PostgresSQL vs MySQL

Anon

The Title of my Question says it all. Who can tell me the advantages and disadvantages of both databases.

Planning a quite big Plattform at the moment using PHP and eventuelle MySQL.

A former College stepped to me and advised me to use PostgresSQL because of the many tables in my database.

How can data be exported from access to PostgresSQL and back.

Istz it true that PostgresSQL only works on Linux?

Need some fast answers, please!

Anon

Start here www.postgresql.org and you will see what is available. There are versions for *nix and Win32 (NT only possibly, as I have never used it).

There is also a tool that can be found on the site called PgAdmin. It is a win32 program that will help you convert a MS Access database to a PostgreSQL database. I have not used it on a large scale, but it did some tables for me no problem. You need the PostgreSQL ODBC driver in order to use it.

Please check out the great columns on this site for the upside and downside to choosing either MySQL or PostgreSQL.

Tim Frank

Anon

This seems to be a very sensitive subject for some people,
so don't take strong reactions too seriously :-)

MySQL is simple and fast, but limited in it's SQL.
PgSQL is a little more complex,but it scales very well, and has many more SQL functions, like transactions.

The difference in speed is a tricky issue because MySQL and PgSQL process their date differently.
For example, PgSQL has a different locking mechanism.
It's easy to write a query that will completely 'crash' mysql, but that does not mean pgsql is better.

If you are planning to grow big go for pgsql.
If you want to go for a quick and easy start, go for mysql.

Anon

Don't forget the advantages of views and joins. The biggest advantages of pgsql are transactions, views, and referential integrity. If you know how to use all of these and you know why they are good, don't even concider using mysql. The referential integrity alone should be enough to convince you that mysql isn't the best for large sites.

If you have lots of tables, as you say you do, you should find views very handy.