Quick Search on Amazon SimpleDB Domain With SDB Explorer

The new version of SDB Explorer improves your experience with Amazon SimpleDB further with new, quick and easy search .

Now you can perform quick searches on your SimpleDB domain by simply typing the first few characters of your search word. SDB Explorer searches for the characters across all the fields of the domain you are searching in. The first row, where any of the field values matches the characters you typed, gets highlighted. You can type the same character(s) again to move to the next matching row.

Quick Search on SimpleDB Domains

In the above example, you typed “sub” and a row with a field starting with “Submit” got highlighted. You can type “sub” again to move to the next matching row.

Download the latest version of SDB Explorer for more new features.

Export Amazon SimpleDB Domains to CSV or XML Format Using SDB Explorer

We are extremely excited to announce SDB Explorer version 2012.05.01.00, which brings one of the most demanded features for Amazon SimpleDB users. With this version, you can export your SimpleDB data into CSV file, in addition to exporting in XML format.

With this feature, you can back up your SimpleDB domains to CSV files and easily restore those CSV files to SimpleDB domains when needed. This will help you backup, restore or copy the SimpleDB domain content much more efficiently.

Export Amazon SimpleDB Domains to Comma Separated Values (CSV)

Export Amazon SimpleDB Domain to CSV or XML File

SDB Explorer has been supporting the export of SimpleDB domains to XML files in prior versions. With multiple Amazon SimpleDB user feedbacks, we realized the importance of being able to export a domain to CSV file.

With the new version of SDB Explorer, you will experience fast, multiple and parallel process to export the domain content of one or many Amazon SimpleDB domains to CSV file.

This backed up CSV files can be imported back to the same or any other domain.

Manage Frequently Changing Content On Amazon CloudFront- New Lower Expiration Period (0 Second TTL)

Recently Amazon CloudFront lowered the minimum content expiration period, which will allow you to refresh your content at CloudFront edge locations at much shorter intervals. This enables you to use Amazon CloudFront service to deliver your frequently changing content.

Earlier objects stayed in cache  on Amazon CloudFront’s edge locations for a minimum time of 60 minutes. The default expiration period to cache all objects at the edge locations used to be 24 hours and that still remains the same. However, now you can customize the TTL (Time To Live) anywhere from zero seconds to 100 years.

Although the default value for TTL in Bucket Explorer is set to 60 minutes,  Bucket Explorer supports the new minimum content expiration period supported by Amazon CloudFront.

You can create a CloudFront Distribution and set the expiration period in very quick steps using Bucket Explorer.

Set TTL for CloudFront

If you choose, you can also use CloudFront Invalidation to remove files from the edge locations, in case you need to remove the files unexpectedly due to an unplanned change, prior to the expiration time set on those files.

Read more about recent changes released in Bucket Explorer.

Amazon S3 User Interface Enhancements- New Bucket Explorer Features

In the 2012.03.01.02 version of Bucket Explorer, we have released some great convenience features for Bucket Explorer  users, in addition to some major Amazon S3 based features. These are the new features, which will absolutely make your lives much better, if you work a lot on S3 to store and manage your data:

Filter Files from Upload/ Download : Bucket Explorer provides an option of blocking listed file types from the upload/download operation.  You can configure the file extensions to be blocked during uploads and downloads, from Advanced Preferences panel. You can enter multiple file extensions separated by comma (,).

This will address any security issues you might have with uploading or downloading files like executable (.exe) files or image files, which might cause harm to your system.

Filter File Types From Uploading and Downloading

Bookmark the long remote folders path for quick object listing:

Most of the time we end up working on folders at different levels within the folder structure of a bucket. After a certain point, it can become really painful to navigate to those embedded folders over and over again to access the data.

To save time and money spent on multiple S3 requests, we have added a bookmark option in Bucket Explorer in the new version, to save your folder paths for easy access. You will find a bookmark button next to the remote path text box.

Bookmark remote path for quick listing

You will see the bookmark button with plus(+) sign, if the listed path is not bookmarked, to add the bookmark. You will see a minus(-) sign for the bookmarked path, to remove the bookmark if you like.

You can quickly see the object listing for buckets embedded within main buckets by selecting the bookmark, without having to navigate to that bucket.

Advanced Search Options:

  • Search within Object Listing Table : This feature helps you search within your objects listing in the object table. Now you do not need to scroll the listing table from top to bottom looking for a particular file anymore. You can search your objects on key press. Start typing the search word and the searched file  will get highlighted on keypress.

Search within object listing in the object table

  • Search in multiple ways: You can search either by prefix or by prefix and delimiter

Search on Objects in Buckets

Customize Toolbar : This version allows you to customize your Bucket and Object toolbar in Bucket Explorer. Now you can set order for, hide/show the toolbar buttons according to your preference.

Customize toolbar in Bucket Explorer

Configure “part size” for Multi Part Processes from GUI : Now you can configure the size of individual parts of multi part upload and download process from Bucket Explorer Advanced Preferences panel. You do not need to edit the configuration file for this setting.

Configure the size of parts of multi part upload download process

Enhanced Look and Feel : We have improved look and feel of the Bucket Explorer with alternate row color, dispose on escape button press and more new features.

Encrypt S3 Objects With Amazon S3 Server Side Encryption (SSE)

Another new feature introduced by Amazon S3 recently is Server Side Encryption, to meet various data security and compliance requirements. Now you can request encryption on objects residing in Amazon S3 Buckets. Bucket Explorer supports S3 Server Side Encryption with the latest release.

You can apply Server Side Encryption on S3 objects using Bucket Explorer. Amazon S3 handles all encryption, decryption, and key management for your data. You can apply Server Side Encryption on single as well as multiple files or entire bucket.

Bucket Explorer supports S3 Server Side Encryption

Bucket Explorer interface makes it very easy to apply Server Side Encryption on your S3 objects. You can simply select the objects or buckets and encrypt them.

We are sure you will find this feature very useful. Now you can save your confidential and sensitive data on S3 with the peace of mind using Bucket Explorer.

Bucket Explorer Supports Amazon S3 Object Expiration

Now you do not need to maintain processes to periodically identify S3 objects, which are not required any longer and issue delete requests for such objects.

Amazon S3 announced Object Expiration feature recently, which allows you to set up rules to schedule delete requests for objects after a defined time period. You can define Object Expiration rules for a set of objects in a bucket and automatically queue such objects for deletion. This could be a huge time and cost saver for you.

The latest version of Bucket Explorer offers an easy to use user interface for Object Expiration feature. You can set the object life-cycle for selected remote path and objects using Bucket Explorer and enable or disable that rule. You can set expiration time for the objects in days.  The expiration period specifies the number of days from the date of creation after which the objects should be deleted.

Set Object Expiration With Bucket Explorer

You can define a prefix to identify the set of objects on which the expiration rule is to be applied.

There is no additional charge of using Object Expiration feature of Amazon S3.

Amazon S3 Storage Calculator- Bucket Explorer New Feature

We have a good news for you if you are concerned about managing the size and cost of your data stored on Amazon S3.

Bucket Explorer has released a “Storage Calculator” in the recent version, which can provide you with details about your buckets as well as files and folders contained in those buckets.

Bucket Explorer Storage Calculator

Using this feature, you can see all of the objects stored within buckets in a tree view.

You can select the bucket you want to get the details for. The Storage Calculator displays the objects of the selected bucket in a tree view and you can explore the objects in the tree view by expanding the nodes. This tree view will show you the size of the file or folder next to the file/folder name.

This panel also has a table for listed buckets, where you can see the bucket size, location and total number of files and folders in that bucket. You can also explore any of the buckets by double clicking on that bucket.

You can read more details about the latest version, 2012.03.01.02.

Purchase or upgrade Bucket Explorer to better manage your data storage costs and for more benefits.


Bucket Explorer New Features- Version 2012.03

We are extremely excited to announce Bucket Explorer new version, which is a major release and comes with a number of enhancements and new features supported by Amazon since our last release.

One of the highlighted features of this version is “Storage Calculator“, which provides you with the size and other details of data stored in your buckets. In addition, we have released a bunch of other features which improve overall Bucket Explorer experience significantly.

As always, we are supporting Amazon S3′s latest features introduced in last few days in this version.

Bucket Explorer supports these features in the new version:

  • Storage Calculator- to calculate the size of data stored in buckets
  • Object Expiration- schedule removal of objects after certain period of time using Bucket Explorer
  • Server Side Encryption- Enable SSE on sensitive data stored on S3
  • Min TTL for CloudFront- set minimum TTL for all objects in your distribution (CloudFront allows TTL as low as 0 seconds now)
  • Filter Files from Upload/Download- exclude certain file types from upload or download using Bucket Explorer
  • Remote Path Bookmarks for quick listing- Remember path for embedded folders in buckets for frequent listing
  • Search Objects in Object Listing Table
  • Customize Bucket and Object Toolbar in Bucket Explorer
  • Configurable “part size” for Multipart upload and download
  • Enhanced Look and Feel of Bucket Epxlorer UI
Stay tuned for more details. You can download the latest version of Bucket Explorer now to enjoy the new features.


SDB Explorer- Calculates Amazon SimpleDB Charges For Queries Executed

Amazon SimpleDB box usage

Amazon SimpleDB charges you for every query you run and you can see those charges using SDB Explorer.

SDB Explorer calculates and shows the charges for every query executed by you. It also shows the total charges of current session i.e charges incurred between your log-in and log-out of SDB Explorer.

SDB Explorer calculates the charges using this formula:

“Box-Usage returned by Amazon SimpleDB in the response * Pricing”

Pricing based on region and end points:

  • US East (Northern Virginia) Region = $0.140
  • US West (Oregon) Region = $0.140
  • US West (Northern California) Region = $0.154
  • EU (Ireland) Region = $0.154
  • Asia Pacific (Singapore) Region = $0.154
  • Asia Pacific (Tokyo) Region = $0.162
  • South America (Sao Paulo) Region = $0.190

Please visit the following link to learn more about the charges:

http://www.sdbexplorer.com/documentation/simpledb–cost-for-query-operations.html

Amazon SimpleDB documentation — how machine utilization charges are calculated?

http://aws.amazon.com/simpledb/#machine-utilization-example

AWS Database Services

Amazon web service provides both relational database services and non-relational database services. AWS customers now have three cloud based database solutions available:

Amazon SimpleDB service – Amazon SimpleDB can be useful for those who need a non-relational database for storage of smaller, non-structural data. Amazon SimpleDB has restricted storage size to 10GB per domain and it can achieve up to 25 writes/second. Amazon SimpleDB offers simplicity and flexibility. SimpleDB automatically indexes all data. Amazon SimpleDB pricing is based on your actual box usage. You can store any UTF-8 string data in Amazon SimpleDB.

Amazon DynamoDB service – Amazon DynamoDB can be useful for those who need a fast, highly scalable non-relational database. There is no limit on the storage size per table and you can specify how much request capability you require. Amazon DynamoDB offers good performance and incremental scalability. DynamoDB indexes only the primary key, which can be a composite primary key. DynamoDB is priced according to how much request capacity you have requested. You can store Strings and Numbers.

Amazon Relational Database Service (Amazon RDS) – Amazon RDS can be useful for those who need relational database service that offloads database administration. Amazon RDS provides the full capabilities of MySQL or Oracle database. Amazon RDS Database instances are instances of familiar MySQL or Oracle databases, running on an EC2. RDS offers backup/restore of databases scalability, and allows you to have up to 1TB database size.

Know more about these services -

http://perspectives.mvdirona.com/2009/11/03/OneSizeDoesNotFitAll.aspx
http://aws.amazon.com/running_databases/
http://www.allthingsdistributed.com/2012/01/amazon-dynamodb.html
http://www.allthingsdistributed.com/2009/10/amazon_relational_database_service.html
http://aws.amazon.com/dynamodb/faqs/#How_does_Amazon_DynamoDB_differ_from_AmazonSimpleDB_Which_should_I_use