{SPAM?} SQL Qeries via XMLRPC

[Simon Wittber]

In a recent project, we came across a problem using the FreeTDS (MS SQL /
Sybase DB API) libraries on a Linux box.

To cut a long story short, we ending up exposing the functions we needed
from a Win32 machine, via XMLRPC, in Python, so that we could run ad-hoc
queries on the SQL Server which was running on that same machine.

Side point: The timeliness at which I was able to achieve this impressed the
boss. Python code is now springing up everywhere :-)

I am now considering implementing persistent connections, authentication,
and perhaps even "stored procedures" in this tiny XMLRPC Server. This would
provide a consistent database interface to all our applications (written in
various languages) and allow us to consider things like load balancing and
query caching. It would also make a move from the proprietary SQL Server to
a Free RDBMS much easier (portable stored procedures, same API etc).

The problem is, I have a tiny little nag in my mind about the use of XMLRPC
(and therefore HTTP) to implement this.

Has anyone done this sort of thing before? 

Are there any problems with this strategy that I have not considered?

Should I be considering the standard python XMLRPC / HTTP / SocketServer
modules for mission critical production systems?

Regards,

Simon Wittber.