Log Explorer
Rating: 4 Stars
I downloaded and installed v2.10 of Log Explorer to review the changes that have occurred since
last fall when I examined v1.5. I was excited about this product last year, but it was a fairly unpolished
application and did not support SQL Server 2000 initially. When v2.0 was released, I wanted to take another
look, but have been busy until recently.
The Installation
The downloaded file was a self-extracting executable that started the installation. I choose
the enterprise version, and since I did not have a key, the 30 day evaluation version, which does
not require a key. I choose my local SQL 2000 server, and NT authentication( Shouldn't that
be Window Authentication? With Windows 2000 and XP coming, I think the NT is dropped.)
I finished and viewed the release notes. It's nice that there is an upgrade option
for the evaluation to the full version. Every software should have this.
During my evaluation, I also received a service pack for v2.1 that installed with the same ease
as the initial product.
Soap Box
Before I look at the product, a couple of initial thoughts. I like the two versions that Log
Explorer is packaged in. There are lots of cases where you might want to allow
someone to view activity (for auditing), but not want them to be able to
undo changes. Having the two versions with different price points is nice. After my
last review of v1.5, I had said this represetned a good value. One of my readers
pointed out that at $1500 / server, his 20 servers would not be able to be licensed. Also,
by purchasing a single copy or two, he did not easily have the option of moving this among
servers as the need arose. He wrote a letter to Lumigent and cc'd me noting that a site
license or discount for multiple copies would be nice. Since I have only 2 production
servers, licensing two copies wouldn't be a big deal, but having the audit capabilites
for my development boxes could help solve some problems. I wouldn't really need the rollback
capabilities since we move the production databases back to development on a regular basis.
The pricing for v2.x is $995 for the full version and $395 for the Professional edition (These
prices are are of 07-01-2001). The differences are that the professional version does not have many
of the rollback and undo options, including the recover dropped table. For most of my purposes (auditing),
the Professional would suffice. There are discounts available for 5 and 10 copies and Lumigent has
mentioned there are more aggresive discounts for 20 or more copies.
The Product
In reviewing the release notes, I noticed there are a number of known issues listed. This is
nice in that I can refer to this list when something doesn't work before I contact the
company. Having this info is handy and I wish more software would do this.
Lumigent sent me a reviewer's guide and some sample SQL data. I decided to start the product
first to see how intuitive it is before reading the guide and installing the sample data.
I started the product and connected to my local server using Windows Authentication. After
making sure I had the "Full" recovery model, I added a row to a table and "browsed" the log
records. I saw my insert statement listed with the appropriate detial. It worked pretty easily.
Now on to the reviewer's guide.
This is well written and includes a small app that acts like a mini-Query Analyzer. It has
preloaded scripts you can select from and run and then check the results in Log
Explorer. This actually covers some great scenarios and is a good tutorial for getting
started. I'd highly recommend everyone downloading this guide along iwth a 30 day evaluation
and using it on their local SQL Server. While running through the guide, I switched over
to Query Analyzer and dropped a table. Log Explorer found the deleted records and
reconstructed the table. Outstanding!! If I'd had this for everytime I ran a
delete
without a where clause, I'd have saved quite a bit of
face in the past.
While using the reviewers guide and experimenting, I performed the following tasks:
- Browsed the existing log - Saw all my transactions. I could right click on transactions
and "undo" them. The undo generates a SQL file and then displays the file in the product. At
first I found this annoying, but after fat-fingering a thing or two, I realized this is actually
a nice safety feature.
- Ran some insert statements and verified them in the "browse" view.
- Ran the real time monitor - Viewed this in one window while running transactions from
Query Analyzer. This was really neat as I was able to monitor transactions in a way that is easier
than using Profiler.
- Deleted all rows from a table (unqualified DELETE) and then recovered the table from
Log Explorer. This alone is a great justification for purchasing this product!
- I ran a log analysis to see if it worked. Not sure if I would use this, but it's there. If
you need this, be sure you apply the service pack.
- Set a filter on the log records and then "browsed" the log again. The filter worked as expected.
- Undid my filter and then exported records to XML, HTML, and comma delimited file. This is
probably more of an auditing tool, and it worked as expected. Once the file is exported to XML or
HTML, it automatically launched my browser and displayed the file. Not sure if I'd want this to
happen on a large export, but the capabilities worked as expected.
- Loaded a SQL Script into the product and ran it. There are some nice options here for viewing the
script, setting a single transaction, etc. Thse are basic features, but they could have
easily been left out.
The list of features with the product is impressive. The ability to selectively undo operations or
transactions is extremely handy and one of the main reasons I would purchase this product. The
second most important feature to me is the ability to recover deleted tables. I've needed this one
more often than I would care to admit. You can browse a list of the new features at
http://www.lumigent.com/LogExplorer/new20.htm.
My Issues
I noticed a number of items changed from v1.5, but there are still quite a few user interface
issues that annoy me and make Log Explorer seem like an unpolished application. First of
all, I assume that most users of this product would be somewhat experienced individuals. Therefore,
I would expect that most standard Windows keys and shortcuts would work. A prime example for
me is F5. In most applications, this refreshes the screen. However, not in Log Explorer. Actually
I had to dig into the menus to find "Refresh" in the Tools menu. In Tools there are
quite a few commands like Refresh, Prev/Next, etc. that are better suited to
a "View" menu (IMHO).
Another issue is that I backed up my log and then reattached to the log. The
program informed me there were no log records and asked if I would like to view
recycled data. I answered yes, but instead of taking me to the default view with recycled
data, I was taken to a tabbed dialog where I could select "Skip" or "View" recycled data.
I had already answered yes, but the "View" recycled data option was not checked.
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