Re: Please recommend me a DB!

In article <31915290.39BE_at_dcdcorp.com>, doug.williams_at_dcdcorp.com says...
>
>On Sunday, May 05, 1996, Bayard wrote...
>> Is there a document available that compares and contrasts the
 different
>> packages available? I have to recommend a database for my work
 within a
>> week. The project at hand requires a linking, relational database
 to run
>> under os/2 or windows nt, preferably accessable by a large number of
>> users
>> on a LAN. I'm not sure of the volume of the data involved. Easy
 of use
>> is a big plus. An accompanying programming language that works well
 is
>> also a plus. Are the programs like paradox, foxpro, and dbase for
 windows
>> pretty much all the same? when does a more powerful system like
 oracle or
>> sybase become necessary?
>
>Progress is supposed perform approx. equal to oracle and sybase, but
 is very much easier to
>manage/tune (so I have been informed by people who have done both).
 It also has a very
>powerful 4gl language built-in. The language is powerful enough that
 I haven't had to drop
>out to a 3gl for anything (except for a couple of Windows calls).
>
>The "large number of users" isn't nearly as important as what they are
 doing. I don't
>believe that paradox, foxpro, etc. scale as well to large transaction
 volumns.
>

I'm one of those folks who has done all three and can confirm Progress' performance. Oracle and Sybase may have some other advantages in terms of 7x24 availability and parallel queries. Progress would be a good choice if the scale is above the work group level. Even direct ODBC API programming gives performance over Jet Engine, they're both on a smaller scale. That will be a bottle neck if you are in the Oracle, Sysbase, Progress, Informix, etc. area. Progress does have a dynamite 4GL, but if you were thinking of using ODBC as glue with Progress, then you've got the wrong solution.

If you're at the workgroup level, ODBC programming should be OK, so should products like SQL Anywhere (Watcom), SQL Server, and even Gupta's SQL Base.

Geoff Crawford                              Phone:    (201) 627 - 0307
Innovative Client Servers                   FAX:      (201) 627 - 0634
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