Database Options

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Macromedia® DreamWeaver® MX Unleashed
By Matthew Pizzi, Zak Ruvalcaba
Table of Contents
Chapter 16.  Introduction to Web Applications


Not too long ago, databases were the realm of specialized geeks. If a database was too slow, that was okay because it sat on a mainframe and processed inventory and payroll checks.

Now, databases are everywhere, and they're hooked into seemingly every single Web application. Today's databases need to be fast, reliable, and scalable. If a database goes down (or slows down), a company's revenues might disappear because their only sales channel might be an online catalog with shopping cart.

As with middleware, dozens of databases are available, but I'll discuss only the most widely used here. Each has its own strengths and drawbacks. Some are free, and some cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to license.

Informix

Informix (or DB2) is an IBM relational database solution. Although it isn't known much beyond mainframe and enterprise server environments, it is number 2 (right behind Oracle) in market share in the database space.

DB2 runs on IBM's servers, AIX (IBM's version of the Unix operating system), Windows NT, 2000, and XP servers, and Linux.

IBM boasts that DB2 is the first Web-ready, multimedia-capable database solution on the market, and that it is a great solution for starting small and scaling up to larger operations.

The DB2 database packages include support for SQL queries, XML, Java APIs, OLAP, and sophisticated application development tools. The Windows versions integrate well with ASP. The Linux and Unix versions integrate with PHP, JSP, Perl, and Python.

DB2 supports OLTP (online transaction processing), which means that it is built to handle (and process) thousands of simultaneous transactions.

SQL Server

SQL Server is Microsoft's relational database management system. The system's roots are in small, department-centric database applications, but as the Web's demand for robust database tools has matured, so has Microsoft's offering.

SQL Server, as its name implies, is a SQL-based relational database with support for XML. It integrates natively with Microsoft's ASP scripting language.

SQL Server supports OLTP (online transaction processing), which is essential in a modern Web environment.

Oracle

The undisputed 800-pound gorilla of the database market is Oracle. No wonder that it was the original relational database management system vendor.

Oracle systems have a reputation as being the Rolls-Royces of the industry and yes, that means the price tag comes with it, too. Oracle databases are extremely robust (some customers report that they've never lost data in years of operations) with extensive capabilities for data storage, retrieval, archiving, reporting, exporting, and a lot more besides.

Oracle supports OLTP, row-level locking of data (very handy if you have lots of users updating information in your database), data partitioning (for performance and security), support for XML and Java objects, and it runs natively both on Windows and Unix implementations.

Oracle is the surefire pick if you need the Sherman tank approach to data handling. However, for the scant of pocketbook, an Oracle solution may be too much.

Sybase

Sybase is best known as a financial markets and business intelligence relational database vendor. Its systems offer support for SQL, ODBC and JDBC connections, Java objects, XML, and applications that focus on business intelligence.

Sybase has its pulse on a very sticky problem. To understand your customers, you have to understand what they're doing what they buy from you, where they go on your site, what they are asking for. However, after you turn on the great data collection machine, it doesn't take any time at all to collect gigabytes of data on all manner of things.

How do you penetrate that pile of data and extract something that will drive profits? How can you keep your systems running fast when they get clogged with all this vital data?

Sybase's tools offer answers to these questions, with slick extraction, mining, and reporting tools. On top of all that, Sybase is the most affordable of all the proprietary vendors.

MySQL

MySQL is usually mentioned in the same breath as PHP. The two play together really well. MySQL is an open-source (and free) relational database system, and its popularity on the database side matches PHP's on the middleware side.

MySQL allows for blazing fast selection of data, and comparable performance for data inserts and updates. The native command-line interface supports Linux, Windows, and Mac OS X environments. If you don't like the thought of messing around with a command-line interface, don't despair; many PHP-based interfaces are available to make life simpler.

NOTE

Don't let "open source" scare you away. Many open-source technologies, including MySQL, offer extremely versatile and robust features, all for free. Support comes from a worldwide group of users and developers, most of whom are all too happy to help out.


Current versions of MySQL don't support certain widely available features of other relational database systems. For example, you can't build subqueries with MySQL. This may not seem like a big deal, but the day will come when you'll want to run more complex queries. I've also found that its OLTP capabilities aren't quite there yet I've seen cases in which one user logs in, and, after entering some data, gets somebody else's data. This is rare, and there are ways to code around these crossed wires to keep them from happening, but it is annoying.

Word on the street is that these (and other) issues are being worked on, both by the cadre of core developers at MySQL and the open-source community at large.

Despite some of its shortcomings, MySQL is easy to use, simple to deploy, and can handle copious amounts of data (and transactions) before showing wear and tear.

Access and FileMaker Pro

Microsoft Access is a SQL-based database tool that was originally designed for desktop users. It has a wide array of tools that allow users to easily create tables, forms for data entry, queries, and reports. In the past, I've accessed Access databases through a Web application and have never been impressed by its performance.

FileMaker Pro originally was a Macintosh-only database system that has since expanded into the Windows world. It has a nice set of visual design tools that allow users to easily create data entry forms and other necessary widgets. However, FileMaker Pro is not a scalable solution beyond a small group of users it just doesn't have enough oomph to handle a large volume of data being accessed by thousands of users.


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    Macromedia Dreamweaver MX Unleashed
    Macromedia Dreamweaver MX 2004 Unleashed
    ISBN: 0672326310
    EAN: 2147483647
    Year: 2002
    Pages: 321

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