
Excellent functionality with great tools for database architecture
Pros and Cons
    • "Many users don't know how to add licensing to Toad, or where it is shown, so they could make that easier."

    What is our primary use case?

    Our primary use case of this solution is for support.

    What is most valuable?

    The most valuable features are the database architecture, the good functionality, and the user interface.

    What needs improvement?

    Many users don't know how to add licensing to Toad, or where it is shown, so they could make that easier. 

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I've been using the solution for three years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    The software is very stable.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    I'm not a database administrator, so I'm not sure about this aspect of the solution. I understand that Toad can take on about 600 licenses.

    How was the initial setup?

    The initial setup of the solution is complex. Deployment involves an EXE file and you choose your operating system and click-through, so that part of the user installation is easy. It takes a few hours.

    What other advice do I have?

    I don't work with Toad, I support Toad because I work in a distributor company. I deal mostly with the on-premises version of the solution.

    I would recommend Toad but I think it would be a better solution if it had one platform or if it was an all-in-one tool.

    I would rate this solution nine out of ten. I'd rate it higher, but right now, for example, if I want to work with the database I must load Toad for Oracle or Toad for MySQL, etc. But if I want to work with the Toad Modeler, I don't want another Toad installation. If there was a one-stop solution, it would be a ten.

    Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
    PeerSpot user
    Buyer's Guide
    Database Development and Management
    April 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about Quest Software, IDERA, Oracle and others in Database Development and Management. Updated: April 2024.
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    it_user277041 - PeerSpot reviewer
    Director of Information Technology at a healthcare company with 501-1,000 employees
    Vendor
    Multiple nested queries take a long time to run, but it has automated report processing.

    What is most valuable?

    • Report/Query automation
    • Cross database queries
    • Ability to query multiple data sets

    How has it helped my organization?

    • It's moved us away from MS Access.
    • Automated report processing

    What needs improvement?

    We sometimes have issues with multiple nested queries. They take a long time to run, and it would be nice to have them run faster.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I've used it for seven years.

    What was my experience with deployment of the solution?

    It was a bit tedious to set up the computers that run the software. We needed to download Oracle thin client, and set up computer variables. It took a while to do so.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    No issues encountered.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    No issues encountered.

    How are customer service and technical support?

    Customer Service:

    It's very good.

    Technical Support:

    From Good to very good, depending on who you get to help you.

    Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

    MS Access. We switched because we were accessing an Oracle DB in the cloud with lots of data. Access needed to download the data in order to process queries which ended up either taking forever or not working at all. Toad allowed us to run the query on the cloud DB and, return data from the query. Made things much faster.

    How was the initial setup?

    It was a bit tedious to set up the computers that run the software. We needed to download Oracle thin client and set up computer variables. Took a while to do so.

    What about the implementation team?

    We did it in-house.

    What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

    Each license costs a bit of money, and you need to purchase maintenance for each license in order to get updates and use tech support.

    Which other solutions did I evaluate?

    • MS Access
    • Crystal Reports
    Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
    PeerSpot user
    PeerSpot user
    System Engineer at a consultancy with 1,001-5,000 employees
    Consultant
    It collects SQL database data and the GUI interface allows pulling queries and creating links between tables, but I can't compare it to similar solutions as I've only used this one.

    What is most valuable?

    It was immensely helpful in collecting SQL database data, especially as I am not a database admin/engineer. Also, the GUI interface has good ease of use for pulling queries and creating links between tables to pull specific server information in a timely manner for someone who may not have database experience.

    How has it helped my organization?

    It allowed us a better look at the big picture of the state of our server environment.

    What needs improvement?

    I've not used a product that I could compare it with.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I used it for a month.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    The program did not crash or have other intermittent problems or issues. It worked as expected.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    The program worked flawlessly whether pulling information for 10 or 1000 servers.

    How are customer service and technical support?

    Customer Service:

    I didn't need to contact them.

    Technical Support:

    I didn't need to contact them.

    Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

    This is the only solution I've used.

    How was the initial setup?

    Corporate standard installation process was as expected and went smoothly. It was a standard windows client installation, which connected without issues to our asset management database on the mainframe.

    What about the implementation team?

    We did an in-house standard corporate windows client application installation.

    What was our ROI?

    I was not involved in the purchase agreement, from a personal point of view, a good working tool is well worth it if priced competitively.

    Which other solutions did I evaluate?

    I did not. My role was as an end user, not of evaluation.

    What other advice do I have?

    See if the program features meet your task, do so with competitive pricing and their history of quality customer / technical service provided.

    Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
    PeerSpot user
    PeerSpot user
    Architect at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
    Consultant
    Best tool to work with Oracle

    What is most valuable?

    1. Horizontal layout for each connected database connection
    2. Easy way to generate statements for select,insert and update
    3. Easily identify the locks on the table and processes running on the database and their source information
    4. It is easy to Explain plan
    5. It is easy to optimize the query using optimizer
    6. Table import and export are easy
    7. Formatting of sql also makes it easy to read

    What needs improvement?

    1. Toad crashes sometimes and it will lose all the saved database information
    2. We cannot the execute SQL, offline easily (If you are creating a MV and if you shut down your laptop it won't create it)

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have used it for more than 5 years

    Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

    I have worked with sql developer before and it not easy to work with

    How was the initial setup?

    It is straight forward if you have Tnsnames entries located correctly

    What about the implementation team?

    In house

    Which other solutions did I evaluate?

    Sql developer
    Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
    PeerSpot user
    it_user273741 - PeerSpot reviewer
    DBA Team Lead DB2 at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
    Consultant
    It crashes inexplicably at times, but it finds ADDM, AWR, and stats-pack reports very quickly.

    What is most valuable?

    Mostly the database administration feature.

    How has it helped my organization?

    Database slowness was an issue, but Toad helps us to find the ADDM, AWR and stats-pack reports very quickly. It's a cool product enriched with a lot of excellent features.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I've been using it for 10 years.

    What was my experience with deployment of the solution?

    I've never had any issues.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    Sometimes, Toad crashes without a clue as to why, and it needs an immediate restart.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    No issues encountered.

    How are customer service and technical support?

    Customer Service:

    8/10.

    Technical Support:

    8/10.

    Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

    We started with Toad, and stayed with it.

    How was the initial setup?

    It was very simple.

    What about the implementation team?

    It's very straightforward.

    What was our ROI?

    100%.

    What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

    It's a must-buy, and both pricing and licensing is well in the range of every organization.

    Which other solutions did I evaluate?

    Among others, we looked at SQLDeveloper and FogLight.

    What other advice do I have?

    You should implement this product.

    Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
    PeerSpot user
    it_user273741 - PeerSpot reviewer
    it_user273741DBA Team Lead DB2 at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
    Consultant

    The issue happens when you are logon since a long time and want to reconnect. Mostly recovers the last saved sessions and saves time.

    it_user323601 - PeerSpot reviewer
    Sr Program Manager/Data Architect at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
    Consultant
    With it, we're able to import data from various sources. However, reverse engineering the physical schema and complex scheme diagrams could be improved.

    What is most valuable?

    • Data comparison
    • Imports from various sources

    What needs improvement?

    Reverse engineering the physical schema is complex and can be made easier. Schema diagrams which depict relationship is clumsy when the schema is complex. Presenting the complex schema in Toad with clear relationship between tables, etc.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I've used it for over six years.

    What was my experience with deployment of the solution?

    Just some minor niggling issues.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    No issues encountered.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    No issues encountered.

    How are customer service and technical support?

    Customer Service:

    9/10

    Technical Support:

    9/10

    Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

    I've used Toad from the beginning.

    How was the initial setup?

    It wasn't complex.

    What about the implementation team?

    We did it in-house.

    What was our ROI?

    We should be able to do it within two to three months.

    What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

    It depends on your requirements and number of users.

    Which other solutions did I evaluate?

    No other options were evaluated.

    What other advice do I have?

    Look for comparatively ETL tools available in market and you pick the one which suits your needs.

    Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
    PeerSpot user
    PeerSpot user
    Business Systems Project Leader at a marketing services firm with 51-200 employees
    Vendor
    We have the ability to run scripts of any size against databases, but there was an issue due to database access restrictions.

    Valuable Features:

    I find the script/text editing feature most valuable, as well as the ability to run scripts of any size against databases.

    Improvements to My Organization:

    It saves time by allowing automated, as opposed to manual, data entry into databases.

    Use of Solution:

    I have used the product for about three years in total, at two different employers.

    Deployment Issues:

    The issues I had in installation were due to database access restrictions.

    Initial Setup:

    It was straightforward from the software side.

    Implementation Team:

    I had the software implemented through in-house teams.

    Other Advice:

    It is a very good option for creating and editing SQL scripts, especially large ones that I have run in support of government billing applications.

    Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
    PeerSpot user
    Buyer's Guide
    Download our free Database Development and Management Report and find out what your peers are saying about Quest Software, IDERA, Oracle, and more!
    Updated: April 2024
    Buyer's Guide
    Download our free Database Development and Management Report and find out what your peers are saying about Quest Software, IDERA, Oracle, and more!