Re: when to use a DB

siva chelliah wrote:
>
> When you start a project, sometime you discuss if we need a DB or not
> for that project.
>
> What are the guidelines on when to use and when not to use a database
> for your projcet?
>
> I do not want to use a DB and incur un-necessary overhead. So I want
> to make sure I really need a DB in our current project we are just
> starting to design.
>
> Thanks,
> Siva

Let me say up front that I have been a DBA for over a decade.

If you have a database server and it isn't fully saturated the question
should be; "How do you justify not using a DB?"

The only argument against using a DB and its accompanying 4GL tools is that
performance MAY not be as good as a perfectly coded 3GL application.

On the other hand the use of a DB will substantially reduce development
time and cost when getting your application up and running and will also
cost far less to modify over the course of its life.

If this is not your experience your developers do not have a proper
understanding of a DB and are trying to force it to behave as a 3GL
tool. In which case your should either retrain or replace them. (In
most cases retraining is the preferred alternative.) Received on Wed Mar 06 2002 - 21:13:02 CST