Relational Databases and Python

[M.-A. Lemburg]

glinds - Greg Lindstrom wrote:
> 
> 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.

You can also try DBMaker which is free on Linux platforms.

> *       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. 

What troubles did you have ?

> 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 are several database specific modules out there. Just check
the Vaults of Parnassus for a list (http://www.vex.net/parnassus/).

> *       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.

Check out the web topic guide on www.python.org. There are quite
a few different systems out there...

-- 
Marc-Andre Lemburg
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