Welcome to Rekall. Rekall is a database front end ( In the manner of Microsoft Access ) for a range of SQL database servers.
This manual applies to verion 2.4.4 of Rekall, but Rekall is in continuous development, so if there is a feature which you would like to see included, please let us know! The current version includes (amongst many other things):
Access to MySQL and PostgreSQL databases. It can also access XBase files with a restricted set of SQL. Further SQL database servers will be added in the future. A single Rekall "database" can access one or more SQL databases.
Access to the underlying database types. As of version 1.0.5, Rekall provides access to almost all the types which the SQL database servers provide (XBase is rather restricitive in this respect).
Table design, and changes in design, plus the ability to view and update table data. Common functionality can be accessed, such as single column indexing (although this area needs extending, for instance to provide multiple-column indexes).
Form and report design and execution. Forms and reports can access data directly from database tables, via arbitrary SQL (subject to the restriction that Rekall can parse it) or from queries which are defined in Rekall; both can contain arbitrarily nested sub-forms (or sub-reports).
Scripting using the python language. An interface to Rekall itself and to the SQL database servers is provided (so that the scripts can control form and report execution, and can access data in the database). Rekall also contains an interactive python debugger. Of course, you also have full access to whatever python modules are available on your system.
Scripting using the javascript language. This is available as an alternative to python, and provides most of the same functionality.
Import and export of table data in a range of formats. In fact, Rekall generalises this as a copy operation, where the copy source and destinations can include database tables, SQL queries and text files.
The next chapter provides an overview of Rekall, and takes you on a tour of Rekall's facilities for accessing tables, forms and reports. The examples are drawn from the sample demonstration databases which are available from the same places as Rekall itself.
All the screenshots in this manual are taken from Rekall running under KDE. The QT3-only version is identical, except for things like control styles. The variation between some of the screenshots - the window border, the button style, and so forth - reflect the range of styles and themes that are avaialable under KDE.
Please be aware that this manual is not intended as a tutorial or manual for SQL databases, but assumes at least a basic knowledge of such databases. In places, there are descriptions of how SQL databases work, but these descriptions are intended to provide context rather than information. There are any number of books available on database technology and the SQL query language, and lots of resources available on the Web.
We hope that you will find Rekall a useful and powerful tool. We welcome all feedback, both complimentary and critical. Complimentary feedback is nice, obviously, but critical feedback points us in directions that users would like to see us going in, rather than directions that we only think users would like.
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