ClearDB is a powerful and easy to use graphical interface for producing database documentation in a few clicks. For ease of use, its GUI is based on step-by-step wizard technology. The first page that is displayed on application start-up shows the license owner, summary application and last generated documentation information and also checks for the availability of new OSD - Online Support Desk messages and application updates. In this page the user chooses what he wants to do in ClearDB, either to generate new documentation or to view previously generated documentation from the documentation history list.

In this page the user logs on to an Oracle database for which it wants to generate documentation. ClearDB is intended to run with Oracle 7.3 database and higher and supports TNS, Direct and LDAP type connections. Successfully made connections are added to the Last Connections list for further usage. Connection property DB Type helps the user organize DB connections in groups; e.g. DEVELOPMENT, PRODUCTION, TEST or others. The user may assign background and foreground colors to easily identify connections while working with the content of mission critical DBs. Connection and Oracle Call Interface (OCI) options are available in the Connection Settings window, which is accessed through the Options button.

After connecting to an ORACLE database in the previous step, the user is forwarded to the page where the database object tree is shown. The user is able to select (check) one or more schemas and different types of objects to include in the documentation. After checking the schemas and object types the user clicks the Load button to populate the checked object type nodes with object names. The object loading process is displayed as percentage completed in the progress bar pane shown automatically under the object tree when the process starts as well as in the Selection Tree and can be interrupted. Depending on the selection, the process of populating the tree with objects may take longer. Once the loading process has been completed, the progress bar pane will be hidden automatically in three seconds. The selected number and the total number of schemas/objects are displayed in the folders names. The list of selected objects in the tree remains unchanged until the connection is changed or disconnected.

ClearDB provides the user with a variety of options and settings to meet their most important needs. Specify generation options such as documentation description: title, author and comments and output file options: output folder, output file name, etc. Documentation description will be part of the documentation summary and it will be shown in the Documentation History page for documentation reference. The "Output folder" and " Output file name" editors display the full path and file name where the output documentation will be saved. The primary output format of the database documentation is HTML. In addition to HTML, ClearDB produces documentation also in CHM (Microsoft's Compiled HTML Help) format. All entered information and options specified on this page are automatically remembered and restored on the next run.

Specify documentation options such as: Object Options, Code Analyzer and Observation Report to reflect the desired object details in the output documentation. The tree-like Object Options provides easy access to a set of database, schema and non-schema object type specific options that reflect the database and object page contents.

The detailed process of document generation is written in the log window and the process status is displayed in the progress bar as percentage completed. The process log is saved to the same folder as documentation file. The log window displays: generation start and finish time, a list of included schemas and object types, documentation and generation settings, the output format, the documentation filename, the database connection string, the documentation description, and objects processing statistics. Fulfilling the process in the background allows the user to pause/resume it as well as break it in advance.

Once the generation process has been completed the documentation opens in Microsoft CHM viewer. It is also automatically added to the documentation history list for further usage.

Previously generated documentation with documentation description and generation details are displayed in the documentation history table. For ease of use, the documentation description is shown in the additional fields below the table. The user can easily search for documentation by text occurrence in the table; view documentation in CHM Viewer; copy documentation to a different folder/storage; remove documentation from the table and from storage and load documentation from storage.

Database documentation is produced primarily in HTML format and is shown in the HTML browser. The advantage of the HTML format is the platform independency and avoidance of ithe need for any specific software to view documentation. Documentation hierarchical tree provides the user with an easy way to drill-down through the documentation.

The "Database Observations" section of the documentation represents the database objects where the Parser detected errors or alerts; or where the database status is invalid or disabled; or where the source code is wrapped. "Parser: Objects with Errors" displays a summary table of all invalid database objects on the selected level (database/schema/object type) and a list of detailed information about the error position and error text for each object. "Parser: Objects with Alerts" displays a summary table of all database objects in which the Parser found alerts on the selected level (database/schema/object type) and a list of detailed information about the warning line and warning text for each object. This report helps to quickly identify objects that require user attention.

The "Code Analyzer" formats and analyzes each stored program's source code to identify possible error prone procedures based on complexity, size and modularity by using a set of quality control metrics. It helps to keep PL/SQL code reliable, testable and manageable. Industry accepted complexity measures (McCabe, Halstead and Maintainability Index, MI) are used. The analyzed information such as "Code Review", "Structure View", "Code Metrics" is displayed in the "Code Audit" page of the stored program.

ClearDB has a feature that creates and includes PL/SQL code flowcharts. Click on the "Flowchart" link on top of the "Code Audit" node of a stored object to see a flowchart. The user can click on any element within a diagram, and the relevant line of PL/SQL code will be shown in the source code section below the flowchart.

A call tree diagram visualizes calls and the called-by path of a package or a stand-alone subroutine. As PL/SQL is heavily coupled with data, the call tree diagram is enriched with data flows between subroutines and database tables due to DML statements execution. Data flows show how subroutines obtain data from database tables with SELECT INTO statements, and how they return data with INSERT or UPDATE statements, and how they delete data with DELETE statements. Click on the "Call Tree" link at the top of the "Code Audit" page of a stored object to see a call tree. The user can click on any element within a diagram, and the relevant line of PL/SQL code will be displayed in the formatted source code section below the call tree.

A CRUD1 (CREATE, READ, UPDATE, DELETE) matrix is the perfect aid for the user to analyze the consistency of functional requirements and to identify performance problems. Click on the "CRUD1" link at the top of the "Code Audit" page of a stored object to see two CRUD1 type matrices: "Matrix 1: Data Object" and "Matrix 2: Data Object / Stored Object". The first matrix displays a list of dataset objects and DML operations (C, R, U, D) where objects take part. The second matrix displays a list of dataset objects, subroutines where objects are called and DML operations (C, R, U, D) where objects take part. Click on a subroutine link within a "Matrix2: Data Object / Stored Object" matrix to highlight the relevant line of PL/SQL code in the formatted source code section below the CRUD1. By clicking on the object link the user can see its call tree displayed in a floating window

CRUD2 type matrix displays a list of data objects (table, view, synonym) of the schema included in the documentation with the corresponding stored objects that are called from the selected data object as well as the DML operations (C, R, U, D) in which the object takes part.