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SQL newbie

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    #1

    SQL newbie

    I am looking into moving to SQL for some if not all of our database, currently all in alpha & dbf.
    The main use is internal / desktop, but have started to provide online access.
    Some questions:-
    Is MySQL or SQL Server only required to create and manage the back end SQL database & tables and that the viewing & manipulation of the data is done through alpha.

    Can you create the usual forms reports letters etc in alpha connected direct to the sql or are they more along the lines of loading a record in from the sql & then saving back

    How are sets handled in sql

    Thanks
    Terry
    Tags: None
    #2
    Re: SQL newbie

    I have been reading a lot on this forum since my post and think I will start with MySQL & navicat lite.
    Am I correct in assuming it is best to install this on the server that has my current adb on & then leave MySQL to create the SQL database & tables locally on that server. From this point can start moving my dbfs one by one with all necessary changes necessary to work with the SQL tables.
    Alternatively do I just install on my client,but make sure the SQL database & tables are on the server.
    As you can see I an still unsure if the MySQL server is required for viewing changing data in the sql tables or whether this is all done by alpha.
    I suppose the terminology is are sql databases & tables "flat files" the same as alpha adb's & dbf's with alpha anywhere doing the work on the clients or alpha application server for web
    Look forward to getting a better understanding
    Thanks
    Terry

    Comment

      #3
      Re: SQL newbie

      Terry --

      I am also a SQL newbie, but I may be able to help you get started. The video library contains a series of three videos that describe how to upsize your dbf database to a SQL database. However, the videos describe how this is done using active link tables. Based on what I have read in this forum, active link tables are slow if you have significant complexity or significant transaction volume in your application. My company is looking at converting our main application to SQL, and we fairly quickly decided this was not the way to go.

      If you don't use active link tables, then my understanding is that your application will have to be re-written using the "CRUD" queries (Create, Retrieve, Update, Delete). There are no sets in a SQL database. The SQL queries take the place of the relationships set forth in the definitions of sets for dbf tables. Furthermore, as I understand the recommended approach, your desktop forms will have to be re-written in order to be accessed through a browser. The result is that everything runs on a server, and there is no longer any need to install the application on a user's desktop. The user simply points his browser to the appropriate link on the web.

      The main reason to go to a SQL database is that there is much better database integrity in a multi-user environment, and thus, a centralized SQL database serving many users is much more reliable. A disadvantage to SQL is that you must install a database engine such as MySQL or SQL Server in addition to installing and connecting Alpha Anywhere to it. This adds an additional level of complexity compared to simply installing Alpha Anywhere. If you plan to continue with your application installed on each user's desktop, there may be no compelling reason to convert to SQL.

      We have found the conversion of our 40+ tables to SQL was reasonably straightforward. However, we are finding that rewriting our 50+ forms to be web pages composed of containers, panels, etc, and developing the queries to support them is challenging, to say the least.

      I may not have stated everything completely correctly here, and others are certainly free to chime in. We are currently supporting about 40 remote locations with an average of two users at each location. Sharing and consolidating the data in our main office has been challenging, and that is what is driving us to go toward a centralized, web-based application. We are finding the conversion to be daunting, but over the next few years, I anticipate that is where we will have to go if we are to continue to grow.

      -- Dick James

      Comment

        #4
        Re: SQL newbie

        Hi Terry,

        I've been working with Alpha for quite a while. I reluctantly made the conversion to SQL using MYSQL as my primary db.
        It took some getting used to, but you can do some awesome things with sql.

        If you use desktop applications, you might be interested in embedding grids and UX into your desktop form (meaning you do not HAVE
        to switch to using the app server). I mix and match the way I deliver information to my end users.

        I chose to put MySQL on a separate server (running Ubuntu) as a personal preference.

        While it is true that MySQL doesn't work with sets, you are able to use joins and views to accomplish the same tasks.

        Hope this helps, or at least doesn't muddy the water.

        Gregg
        Gregg
        https://paiza.io is a great site to test and share sql code

        Comment

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