Flat Detail Data Browser for Oracle Database

Updated October 2025

Introduction

Hello again, and welcome to our blog. Today we’re excited to introduce a new feature in KeepTool 16: our Flat Detail Data Browser for Oracle database. Before we dive into the new dialog, let’s revisit how master/detail data exploration has traditionally worked in KeepTool’s Data Content Browser.

Traditional Detail Data Analysis

We’re connected to Oracle’s HR demo schema as the HR user. KeepTool’s Data Content Browser lets you view tables in separate tabs, apply filters, and browse records.

As an example, we load the COUNTRIES table and filter on COUNTRY_ID = ‘DE’, reducing it to a single record:

From there, you can drill into detail tables via foreign‐key relationships. In this example, let’s traverse into the LOCATIONS table. Two approaches are available:

• Master/Detail view

• “Goto Detail Table” menu action

Below we explain both methods in more depth.

Master / Detail View

With the master/detail layout, you see the detail table grid directly under the master table grid. Each detail relation (foreign key pointing to the master) appears in its own tab. You can also manually define custom master/detail relations if needed.

In our example, we display LOCATIONS under COUNTRIES:

The detail grid refreshes automatically as you navigate in the master grid. This is convenient, but there is one limitation: you cannot drill further to sub-sub details (i.e. details of the detail tables). This method is limited to one master level and its immediate child tables.

“Goto Detail Table” Menu Option

Right-click on a data grid → Goto Detail Table. This opens a submenu listing all direct detail relationships:

Selecting a relation opens the detail data in a new tab, filtered by the foreign key that matches the current master record. For instance, LOCATIONS is filtered in the context of COUNTRIES = ‘DE’:

You can repeat this process to descend into sub-detail tables (e.g. DEPARTMENTS, then EMPLOYEES) until no further foreign key relations exist.

Limitations of These Traditional Approaches

These two methods work well when you want to trace a particular row downward through the hierarchy. But what if you want all subdetail data of a master record — e.g. generate an INSERT script for all EMPLOYEES under a selected COUNTRY? That requires traversing intermediate tables (LOCATIONS → DEPARTMENTS → EMPLOYEES). Neither master/detail nor “Goto Detail Table” offer that in one step.

This is where Flat Detail Data Browser comes in.

Flat Detail Data Browser

The Flat Detail Data Browser is a modal dialog, invokable via a right-click in the Data Content Browser. It adds a third paradigm for exploring detail data.

On the left pane, it displays the hierarchy of detail tables deduced from foreign-key relationships:

The root node represents your context table (COUNTRIES, in this case). The tree structure may reuse the same table in multiple positions, depending on the schema.

When you select a node (table) in that hierarchy, the right pane will show all subdetail data of that table in context. For example:

• The root node’s query shows the same result as the Data Content Browser.

• The first detail layer behaves like the classic approach.

• From the second level downward, “magic” happens: e.g. selecting DEPARTMENTS under COUNTRIES fetches all departments for that country, regardless of the intermediate foreign key tables (LOCATIONS etc.).

• The resulting data grid shows the combined result.

You can even tweak the SQL yourself and hit “Refresh Query” to re-execute with your changes. The data grid supports all features you’re familiar with:

• Generate INSERT scripts

• Export to Excel

• Switch views (record, text, etc.)

Summary

The Flat Detail Data Browser lets you retrieve subdetail data of a master record without manually iterating through intermediate tables. That means you can get a full overview of all nested detail data in one go, boosting productivity. Based on feedback in real projects, our customers tell us it saves substantial time.