Linux mySQL vs. Windows MS SQL?

[Jeremy_Williams]

In the past, I have used Classic ASP in conjunction with MS Access databases. I am attempting to expand my horizons by utilizing what I understand to be the two other, more mainstream options as databases: mySQL or SQL (also known as MS SQL.) I understand that MS Access does not do a terrific job when it comes to large database files or high traffic. I am trying to educate myself as to the pros and cons of mySQL and SQL (or MS SQL). Does anyone know of any site(s) that may discuss these different options?

I have a couple of specific questions. Obviously, MS Access is very user friendly in accessing the database, forming tables, connecting to your site using (Classic) ASP, etc. I am trying to figure out how I can easily do the same with either mySQL or SQL. I understand there is a great program called phpMyAdmin that enables you to access and administer a mySQL database fairly easily, and yet from what I understand, you have to set this up on a Linux server using PHP?

Furthermore, I also understand that mySQL is free, whereas SQL (MS SQL) is not. This, of course, does not even get into the discussion of which kind of programming language is the best--ASP, ASP.net, PHP, etc. I am trying to wrap my brain around the big picture, so to speak, in order to determine which road is the best for me to travel down for my own specific requirements. I currently host all of my sites on Windows servers and don't know if they are compatible when using a mySQL database and phpMyAdmin.

Thank you in advance for any kind assistance in helping me to get some clarity on this important issue...

[Newsgroup_User]

Jeremy Williams wrote:
> mySQL or SQL (also known as
> MS SQL.)

MySQL is a relational database management system created by MySQL AB of
Sweden. MS SQL Server is Microsoft's relational database management system.

SQL is Structured Query Language, the recognized standard for
communicating with databases. It is used by both MySQL and MS SQL
Server, although there are some differences in syntax and supported
features.

> I understand there is a great program called
> phpMyAdmin that enables you to access and administer a mySQL database fairly
> easily, and yet from what I understand, you have to set this up on a Linux
> server using PHP?

Although I like phpMyAdmin very much, it's not perfect. However, you
don't need to run it on Linux. It runs on any server that is configured
to use PHP - Windows, Linux, or Mac OS X.

> Furthermore, I also understand that mySQL is free, whereas SQL (MS SQL) is
> not. This, of course, does not even get into the discussion of which kind of
> programming language is the best--ASP, ASP.net, PHP, etc. I am trying to wrap
> my brain around the big picture, so to speak, in order to determine which road
> is the best for me to travel down for my own specific requirements. I
> currently host all of my sites on Windows servers and don't know if they are
> compatible when using a mySQL database and phpMyAdmin.

PHP, phpMyAdmin and MySQL all run very successfully on Windows. They are
all free, although MySQL does also offer a commercial licence for people
with specific needs not covered by the free licence. If you have no
experience of working with databases and/or a server-side language,
forget about ASP. Although it's very popular and still widely supported,
Microsoft stopped development several years ago. All MS development is
now devoted to ASP.NET. So your choice is PHP, ASP.NET, or ColdFusion.
There's also JSP, but that tends to be for heavy industrial use.

PHP is relatively easy to learn, and has a very large support base.
ColdFusion is also easy to learn, but much less widely supported.
ASP.NET has an almost fanatical body of supporters, but it is more complex.

In the end, they all do basically the same job. Whichever you choose,
you should definitely move away from Access. It's not really suitable as
a backend for a website, except perhaps one that gets only a small
amount of traffic.

--
David Powers
Author, "Foundation PHP for Dreamweaver 8" (friends of ED)
Author, "Foundation PHP 5 for Flash" (friends of ED)
http://foundationphp.com/

[Jeremy_Williams]

David,

I am familiar with your books! I very much appreciate your reply and for clarifying SQL in relation to mySQL and to MS SQL. In the past, I have worked with (Classic) ASP and MS Access. I understand that PHP is very similar to ASP and has much less of a learning curve than ASP.net. I know what you mean about how users of ASP.net are fanatical. They make it sound as though ASP.net will soon be the only technology out there and that everything else will drift into history. (Of course Classic ASP probably will at some point).

Thank you for clarifying that PHP runs on windows servers. I was under the impression that PHP can only run on a limited basis on windows servers. I thought this because a number of my web site hosting services only offer PHP with their Linux packages.

If you don't mind, I have one more question...

Knowing that I do not have much experience with mySQL, what program do you think would be a good one to use in order to access and administer mySQL? I mentioned phpMyAdmin and you replied that it is not perfect. Is there another program that you would recommend? I suppose my main point in asking this is that I am used to the familiarity of MS Access. It is quite user friendly in its administration and I understand that you need something like phpMyAdmin to do the same with mySQL.

Thank you again.

[Newsgroup_User]

Try Navicat by a company called PremiumSoft. I find it very good. You also
need to be aware that if you are looking to upgrade to MySQL or MS SQL
Server (more importantly) from Access, you have a lot of learning in front
of you. You will need to set aside some study time to get to know how these
Database servers work and what they are are capable of. In comparison to
Access, they are both far more powerful and feature rich but also far more
complicated. You are talking about jumping from database software that was
designed to store relatively small amounts of data with very few users
accessing it to a Database server that can comfortably service a very large
company that has thousands of users. The two are very, very different.

Pat.


"Jeremy Williams" <webforumsuser@macromedia.com> wrote in message
news:e21en6$e3l$1@forums.macromedia.com...
> David,
>
> I am familiar with your books! I very much appreciate your reply and for
> clarifying SQL in relation to mySQL and to MS SQL. In the past, I have
> worked
> with (Classic) ASP and MS Access. I understand that PHP is very similar
> to ASP
> and has much less of a learning curve than ASP.net. I know what you mean
> about
> how users of ASP.net are fanatical. They make it sound as though ASP.net
> will
> soon be the only technology out there and that everything else will drift
> into
> history. (Of course Classic ASP probably will at some point).
>
> Thank you for clarifying that PHP runs on windows servers. I was under
> the
> impression that PHP can only run on a limited basis on windows servers. I
> thought this because a number of my web site hosting services only offer
> PHP
> with their Linux packages.
>
> If you don't mind, I have one more question...
>
> Knowing that I do not have much experience with mySQL, what program do you
> think would be a good one to use in order to access and administer mySQL?
> I
> mentioned phpMyAdmin and you replied that it is not perfect. Is there
> another
> program that you would recommend? I suppose my main point in asking this
> is
> that I am used to the familiarity of MS Access. It is quite user friendly
> in
> its administration and I understand that you need something like
> phpMyAdmin to
> do the same with mySQL.
>
> Thank you again.
>
>

[Newsgroup_User]

Jeremy Williams wrote:
> Thank you for clarifying that PHP runs on windows servers. I was under the
> impression that PHP can only run on a limited basis on windows servers. I
> thought this because a number of my web site hosting services only offer PHP
> with their Linux packages.

PHP's native environment is Linux, and it works best with the Apache web
server. Many hosting companies that offer PHP on Windows servers run it
in CGI mode, which is more limited, but unless you're planning to do
very sophisticated things, it shouldn't matter. What I consider to be
more important is the willingness of the host to offer PHP 5. Many
hosts, including those using Linux servers, have stuck with PHP 4. Since
PHP 6 is expected to come out towards the end of this year, it's
possible that many hosts will never upgrade to PHP 5. The question is:
will they ever bother to upgrade to PHP 6 either?

PHP 5 offers considerable benefits over PHP 4, and MySQL 5.0 is also
much better than MySQL 3.23, which is what many hosts are still using.
If you go the PHP/MySQL route, make sure you get a host that offers a
minimum of PHP 5 and MySQL 4.1.

> If you don't mind, I have one more question...
>
> Knowing that I do not have much experience with mySQL, what program do you
> think would be a good one to use in order to access and administer mySQL? I
> mentioned phpMyAdmin and you replied that it is not perfect. Is there another
> program that you would recommend? I suppose my main point in asking this is
> that I am used to the familiarity of MS Access. It is quite user friendly in
> its administration and I understand that you need something like phpMyAdmin to
> do the same with mySQL.

As Pat Shaw has warned you, MySQL and MS SQL Server are very different
from Access. I have never used MS SQL Server, so can't comment on it.
However, I have always found MySQL very easy to work with. What puts off
a lot of people is that MySQL is normally accessed as a command line
program (in a DOS window). That's the way I learned how to use MySQL,
and I'm quite comfortable with it, but a lot of people want a graphical
interface.

I have tried out several, and the one I prefer is phpMyAdmin. The reason
that I say it's not perfect is because it doesn't have all the bells and
whistles that you might be expecting if you come from Access. However, I
use it all the time to set up new database tables, and do certain
administrative jobs, such as setting up user accounts.

MySQL also has two graphical interface tools of its own: Administrator
and Query Browser. They have got very slick interfaces, and have some
very powerful functionality. I've not used them for a long time because
most hosting companies provide phpMyAdmin as the standard interface to
MySQL, so it makes more sense for me to be fully at home with something
my readers use.

--
David Powers
Author, "Foundation PHP for Dreamweaver 8" (friends of ED)
Author, "Foundation PHP 5 for Flash" (friends of ED)
http://foundationphp.com/

[Newsgroup_User]

> Thank you in advance for any kind assistance in helping me to get some
> clarity
> on this important issue...

An oversimplified way to pick the DB:

use PHP -> use mySQL
use ASP.NET -> use MSSQL

-Darrel