Re: SQL database conversion from Borland InterBase to a Linux SQL database

<cross posting to other ng's removed>

Paul Blamire wrote in message <77j6p3$j4v$1_at_willow.cc.kcl.ac.uk>...

>I want to go to a Linux server, running either samba or netware so the
>clients can access the database and files.

Why Samba and/or netware? You need that for filesharing and not for running client server database software.

>Interbase database to some other format so I can run it on a database on
>Linux.

Like Oracle 8.

>The BDE alias setup can create aliases for <snipped>

..for Oracle 7.x with Delphi 3 Client Server and v7.x and v8.x with Delphi 4. Have used it myself now for many years, and apart from a few minor frustrating problems, it is -much- better than either Oracle's or Microsoft's ODBC drivers.

>Oracle, sybase or informix are what I want to be looking at for linux, but
a
>'standard' alias would probably just issue generic SQL requests.

Not a problem. You can store the connection data required by Delphi in the Registry or INI config file. On app startup you simply read the DRIVERNAME and PARAMS from the config file, update the properties of TDatabase object in Delphi and connect.

This makes both the driver and database to use completely transperant to the user. Caveat though, you will need to stick to -standard- SQL in the Delphi application to support various vendor's database and SQL implementations.

>so I want a solution that doesn't tie me into paying huge licensing fees if
>I do become comercial, and even then I am looking at 2-3 users max.

Sounds like Oracle can do the job nicely on Linux. And -nothing- beats Delphi as development system for quality and robust client-server applications for Win'95/98 and NT.

>Given the above information, does anyone have any suggestions about how to
>proceed or what software to consider, in paticular how to convert the
>database, I was think ODBC, does that sound stupid?

Delphi comes with a utility called Data Pump. This allows you to pull and push a complete database across between heterogenous databases and platforms. Of course, you will need to make sure that you have your Linux Oracle database properly configured before the time, with the right default tablesspaces and storage clauses assigned as Data Pump knows nothing about vendor specific SQL code like the Oracle's STORAGE clause for the CREATE TABLE statement.

>Thanks in advance

Hey, thanks for the oppertunity to punt the two products I like the most on Wintel. Oracle and Delphi!

regards,
Billy Received on Fri Jan 15 1999 - 05:35:56 CST