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As SQL flows into the mainstream, query tools are pouring out of every tributary. As many users are certain to appreciate, the days of the simple query-and-edit interface intended for database experts maybe over. BrioQuery Explorer (formerly DataPrism) is a very fancy query and reporting utility with an interface that makes it accessible to intermediate users. Windows and Macintosh versions are now available; I looked at a Windows beta version.
BrioQuery's user interface is so modern it's almost confusing. It bears some resemblance to Lotus Development Corp.'s Approach in the sense that you create different views of the data: the query, the raw result grid, and various user-defined reports. Bands of controls (various toolbars, a window-specific button bar, flip tabs and navigation controls, and a status bar) give you point-and-click access to...