Wow! Leland, thank you for your considerate expenditure of time & effort in
helping me in my PostgreSQL quest.
Regards,
Gil
> -----Original Message-----
> From: profoxtech-bounces .AT. leafe .DO.T com
> [mailto:profoxtech-bounces@leafe.com]On Behalf Of Leland Jackson
> Sent: Friday, December 30, 2005 10:36 PM
> To: profoxtech .AT. leafe .DO.T com
> Subject: Re: My turn to ask for some help... VFP and PostgreSQL
>
>
> My database server of choice is also PostgreSQL.
>
> Gilbert Hale wrote:
>
> >Greetings!
> >
> >I have been looking at using a back end RDMS solution other than VFP, for
> >file size/capacity/ThinNet reasons, for some time. I have
> looked at MySQL,
> >Firebird, SQL Server and PostgreSQL. For a myriad of reasons I
> have pretty
> >much settled on starting to work with PostgreSQL, not the least reason of
> >which is that my primary target market (and current clients) is extremely
> >price sensitive. For that reason alone VFP based apps have been
> very well
> >received, that the VFP apps have also performed splendidly is
> icing on the
> >cake. I do not feel I can "get away" with the annual (or even a
> one time)
> >commercial license fee required by MySQL, much less the M$ fees for SQL
> >Server (the light version will not scale large enough for my
> purposes, and I
> >do not want to start playing with multiple databases to try to
> shoehorn it
> >as several tables alone within VFP are already pushing 2Gb unto
> themselves).
> >As interesting as Firebird is, there is far more material on PostgreSQL
> >(books, time in market) as compared to Firebird. And, as I
> recall, we have
> >a few ProFox members who have been using PostgreSQL and have been singing
> >its praises every chance they get to do so.
> >
> >
>
> PostgreSQL is a great choice for a database server and it has a
> wonderful license.
>
> >So, what I would like to know is if anyone in our group has any
> information
> >(words of warning <g>) that could help Jump Start my efforts to
> migrate from
> >a VFP back end to a PostgreSQL back end, and any recommendations for
> >connectivity (SPT?), configuration advice, books or web sites
> you have found
> >particularly useful, apps, or tools to help with the creation
> and management
> >of PostgreSQL databases (graphic interface of course <g>).
> >
> >
> I am running PostgreSQL on Fedora Core 4, and I use phpPgAdmin 4.0 as my
> main PostgreSQL Administration tool. phpPgAdmin is a web based app that
> can be access remotely and requires a web server. I run phpPgAdmin via
> apache web server under FC4; although, it should work equally well in
> Windows using IIS. You can download phpPgAdmin here:
>
> http://phppgadmin.sourceforge.net/
>
> PgAdmin III is also pretty good:
>
> http://www.postgresql.org/ftp/pgadmin3/release/v1.4.1/
>
> For interacting with the database server from a web based, or desktop
> based, application, I prefer to use SQL that is passed to the database,
> as opposed to calling stored procedures embedded in the database. This
> puts all the code in the application, as opposed to having some code in
> the application and some code in the database server in the form of
> stored procedures. This avoid the proprietary lock in that can occur
> when a substantial part of the application becomes embedded in the
> database itself. For example, stored procedure in PostgreSQL can be
> written in PL/pgSQL, PL/perl, PL/python, PL/php, PL/ruby, and some
> others. If you develop the application using PostgreSQL stored
> procedure, they might not port to a customer that insist that the
> application must work with their database server like MSSQL, MySQL,
> Oracle, Sybase, Firebird, etc. If portability is not an issue then you
> might consider using stored procedures which could give better
> performance, but I still think having the SQL within the application is
> better, especially for finding and maintain the SQL.
>
> I have a FoxPro example application that connects to a PostgreSQL
> database server, but I no longer maintain the PostgreSQL database to
> which the application connects. It has been a while back since I messed
> with it; mayby it was written to VFP7. However, you could download the
> application to take a look see at the code and how a VFP application
> could be used with PostgreSQL. You would need to visiting my web site
> to grab the download. You would need to access my Shopping Cart
> application, create and account, and then procedure to the downloads.
> The name of the application is smsql.ZIP. It is free.
>
> You might also be interested in taking a look at a perl application upon
> which the shopping cart is written. It can also be downloaded, and is
> named smcart-0.94-i386.tar.gz . Perl is great for creating web based
> applications. The shopping cart application is free for evaluation, but
> I ask $35.00 of those who find it useful. My web site is at:
>
> http://www.smvfp.com
>
> >Following are the hardware, O/S and application environments I
> plan to work
> >within. Unless anyone sees anything grossly wrong with the following
> >environment items I do not plan to bolster anything any further for a few
> >months.
> >
> >I plan to run the PostgreSQL Database Server on a Dell SC420 P4
> 512Mg server
> >class machine with a single 80Gb SATA Boot HDD, and a pair of 73Gb SCSI
> >drives for any data files. I have MS Windows 2003 Server
> installed already,
> >and it has been running reliably for other purposes (dbf databases
> >primarily) since I purchased it earlier this year. Within a few months I
> >will be adding at least one more server class machine to my LAN.
> >
> >
>
> I think you would be much happier with PostgreSQL DBMS running in a
> Linux or Unix environment. PostgreSQL is rather new to windows, and
> would be better optimized for SuSE, RedHat, Ubuntu, SCO, BSD, SUN etc.
> SUN has recently announced that it will use PostgreSQL as the native
> database for its solaris OS, which has prompted Oracle to also cozied
> up to SUN. You might want to start thinking about PostgreSQL under
> Linux or Unix at some point in the future. Also, Apache is a great web
> server, especially under Linux or Unix in which it has its roots. For
> speed, reliabiltiy, and security, Linux/Unix is hard to beat for running
> a web, database, or mail server.
>
> Here are some more useful links:
>
> http://www.postgresql.org/docs/
>
> >I have all VFP versions from VFP v-3 through v-9, just upgraded to
> >InstallShield v-11, and some time ago cut all of my development PCs to
> >either Win 2000 Pro (SP4) or XP Pro (SP1) with between 768Mg and 1Gb RAM
> >running on 1.8 - 3.0 Ghz PCs. The only Win98SE PCs I have any longer are
> >run inside M$ Virtual PC. I plan to use VFP v-9 for the
> transition to the
> >PostgreSQL back end, although I may well run under "SET
> ENGINEBEHAVIOR 70"
> >as some of my older SQL-SELECT statements works so well just as they are.
> >If I end up having to rewrite the SQL-SELECT statements for PostgreSQL
> >anyway I will then move to the "SET ENGINEBEHAVIOR 90"
> environment. Other
> >than that I do not see any issues, other than connectivity with
> updateable
> >Remote View constructs, that I need to concern myself with for
> VFP. In the
> >past I used a configuration table to set up the various values needed to
> >connect to Oracle v-8, and MS SQL Server v-6, set of databases.
> I plan to
> >do something quite similar for the PostgreSQL project, and would
> appreciate
> >any guidance re: connectivity issues.
> >
> >Okay, I am ready for the onslaught of information to begin coming in. I
> >thank all of my colleagues who have any tidbits of advice that can be
> >shared.
> >
> >Hey, as long as you are reading this eMail, have a safe and
> great New Year
> >celebration!
> >
> >
> >
> >
> Here is wishing all the very best for the new year.
>
> Regards,
>
> LelandJ
>
> >Regards,
> >
> >Gil
> >
> >
> >
> >Gilbert M. Hale
> >New Freedom Data Resources
> >Pittsford, NY
> >585-359-8085 - Office (Rolls To Cellular)
> >585-202-4341 - Cellular/VoiceMail
> >gil@gilhale.com
> >
> >
> >
> >
[excessive quoting removed by server]
©2005 Gilbert Hale |
|
