SQL and other databases

[Kee Nethery]

> So, I am really interested to know why so many folk seem interested in using
> Livecode to write database front-ends rather than using Livecode for the
> database as such.


1. We already have a multiuser database and several other light client systems that access it via web browsers. 

I have a heavy client in Livecode that we use internally to access and manipulate the data in ways that would be difficult in a browser.

2. If I anticipated 100000 records, a real SQL database is probably going to be faster as the database grows.

3. If I anticipated the need to do joins between multiple tables, a real SQL query mechanism is probably going to be faster than Livecode. For example: imagine four stacks; one with product records, one with customer records, one with transaction records, one that ties countries to areas. Now envision selecting all transactions by customers who live in europe that contain products that are blue. 

In Livecode you could grab a list of all products that are blue, then see what transactions contain those products. Grab a list of countries that are in europe. For that list of transactions, look up every customer to see what country they live in. Toss out transactions from countries that are not in Europe. A SQL database does this very quickly. Livecode could do this but wow it would probably take a long time.

Those are three reasons I would not use Livecode as the database.

Kee Nethery