Software

Ask something
Discussion Locked

Database selection... Need advice...

0 helpful
2 replies

by wowbagger_tip

Closed to new repliesThis discussion is closed. It stays readable, but it takes no new replies.

I'm planning an application that will be written in Visual Basic, and will require a database backend that supports SQL, OLEDB or ODBC, transactions, and stored procedures. As it's still in the early planning stage, I don't know what other featuresI might need, and can't be more specific. Not to mention that databases aren't really my forte. MS Access is not reliable enough for my needs, but MS SQL Server 2000 is overkill in both functionality and price. Is there a good mid-range database that runs on Windows 2000 that would be suitable for this application? Something that can be had for around $1,500 or less?

Thanks in advance!

2 replies

by spikeymike

Hi!

Good call on Access - it is truly a poor choice for use as a back end. I won't comment too much on your choice of the front-end development tool - I prefer PowerBuilder. VB, in my opinion, is not well suited for developing client/server applications. PowerBuilder, on the other hand, is geared specifically for two-tier and N-tier solutions.

If this is a quick, slap it together and out the door app - then VB is fine. If, however, you perceive any length at all to the life of this app (and you plan on expanding the capabilities in the future), then I *highly* recommend exploring alternatives. Besides their patented datawindow control, PowerBuilder supports inheritance, which, IMHO, is CRITICAL when developing an application ofsignificant functionality and lifespan.

Enough of that, on to your question:

Take a look at Sybase's ASA (Adaptive Server Anywhere). It is an excellent choice when you need a remote database and you don't have a DBA on staff. You can download an eval version from their web site. Post questions on Sybase's newsgroup if you get stuck - it is very easy to configure, but you said you don't know datbases very well.

Regards,
-Mike D.

by wowbagger_tip

Thanks for the info on the DB. I'm looking into it now.

I don't have any experience with PowerBuilder at all. I do have quite a bit of experience with VB though. Since the database and components will be hosted on a Win2K box, and there will not be any need for interoperability with other platforms, VB/COM+ should work fairly well. Although it doesn't have true inheritance, it's interface inheritance features will suffice for this app. Not to mention the fact that planning has already begun, which doesn't really leave me with much chance to learn how to work well in another dev environment. The app will not need to serve a great number of users. We're expecting that only about 20 users at our site will need the VB application, with the other 150 or so only needing certain information periodically that will be made available via an ASP-generated website. So this is by no means an enterprise-class application in terms of scale. It does need to be reliable and accurate, whichis why Access is not being considered for the DB portion. While the app may be around for a while, the only changes that are likely to occur would be business rule changes, which would be handled by the components, and shouldn't be much trouble to deal with.

Since the switch to VB.Net will be a major change, I'm investigating other languages and dev environments. PowerBuilder is now on that list for me. I'm trying to avoid getting locked in to an MS-only environment. Although most of theclient work I do is done in that environment, I do work in others now and then too, so I'm trying to find tools that are flexible in that regard, yet powerful. This probably means that I'll continue with either VB.Net or C#, as well as another dev tool that will allow me to develop similar types of applications in non-MS-homogenous environments. Best tool for the job and all that.

This discussion is closed to new replies.