Select data from the database...
SQL*XL lets you pull data straight from your database into Excel spreadsheets.

Send SQL statements from MS Excel to the database. Clear dialogs are provided to take the SQL and some options. The data flows back into Excel where you want it. You can tailor all the formatting and even use SQL*Plus commands to explicitly format the data.
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Security Toolkit
The SQL*XL security toolkit allows you to configure SQL*XL for end users. Almost all features can be limited. Dialog screens can be disabled, you can prevent users using the SQL editor. Limitations can be set on which database types can be connected to and which drivers can be used. You can even limit SQL*XL to connect to a named database using a named username only. Finally, limits on SQL statement types allow you to limit usage only to e.g. select statements.

The security toolkit saves settings as registry files which can be easially deployed to end users.
The toolkit is not available as trial download for security purposes. The security toolkit is provided free of charge with new licenses for SQL*XL 4 Universal when a CDROM is ordered.
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SQL Editor...
SQL*XL comes with a SQL editor that allows you to build your SQL statements. SQL*XL will list all the tables and views in your database. You can drag and drop the table name, column names, etc into the editor. Right clicking any object in the database will show an action menu that shows actions specific to that object such as describing a table or sampling some rows from the table.

SQL*XL adds further commands to the SQL. These commands allow you to control the execution of the SQL. You can display prompts, define report breaks, etc. All commands are described in the yellow help pane at the bottom.
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Batch Queries...
Do you have more than 1 query to execute at a time? Just submit them all at once! Each select statement is expected to end with a semi-colon. Example:

select * from emp;
select * from dept;
select * from salgrade;
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Execute SQL assembled in Excel...
SQL can be entered in SQL*XL dialogs but can also be taken from the spreadsheet. You may use Excel formulae to assemble the SQL. SQL*XL will take what is actually displayed in the cell and not the formulae.

You can use Excel's concatenate function or use VB's & operator like is shown in the image to the right.
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Specify where the data should go...
To specify where the data from the database should be displayed in the spreadsheet you can use the SELECT TO syntax. Examples:

select * from salgrade to D10;
select * from dept to sheet2!AF8
select * from emp to [book2]sheet3!D4

Even output to a Word document, an Outlook email or XML are possibilities.
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Explicit data formatting...
If you need to override Excel's default formatting you can use the column formatting commands from SQL*Plus.

For example if you would like to see 3 decimals for a number you can use:

column sal format 0.000;
select ename,sal from emp;
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Macro Recording Support...
SQL*XL supports Excel macro recording. All actions performed in SQL*XL are recorded in the VBA macros. The API for SQL*XL is published in the help file so all the information is there to tailor the generated code.

Macro recording enables you to automate all the tasks that you can do manually with SQL*XL. Tasks can even be automated to the point they can be run from the command line or from a batch scheduler.
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Help and documentation...
SQL*XL is well documented and comes with several help files. In the main SQL*XL help file all the dialogs and menu items are explained in detail.

SQL*XL comes with an extensive help file - SQL*Codes - that explains the causes in detail. It is very handy to have all the error codes just a click away.

Another a helpfile is provided to help out with SQL Syntax - SQL*Syntax. Both the SQL*Codes and SQL*Syntax help files are well integrated.
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Batch insert...
You can insert a spreadsheet full of data into the database without having to write any SQL statements. Using the Multiple Row Insert feature this is done all for you. Clear status indicators will show you wich rows were successfully inserted and which rows were unsuccessful (you may hit constraints, etc).

Also, together with the macro recording facilities you can automate batch inserts to the point that they run without user intervention.
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Insert Forms...
To give some help during the insert process SQL*XL can generate forms that can be used to enter single rows into the database at a time. The form shows the expected data type and maximum data size. Initial validation is preformed in the form.
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Use Excel cells in SQL...
SQL*XL is well integrated into Excel. Excel cells can be used as bind variables in SQL statements. Examples:

select * from emp where sal > :A10;
select * from dept where deptno = :Sheet2!D4;
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Oracle's PLSQL ... SQL Server's TSQL
SQL*XL can execute all DDL, DML, DCL, PL/SQL, execute packages and stored procedures and functions. You can execute anonymous PL/SQL blocks as well. Examples:

begin
delete from emp where empno = 5;
delete from emp where empno = :D10;
my_package.proc('parameter value1');
end;
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Batch Updates...
The last select statement that was executed remains updatable in SQL*XL. Simply change the values on the Excel sheet and execute Update Multiple Rows.

You can choose to update everything without review or let SQL*XL find all changed values and ask you at each change whether you want the original value or the changed value.
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