re: a question (TIPS for nothing, BIPS for free)

Boy, you don't want much for free, do you?  ;)

> now, question - we have a huge database (well, just the data, not the software
> yet) of about 1-10 or possibly even more records, with about 10+
> columns/fields for each row/record.

Hmm, "big" is a relative term.  Big to Mom"s Diner is not the same as BIG
to the Census Bureau (Ever seen a terrabyte of spinning data?  Or was that
terrorbyte?)  Are we talking 1000's, 100,000's or millions of records?  In
database-speak, what's the cardinality?  And how many bytes are the
records?  Are all the text fields always filled, or might we find only a
few character in a loooong field?

> 
> We would like to put that database on-line and make it accessible from the
> Web.  We have a public domain database right now, but it appears that that
> software isn't fast enough for such a huge database, and doesn't have all the
> features that we need.
> I was wondering if there are any other relatively cheap or even better, free
> software packages that would be able to handle such big databases and lots of
> simultaneous users and run on UNIX.

Keep in mind that you have to play client-server style games when you start
talking about "lots of simultaneous users" and have a fairly compact
metadata model.  There's a contention and concurrency issue lurking under
that rock, which is why things like TP monitors were invented.

> We are looking for something that supports:
> 
> - authentication
> - client/server
> - _fast_ queries
> - ability to update/delete/add entries on-the-fly, so to speak, by talking to
>   the server.
> - popular and supported query language such as SQL

All of the above is a pretty basic description of a commercial RDBMS,
although _fast_ is something that starts more barroom debates than religion
or politics.  If it's a really huge database, you need to design it and
tune it and monitor it.  That usually translates into $$.

> - preferably made for using via WWW...

This is a little more specialized, and not really in the direct purview of
the RDBMS.  It's more of an add-on tool, whether it comes from the RDBMS
vendor, a third party or MidNite Programs R Us.

> 
> I don't know if I'm making much sense and using proper terminology, but hope
> you get the point...
> 
> Thanks !
> 
> Otis

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Tim Mueller					mueller@silutions.com
Silutions, Inc					voice:  +1 610 692 9519
322 N Matlack St				fax:    +1 610 696 8286
West Chester, PA  19380				http://www.silutions.com/

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  "You don't have to agree with people to defend them from injustice."

					-- Lillian Helman

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Received on Tuesday, 17 September 1996 19:20:35 UTC