Databases!

[Edit0r]

I'm in love with Postgres, but I've never used it. I've only seen it being used by my fianceé when she was doing a piece of Database Systems coursework. It just looks... less shit than MySQL, which is what I currently use.

[segmentation fault]

postgres is much more straightforward than mysql. i mean wtf mysql why do i have to do a grant to create a user? CANT YOU JUST IMPLEMENT CREATE USER?!

but mysql now performs better than postgres in common situations i believe, whereas postgres used to be the better one.

oh, and postgres, please implement enums...now.

[Iori_Yagami]

I used (and use) Oracle 8i, MS SQL Server 2005, FireBird.
They all have something which causes headaches (hint: SQL).
So they all are quite similar. And Relational Algebra is so much cleaner that SQL! (has anyone met with DatabaseDebunkings site?)

But nothing can compare with sadistic legacy systems. I insert ('Mike', 23). I insert ('Alice', 27).
Why am I getting rubbish (MIKE,23);(ALIC,69)? Why??? What is wrong?

...

Ahhhhhhhh. So the record is A(4);N(1). (4 ascii letters and a 1-byte number). Sooo, ASCII code for 'E' is 69, and poor Alice's last letter gets into the next field... Hmmmmm.

[pieaholicx]

They all have something which causes headaches (hint: SQL).

If you hate SQL, I can't see you making it far with databases. SQL does seem to be the standard these days.

[janusx]

Personally I really like using MSSQL 2005 and really dislike working with Oracle DBs

Where I work the SQL db is always fast, responsive and easy to work with while the Oracle db has a slow response time and uses some bizarre (I'm thinking archaic) SQL syntax and functions.

[wing]

Personally I really like using MSSQL 2005 and really dislike working with Oracle DBs

Where I work the SQL db is always fast, responsive and easy to work with while the Oracle db has a slow response time and uses some bizarre (I'm thinking archaic) SQL syntax and functions.

Oracle likes to be annoying and has its own dialect. Kinda like MySQL, except worse.

And the responsiveness difference you're seeing is probably just the physical hardware difference - MSSQL databases tend to live on shiny new servers running shiny new Microsoft operating systems and have a lifespan of about 3 years because they're fairly cheap. Oracle, however, has draconian licensing and is incredibly expensive, so it hangs around a lot longer without system upgrades.

[davean]

And the responsiveness difference you're seeing is probably just the physical hardware difference - MSSQL databases tend to live on shiny new servers running shiny new Microsoft operating systems and have a lifespan of about 3 years because they're fairly cheap. Oracle, however, has draconian licensing and is incredibly expensive, so it hangs around a lot longer without system upgrades.

Nah, even on identical HW Oracle is a dog. At the very least it has a horrible latency penalty, at the worst it is just straight slower.

[microwaved]

I love ms sql server 2000, but it's the only database I've ever worked with. I've worked with it for about 3 years now and find it very easy to use though it does have it's quirks.

[spelunker]

Anyone used SQLite? What's that one like? It seems to have a totally different design than the other rdb's, and I was wondering if that made it harder to work with.

Oh, and why use it? Is it good for like, embedding the database in your application or something?

[btilly]

Anyone used SQLite? What's that one like? It seems to have a totally different design than the other rdb's, and I was wondering if that made it harder to work with.

Oh, and why use it? Is it good for like, embedding the database in your application or something?

Yes, I've used SQLite. It is useful for any one-off jobs where you'd like to have a database but you don't want to bother installing a database.

Here are three typical use cases.

It is used in CPAN for a number of unit tests. You have something that you need to unit test, and you need to run the unit tests against a database. But the unit tests will be run on someone else's machine and you can't depend on a database being there. So you just register DBI and DBD::SQLite as dependencies, and in your unit test you set up, use, then tear down the SQLite database.

It was used at an old $job for email sends. You have a list of people to send email to. If you run into a problem you want to stop the send. But you want to be able to start it up again where you left off. Easily solved - just store the data in an SQLite database that you'll throw away when you're done.

Its simplicity makes it very useful for demos. See the Catalyst Tutorial for an example that does this.

[pieaholicx]

Oh, and why use it? Is it good for like, embedding the database in your application or something?

That would be an excellent use for it. The main advantage of it is that it doesn't run a server. Other databases require you to run a server which you'll run queries against, and hope it's working. However, since SQLite works as a file you should never save unencrypted sensitive data in it.

One other thing SQLite is good for is its ability to create a database directly into memory, so if you need to make a temporary database SQLite is the best solution.

[wing]

I just fell in love with PostgreSQL's way of handling large binary objects. I LOVE IT! Not only do they not smash my tables, but I can access them AS STREAMS!!!!!! <33 Best database engine ever.

[diamonds]

I just fell in love with PostgreSQL's way of handling large binary objects. I LOVE IT! Not only do they not smash my tables, but I can access them AS STREAMS!!!!!! <33 Best database engine ever.

That's interesting, but if it streams them over the network, wouldn't that have a performance impact? I use istringstream for such uses anyways, it doesn't have to be provided by the API.

I don't know why anyone is complaining about MySQL implementing NULL like that, especially since SQLite doesn't reject *anything* you put into it. I hate the fact that I can't make it error out even if I want it to. Yeah, I could use triggers and such, but come on. If I wanted to store a dynamic typed value, make a dynamic column type. But don't let me store the string "-742 pigs" into an unsigned int column!

That said, it is useful for small, embedded applications where you need a relational database with high reliability and little security.

[Goro]

The Oracle: I know you will buy me even if MySQL is better.
Neo: But if you already know, how can I make a choice?
The Oracle: Because you didn't come here to make a choice, you've already made it. You're here to try to understand why you made it.