I am considering learning to program DB's but am unsure where to start. I know that there are sevreal options out there - SQL, MySQL, Access, etc. . . .
What is the cheapest?
What is the easiest?
What is the most used?
What would you start with?
It depends on what you hope to do with your knowledge.
MySQL and PostgreSQL (to name two) are both open source, and thus free. MySQL is available for Windows, too. (Don't know about PostgreSQL).
Access (specifically, the JET engine) is included in Windows, but if you want the GUI, you need to buy Office.
MS SQL Server, IBM's DB2, and Oracle are examples of high-performance databases widely used in corporate settings, but they come with heavy price tags.
To my knowledge, DB2, MS SQL Server, and PostgreSQL, are the best at supporting the SQL language standards, and standard features.
MySQL is very fast, but has a limited syntax and does not support many features of SQL, such as transactions and unions. This is often a very good choice for database driven web sites, but perhaps not the best for a corporate data store.
Ok.... so we are narrowing the field. Sounds like MySQL is the way to go. I would not be doing anything (initially) outside of doing some database driven websites.
So.... now on to the follow up question... where do I get started?
I LOVE free... So are there any sites out there that will guide me through the initial process of learning the ropes of MySQL or is it going to take a trip to B&N or Amazon?
If you're using Linux, you probably already have MySQL. If you're using Windows, you'll have to get it. For either OS, you can find it at http://www.mysql.com/downloads/index.html
There is a good deal of documentation included with the software, as well as some good references at www.mysql.com
For tutorials, just go to Google and type 'mysql tutorials'... you should get PLENTY.
Posting Permissions
Bookmarks