Log Parser Lizard

You computer logs almost every action that takes place behind the scenes, even if it does not always display this information in an accessible place. System events, errors and many other such activities are logged and kept by the operating system, in case you might need to troubleshoot a certain problem and you have to know exactly what was your computer doing at a specific time. Log Parser Lizard enables you to keep track of this information and view detailed reports whenever you want to know something about the state of your system.

SQL queries can be explained as a special type of search operation, only much more powerful and with many more possible customization options. Usually, these queries can only be performed on databases (SQL Server, MySQL, Oracle, Access, PostgreSQL, etc.), because they contain special terms that are not recognized by other file formats, but Log Parser Lizard enables you to run SQL queries against plain text files, thanks to its very own SQL syntax.

These queries can be related to file system information, such as to find the top 10 largest duplicate files on your hard disk, Active Directory logs, or even web services, like IIS logs about IP addresses, hit counts and HTTP status codes. Log Parser Lizard also supports the Facebook Query Language (FQL), Google BigQuery and Powershell scripts. You can also create logs from scratch, since the mentioned ones are all samples provided by the application at the installation.

After you run the desired queries and view all the requested information, you can save the results to an Excel spreadsheet or PDF file for future reference, or to transfer them over the Internet as email attachments. The available input log formats include Windows Event logs, Active Directory services and Google BigQuery, which can handle massive amounts of web data.

Log Parser Lizard features advanced data visualization options, as well as reporting tools. The integrated report designer comes with a user-friendly editor that comprises all that’s needed for you to create comprehensive reports, export them to various file formats and share them with others.

As for the output formats, Log Parser Lizard enables you to save your queries as HTML or RTF documents. Data can be visualized in the result grid or using charts; the latter illustrate differences or certain activities much better.

With advanced querying options and reporting tools, Log Parser Lizard mostly targets experienced users that have the knowledge required to interpret the data the application extracts from the system’s logs.

Nevertheless, Log Parser Lizard is well worth the amount of trouble you run into before you learn to use its SQL-style syntax, because the information it offers is very useful and also particularly difficult to find with any other kind of application that is not shell-based.