MySQL and mSQL are popular and robust database products that support key subsets of SQL on both Linux and Unix systems. Both products are free for nonprofit use and cost a small amount for commercial use.Even a small organization or web site has uses for a database. Perhaps you keep track of all your customers and find that your information is outgrowing the crude, flat-file format you started with. Or you want to ask your web site's visitors for their interests and preferences and put up a fresh web page that tallies the results.Unlike commercial databases, MySQL and mSQL are affordable and easy to use. If you know basic C, Java, Perl, or Python, you can quickly write a program to interact with your database. In addition, you can embed queries and updates right in an HTML file so that a web page becomes its own interface to the database.This book is all you need to make use of MySQL or mSQL. It takes you through the whole process from installation and configuration to programming interfaces and basic administration. Includes reference chapters and ample tutorial material.Topics include:
- Introductions to simple database design and SQL
- Building, installation, and configuration
- Basic programming APIs for C, C++, Java (JDBC), Perl, and Python
- CGI programming with databases in C and Perl
- Web interfaces: PHP, W3-mSQL, Lite, and mSQLPerl
MySQL and mSQL provides the essentials to programming with these two popular Unix freeware database packages in C/C++, Perl, Python, and Java. The book begins with a fine introduction to databases that covers tables, fields, indexes, and normalization. Then it explains the history of the freeware mSQL and MySQL packages (which offer better performance than commercial relational database management system (RDBMS) packages, though they don't support transactions or other features). Next the authors look at SQL as used within MySQL and mSQL and clarify where to download these packages and how to install them. Examples of how to program with MySQL/mSQL in C/C++ follow.
One of the best parts of this book is its introduction to using Common Gateway Interface (CGI) and Perl to power a Web site with a MySQL/mSQL database. This section offers complete information on using mSQL Perl (and the emerging Database Independent [DBI] standard) for developing CGI database scripts in Perl, and it includes clear examples (including a student database). The book then moves from Perl on to other programming languages--Python and Java. Reference material to all the relevant APIs is featured for each language.
Whatever programming API you choose, MySQL and mSQL are ready to meet the needs of the small to moderate-size Web site. This book delivers essential information on these packages and will help both Web masters and programmers get the most out of these powerful freeware database tools. --Richard Dragan
