Relational Databases and Python

[Chris Watson]

> Greetings-
> 
> I am wanting to access a relational database via Python.  Knowing that a
> "simple" query such as "Why no "do until" statement" can generate replies
> for months, I offer the following:
> 
> *	What relational database to use?  I am constructing a routine to
> track incident reports for the volunteer fire department I run with.  I also
> want to track personnel information, training records, equipment, etc.  It
> will be a small to medium database (the databases I work with professionally
> run in the terabytes, but we spend millions on software).  I am looking at
> MySQL.  Whatever base I use must be free.

Erk. I would definately go with Postgresql here. http://www.postgresql.org
Its free, under a BSD license so you can do WHATEVER you want with it, NO
strings attached, it is relational, and is about the 2nd best DB out there
IMO underneath oracle. But who wants to waste that much dough? heh

> *	How to access the database?  I would like to use SQL via ODBC.  I
> have attempted to install the mxODBC module, but have run into trouble with
> the first step (get and install mxDateTime).  That's not a good sign.  I
> would like a simple communication to the  database (else I will write a "C"
> routine to do it for me!).  What's out there?

There is a python interface for the postgresql database. py-PyGreSQL.
It's in the FreeBSD ports tree: /usr/ports/databases/py-PyGreSQL

> *	With an eye to the future, I would like to write a Web-based system
> so that I can offer this system to other volunteer departments in the
> county.  We simply cannot afford $2500+ for reporting software (that will
> fully outfit 2 firefighters including SCBA (breathing equipment) and PASS (a
> safety device)).  Though I have talked with a couple of companies offering a
> "volunteer rate", we simply cannot afford to spend that kind of money on
> software.  How do I get started writing web apps?  I have good friends at
> work telling me that Perl is the way to go; I program both, but am partial
> to Python.

Personally I think perl leaks like a seive and is just plain ugly. But if
you are the one writing it, im sure you will the The Right Thing(tm) and
use python :-)

--
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-Chris Watson         (316) 326-3862 | FreeBSD Consultant, FreeBSD Geek 
Work:              scanner at jurai.net | Open Systems Inc., Wellington, Kansas
Home:  scanner at deceptively.shady.org | http://open-systems.net
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