Alright, for a few weeks I've been wondering about this. I'm a newbie when it comes to database languages. What's so special about the SQL family of languages that most people use it? Would there be any real difference if I made an SQL database with entries or if I setup a perl script - or any other web language - to do the same thing using plain text/binary files?

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Databases are suited for retaining data where there is lots of information or large datatsets. Flat files are good where there are small amounts of data and you have the skills to write the scripting to add/delete/edit those files yourself.
Databases already have the scripts written for you to handle the read/write to the disc. D/b's are sorted and searched quicker because they are indexed by the SQL software, whereas the flat file system you would need to write the sort or search procedure yourself.
If you expect more than a handful of bits of information, then a Database would be the way to go with your project, in my opinion.

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Os,

I just started learning PHP and SQL to make my online game, but I would suggest using SQL, just because it's actually a rather simple language in my opinion and is great for storing information. But it really depends on what you're using it for I guess.

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As a mental jogging, please setup a perl script and try with a couple of thousend records in maybe 6 different text files, you will see the difficulty, specially when you include more than one user. Now if you really want to use text file try XML with Perl it'll work very good. But for large amount of data with more than one user I don't think you will find a better option than SQL server, the name does not matter to much for the concept, It'll matter on the price and the capacity.

 

 

 

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If you're willing to write PERL scripts to manage data, then you're probably wanting to create something with more complexity or flexibility than a simple web page has to offer. For that Microsoft Frontpage and many other similar products exist. If you really want to control data, you're going to want to use a database. PERL is terrific, but it's not substitute for a database.

What's so special about the SQL family of databases isn't really a good question to ask. The reason the "family" appears to exist is because it's nearly universally acknowledged that SQL (Structured Query Language) is the best basic tool for data access and manipulation and virtually every database supports it in one flavor or another.

I've created Microsoft Access databases (which are much easier than most because of the interface it provides for database creation) and also spent the last three years writing SQL code for Microsoft SQL Server. The best reason for most people to get away from Access, would simply be the cost, switch to OpenOffice.org's database application, for example.

But if you intend to build a website of your own, and will deal with any significant amount of data, a LAMP setup is tough to beat. (Linux [for the operating system] Apache [for the web server] MySql [for the database application] PHP/PERL [to tie things together]. It's free, as in free beer, not just free speech. It's stable and secure. And there is a plethora of documentation on the web. If you want to stay away from Linux, you still have options.

How to implement a LAMP setup is too involved for a web post and besides good writing has already been done.

LAMP - http://lamphowto.com/

WAMP Windows/Apache/MySql/PHP-PERL - http://www.php-mysql-tutorial.com/

XXAMP http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/edu/wa-dw-wa-lamp-i.html

That last is an integrated product designed to smooth installation of Apache/MySql/PHP-PERL. Distributions for Windows, Linux, Mac OSX and Solaris are offered and it is free of charge.

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