We have Delphi XE2. We are looking for a database for our application. We have tried Absolute Database and it supports most of SQL commands we need. I see most of Delphi users choose Firebird but it seems to hard to work with. I am so much confused about databases and licenses. Here are my problems:
When we choose a database, let's say Absolute Database, Firebird, MySql embedded etc. and if we have for example 3.000 customers, do we still need to pay to Database developers? Or is it one time fee? I am so much confused because they say when we buy, we can use it inside our building ( http://www.componentace.com/order/licenses.php ). But when we release our software, our customers will need to use the same database of course.
Absolute DB is easy to install and supports most of SQL queries. Firebird does not support most of SQL queries. Is this correct?
When we try to use Firebird, we use FlameRobin to design database. But when we try to connect using IB components, it says "Unable to connect database".
Thank you very much...
Firebird has no licensing fees at all. However, it's smart to help maintain this great project once you rely on it. There is a lot of ways to help Firebird project:
http://www.firebirdsql.org/#consider-your-contribution
Not correct. Firebird is very powerful and supports most SQL standards plus a great SQL extensions for stored procedures and triggers
Check your database connection string. It's usually something like server_ip:full_db_path if you're connecting over a network, or just full_db_path if local. You can always use an ALIAS in place of full_db_path. Make sure you have Firebird server running or, if using embedded, if it's installed correctly. Firebird has a great and very complete documentation and one of the best support groups on open source projects.
It depends on database. Absolute Database is embedded database, everything is included in your exe. Most database engines however are standalone, so they are installed as applications. It looks like if you buy commercial Absolute Database licence, no royalties are needed: http://www.componentace.com/order/order_product.php?id=8
Firebird supports most SQL standards. According to this answer, most SQL compliant embedded database is Firebird: Which embedded database has maximum SQL compliance, and concurrency support?
You must have some configuration issues with IB components, hard to say more without more information. On the otherhand, IB components are for Interbase, so you might find something else better, like UIB.
If you'll choose Firebird, then take a look at IBExpert. This is absolutely the best administration tool available for Firebird. But not cheap. =(
You should also look at Interbase, also marketed by Embarcadero, the Delphi vendor. Interbase is not the same thing as Firebird, which is probably why the IB components you mentioned didn't work.
Yes, each customer will usually have to purchase the IB database. However, there are additional choices with Interbase, depending on how you structure your application. Check how they work and see if they can fit better with what you are trying to do.
Related
Does anybody know of any good tutorials that show how to configure FluentNhibernate for SQL Server 2005/2008. The ones I have found usually just use SQLite, but I would like to see one that specifically targets SQL Server 2005/2008.
I really liked the sample tutorial on the FluentNhibernate website (http://wiki.fluentnhibernate.org/Getting_started#Your_first_project), but it looks like most tutorials I have found seem to only deal with SQLite. It would be great to see a working tutorial that deals with the more common databases in real world applications like SQL Server 2005/2008, MySQL, etc
Thanks!
Tutorials use SQLite not because it's "quick & dirty" but because it's embedded, small, and free. Anyone can download System.Data.SQLite and start working in about 60 seconds, and later switch (or not) to another database with minimum impact. That's one of the major benefits of using an ORM.
Just in case, I want to clarify that SQLite is not a toy database, for many applications it's enough and even necessary since the characteristics I mentioned above aren't too common for a relational databse.
In the case of fluent-nhibernate, the only difference is that instead of:
Fluently.Configure()
.Database(
SQLiteConfiguration.Standard
.UsingFile("firstProject.db"))...
you'll have:
Fluently.Configure()
.Database(
MsSqlConfiguration.MsSql2005
.ConnectionString("a raw string"))...
Each database engine config has its own specific optional settings.
More information about configuring different databases in the fluent-nhibernate wiki.
Which of the Database servers would you people recommend for using in a moderate-to-large scale (will vary from customer to customer) application.
I know MS SQL but since the app will be developed using delphi the .net framework is kind of annoying to deploy aswell. Also how realiable is Interbase.
Thanks in advance.
Since I have been developing in Firebird for several years now, if I were in your situation, I would look no further. The fact that you can develop your own extension library (udf library) in Delphi makes it very attractive to start with. Some of the new SQL constructs like the List aggregator and Common Table Expressions are icing on the cake. Deployment is very light (under 5 MB), and the support is excellent including incredible tools like IBExpert. I used MS SQL Server in a big company I worked at a few years ago and I would choose Firebird over MS SQL Server.
Data Access to SQL Server has nothing to do with the .NET framework. Delphi can connect just fine to SQL Server.
In terms of database engines that work with delphi, another you can consider is the Sybase Advantage Database server
Interbase is as reliable as they come. In fact, I'd like to get a job as an Interbase DBA, because I could uses the sleep.
I would definitely recommend looking at Interbase by Embarcadero or the open-source sibling, Firebird. Both are very well supported by Delphi by means of native, high-performance db-access components and such.
Interbase is a totally rock-solid database - I would put it on a par with SQL Server or Oracle. It's totally capable of handling medium to high traffic for at least 50-100 users concurrently, no problem at all.
Another two worth competitor would be Elevate DB and Nexus DB. Both grew out of Delphi file-based database systems, and both have been around for quite some time (in one form or another) and are well proven, widely used, well tested.
Marc
This seems back-to-front to me. I would choose the database server first, then select the development environment that works best with the selected database.
SQL Server. For 2005, you can make your own SQL Server deployment application that automates installing of Windows Installer 3.1, .NET Framework 2.0, SQL Server 2005 then installing the database through generatated SQL script (Feel free to contact me if you need help with it, I'd gladly help you). If you still insist on not installing .Net framework which is 22MB, I'd say go with SQL Server 2000 as you can still upgrade it to 2005+ when you'd like to.
Also, I had been using Advantage Database Server for few years and it's alright, Few DLLs to copy and you're ready to go even if you'd like to switch to remote version.
Both Server and Client installations of MS SQL require the .NET framework on the target machine. That's about it. If we can use ms sql without .net on target machine then ms sql is fine.
I have being developing in Delphi for about 6 years using distinct editions of SQL Server, and this database server behaved very very well. All of them were critical applications.
So, I would recommend you to keep with it.If you don't want to use .NET with and keep SQL Server I would recommend an older version pre-2005.
This isn't really an answer, but some things you might like to consider before making your mind up.
What do you mean by moderate-to-large scale? Do you mean by the number of concurrent users or by the amount of data being stored?
Are you going to be supporting the database as well when it's deployed, or might the customer have their own DBAs and want to incorporate it into their infrastructure team's remit?
Do you need to build-in complex features like auditing or granular security that some databases might provide out-of-the-box? Do you need to be able to run an overnight batch process on the database in some controlled manner?
Do you need to be able to have robust high-volume transactional support, or is it more for just using as a sink for reporting data? i.e. is it more OLTP or OLAP?
Are you limited by cost? i.e. does it need to be free/open-source, or can you select paid-for vendor product?
Both Firebird & Interbase are great, but not generally well-received into an "enterprise" environment in my experience unless they're "hands-off" and embedded into the application. MS SQL Server is a "safe-bet" for most systems. There is a cost associated with it but, as you know, it does come with a complete toolset and very good support.
If you do go down the Firebird or Interbase route then do take a look at Jason Wharton's IBObjects library which provides a high-performance replacement for BDE when using these databases. http://www.ibobjects.com/
Is it possible to use e.g. SQLite with PowerBuilder? I need an embedded open source database (no additional costs).
Like Bernard said, you'll need an ODBC driver, so as long as you're willing to go third party (if I understand the SQLite situation correctly), that should be no problem.
That said, if you have PowerBuilder, you have license to distribute the single-user SQL Anywhere run time engine. If no-cost is your only criteria, and you're only connecting locally, SQL Anywhere may be an option to evaluate. Not only is it an incredibly solid database, but there's a much larger base of documentation and experience connecting PowerBuilder to SQL Anywhere, so if you run into problems, you're more likely to get some help.
Good luck.
I don't believe that PowerBuilder contains a driver for native support to SQLite. But it definitely has a driver for ODBC, so that is always an option even if it isn't the most efficient one.
I used to use SQL Anywhere, but eventually ditched it for the reasons Joe Landau gave - can't change the schema using the distributable runtime engine.
I switched to Firebird, which has an embedded version, and that seems solid. The only issue is that the ODBC driver I'm using (Gemini), which seems to be the best one available, seems to have gone out of business. (I just checked - it seems to be available on other sites.) And you have to add the following to your PBODB*.INI file:
[Firebird]
PBSyntax='Firebird_SYNTAX'
PBNoCatalog='YES'
[Firebird_SYNTAX]
CreateTable='CREATE TABLE &TableName (::ColumnElement[::ColumnElement]...)'
ColumnElement='&ColumnName &DataType'
DropTable='DROP TABLE &TableName'
GetIdentity='Select gen_id(GEN_&TableName,0) from RDB$DATABASE'
I've been very happy with it. Using it for almost 2 years, with over 1,000 users, and no problems whatsoever. You can also easily switch to the Firebird server version if some users need that.
As noted, SQL Anywhere is available and solid. But it has a disadvantage--you can't change the schema using the run time engine. This makes it hard to, say, add a column to a db that you have distributed.
++ to the comments by DC on Firebird. One of the best free databases out there. I have used it for years for a PB application I sell to Law Firms.
Although I use the server version even if the target is a single workstation. Simplifies the deployment and the issue of adding workstations later if desired.
I use the standard Firebird ODBC driver at http://www.firebirdsql.org/index.php?op=files&id=odbc
There are two good GUI front database management tools that I hve used - IBOConsole and Flamerobin.
I'm looking for a desktop/embedded database. The two candidates I'm looking at are
Microsoft SQL Server CE and Oracle Lite. If anyone's used both of these products, it'd be great if you could compare them. I haven't been able to find any comparisons online.
The backend DB is Oracle10g.
Update: Clarification, the business need is a client-server app with offline functionality (hence the need for a local data store on the client)
If the backend database is Oracle 10g it will probably be easier for you to use Oracle Lite - that way you don't have to use two completely different SQL dialects in the same project.
BTW, In my product I use SQLite as the desktop database
I'll second the vote for SQLite. I'm not sure what you're trying to accomplish but if you're doing any sort of local storage with syncing SQLite is a good choice. It has very widespread adoption and a lot of community support.
I also used SQLite as a desktop database. It's lightning quick and doesn't need a seperate process or any prior installation. All you need is a library to access the data as part of your code.
In light of your clarification I'd evaluate both OracleXE and Oracle 10g Lite before the others. Stick with the same tech, SQL/Oracle have some funny disagreements about SQL syntax and datatypes. I imagine you'd get the same issue with SQLite.
Perhaps I'm not fully understanding the need here. You are developing against 10g, but for your own test/dev environment you want a more lightweight database?
Or, are you developing an application that synchs with 10g database when online, but when offline uses a local store?
In both cases, I'd recommend staying with Oracle only because it will simplify your code.
In the first case, I'd wonder why you don't have a 10g QA machine somewhere that all the developers can connect to.
One advantage you have with SQL Server CE is that it is free and you can use the Sync Framework to syncronize it with any ADO.NET accesible database.
Also, the same SQL CE file is usable from the PC and mobile devices, and if you develop your application using .NET, you can use the same code for the desktop and the mobile device without changes.
You might want to look at Oracle XE. I cannot remember all of the differences, but O-Lite didn't fit my project needs. Oracle XE is a very good database for local development.
Brad
As #Nir mentioned, it's better to have homogeneous environment. However if you decide to not use Oracle Light, I would highly recommend you to take a look at Firebird. It's one of best choices for desktop database scenarios.
My company has a number of relatively small Access databases (2-5MB) that control our user assisted design tools. Naturally these databases evolve over time as data bugs are found and fixed and as the schema changes to support new features in the tools. Can anyone recommend a database diff tool to compare both the data and schema from one version of the database to the next? Any suggestions will be appreciated: free, open source, or commercial.
I use Red Gate Sql Compare for comparing schemas. It also has an interesting feature that allows you to save a snapshot of the schema which you can then use in later diffs. for example compare the schema of today with the schema of a month ago.
I use ApexSQL Diff. It is an excellent tool for doing just what you're describing...compare schema, compare data, generate change scripts. It not free, but it works well.
NOTE: ApexSQL Diff only works with SQL Server.
We never actually purchased it as we ended up using SQL Server 2005, but DBDiff seemed to do the trick: http://www.dkgas.com/downdbdiff.cgi
It works with any ODBC compatible DB.
I've used Total Access Detective in the past and it did the trick. It's a while ago though so you might want to investigate first...
If you're looking for a free alternative to Red Gate's most excellent SQL Compare, you might want to check SQLDBDigg made by SQLDBTools. It's what I used until I caved and bought SQL Compare.
It's not a perfect solution, but I often export both databases as txt/SQL files and then use a diff program, such as the one that comes with TortoiseSVN. You can then see all of the differences. It doesn't automatically create the SQL though to sync the dbs.
http://www.diffkit.org
Features
High performance, for large datasets (+10MM rows).
Very low memory overhead, even on very large datasets.
High quality-- comprehensive embedded regression test suite for the application/framework.
Java run everywhere (tm) — Linux, Solaris, OS X, Windows, etc.
Cross database-- Oracle, MySQL, DB2, and any JDBC datasource.
Command-line driven; no GUI needed; can run in headless environments.
XML configuration file driven.
Free Open Source Software.
Apache License, Version 2.0.
Clean Object Oriented Design make extension easy.
Easily embeddable as a Java library (jar).