MS Access Alternatives (was: (resent) Ballmer vows to kill Linux giant Google)

[CLIFFORD ILKAY]

On September 17, 2005 23:02, Walter Dnes wrote:
> On Sat, Sep 17, 2005 at 01:18:05PM -0400, CLIFFORD ILKAY wrote
>
> > None of the above come with an embedded database. You have to
> > "set up and admin" MySQL or PostgreSQL
>
>   I've always been a "command-line-commando" since the early days
> of DOS. The linux command line and shell-scripting was one of the
> attractions that pulled me towards linux in the first place.  If
> I'm going to set up PostrgeSQL, I'm going to run it from the
> command line.

Nothing precludes you from doing that. That is how I use PostgreSQL. I 
have not found psql, the PostgreSQL shell, wanting for anything.

> At work I'm not officially a CS, but a part of my 
> duties involve custom data queries for clients.  We have an Oracle
> server, and for the easy queries, MS Access front-ending Oracle via
> ODBC is the way to go.
>
>   However, for even slightly complex stuff, nothing beats PL/SQL
> and SQL queries at the command line.

I think you will find much to like about PostgreSQL then. PostgreSQL 
offers not one but several languages for writing stored procedures so 
you have some options.

> Our database is 
> umpteenth-degree normalized, which means I often have to mimic
> cross-tabbing.  Let's just say that multiple self-joins of a
> multi-hundred gigabyte table "is not a good thing".  There is a way
> to cross-tab normalized data programmatically, and get a quick
> response from the query.  It does *NOT* involve self-joins.  I
> really like doing SQL and especially PL/SQL.  Since I'm not part of
> the DBA team, I have read-only access on the tables.
>
> > Most distros have packages for both and for those source based
> > distros like Slackware,
>
> ========== Gentoo ==========
> [m3000][root][~] emerge --ask postgresql
>
> These are the packages that I would merge, in order:
>
> Calculating dependencies ...done!
> [ebuild  N    ] dev-db/libpq-8.0.3
> [ebuild  N    ] dev-db/postgresql-8.0.3
>
> Do you want me to merge these packages? [Yes/No]

Go ahead, just say "Yes":)
-- 
Regards,

Clifford Ilkay
Dinamis Corporation
3266 Yonge Street, Suite 1419
Toronto, ON
Canada  M4N 3P6

+1 416-410-3326
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