Database of choice

[vroom]

Oracle

 140/14%

SQLServer

 66/6%

Sybase

 35/3%

DB2

 21/2%

MySql

 438/43%

Postgres

 173/17%

Access

 18/2%

Perl Hash

 101/10%

Other

 38/4%

1030 total votes

[princepawn]

if MySQL had stored procedures, then I might make it my database of choice. If Oracle were free, then I would prefer it over my favorite, Postgres.

[BigJoe]

Actually it is free for educational and developmental use. If you use it in a production environment you need to purchase it.

--BigJoe

Learn patience, you must.
Young PerlMonk, craves Not these things.
Use the source Luke.

[corz]

Word to the mother, brother.

[thraxil]

i'm curious why some people who prefer open-source databases prefer mysql over postgres?

i've used both and found that they're equally easy to setup and admin and roughly the same speed (recent versions of postgres have gotten much faster). but then postgres also supports transactions, foreign keys, subselects and all those other things that many of us would consider necessary elements of a real DBMS.

are the various built in functions in mysql that much more of a convenience? or is it just that mysql has gotten so much hype lately that people haven't even tried postgres?

not trying to troll here, i've had nothing but pleasant experiences with mysql. i'm honestly curious what people see as mysql's real advantage over postgres?

anders pearson

[httptech]

I have stuck with MySQL primarily because I'm used to it. I started with mSQL, which lacks some vital features, so when I found MySQL I thought it was great. For simple databases, MySQL is easy to use and learn. Postgres has more advanced features that compete with the "big boys", but I've never needed them for the kind of work I do. I considered switching once, in case of future need, but I didn't like the way Postgresql handled things like OIDs and stuff as opposed to MySQL. I'm sure if I had started out with Postgres I'd swear by it instead.

[Torgo]

What about DBM hashes? They were recommended in "Learning Perl".

.......

Hahahaha! Hohoho! hehehehe. aahhh. Oh boy!

--
I write the code while the master is away!

[Nitsuj]

Over ORACLE? Come ON! PL/SQL is a SMOKIN language and the Oracle DBMS rules hardcore. (of course, I went to WVU, who's computer science is named after an Oracle executive, but Oracle IS PRETTY DAMN GOOD).

Just Another Perl Backpacker

[arturo]

I hate Oracle. It's arcane, hard to find useful information on without digging and digging and digging, and -- need I say more -- PL/SQL?

On the other hand, when it works, it works well, and it has features up the wazoo; it's pretty danged robust, and once you figure out how, you can do a lot with the DBMS that you used to think was best done in the application.

So I voted for it. Its being arcane and difficult without paying $$$ for the courses got me paid for a lot of hours, which I spent learning Useful Things. I think I've finally experienced the secret, shameful world of software development and marketing first-hand.

At home I just use MySQL and Postgres, but there I'm just noodling. Ahh, hell, at work I'm just noodling too.

perl -e 'print "How sweet does a rose smell? "; chomp ($n = <STDIN>); 
+$rose = "smells sweet to degree $n"; *other_name = *rose; print "$oth
+er_name\n"'

[Beatnik]

/me bangs head against wall... who cares what Database? DBI works fine anyhow :)

Greetz
Beatnik
... Quidquid perl dictum sit, altum viditur.

[zakzebrowski]

Speed, performance, cost, reliability, support, open source vs closed source, ease of integration... (MySql is best for free & reliable. Oracle is best if you can afford it. And if you can't have a database, don't forget about DBD::CSV)

----
Zak

[dthacker]

You left off Informix! To paraphrase the Monty Python and the Holy Grail: "It's not dead yet!"

Dave

[runrig]

Informix has tended to give me less frustration than either Oracle or M$SQL Server. Can't really say about Sybase or Postgres since I've never used them. If MySQL or a perl hash works for you, then great, but then its apples and oranges...

[adamsj]

Speaking as a DBA who voted "Other", I am so glad I don't ever have to do any admin work on Oracle.

Update: Okay, I'll admit that my DB of choice is whatever they pay me to use--but all I have installed on this stinking WinME PC is Adabas D, and I can't make the fscking ODBC driver and DBI::ODBC work together.

I'm about to break down and either network to the old "laptop" (is it still really a laptop if it needs a monitor and a keyboard to work?) where I have Access (sigh. I know) or install MySQL, just to have _something_ to play with.

I need to make a Linux box and install PostgreSQL, that's what I need to do.

adamsj

They laughed at Joan of Arc, but she went right ahead and built it. --Gracie Allen

[nop]

Well, I use SQLServer at work (not my choice -- the whole shop runs on MS products) and have grown to like it...

When we upgraded from SQL Server 6.12 (?) to 7.0 about a year (?) ago, the performance improvement was incredible ... we had been considering buying a high speed specialized database (some sort star schema kind of thing) for data mining projects (vs. our transactional normalized schemas) ... but simply didn't need to after we upgraded to 7.0... very large multi-table million+ row joins and aggregates running in near real time -- yes, many appropriate indices, but still really impressive speed

I've heard MS is putting considerable resources into making SQL Server fast stable and cheap -- and I think that when MS decides to put a high priority on a category, they develop really strong software....

Just my 2 cents

nop

[htoug]

You left out my favorite: Ingres.
I know of at least 4 installations that still use it ;-P

[cadfael]

Well, since I choose to work in a real job, I guess Sybase is my database of choice.

With 10 years DBA experience, I guess I am somewhat prejudiced, but I HAVE done two Oracle installations, and dabbled a bit with MySQL.

Oracle was a bit of a pain, but MySQL was pretty nice. Now if it would only learn how to do transaction processing....

-----
"Computeri non cogitant, ergo non sunt"

[pileswasp]

Technically (in some cases) it does now support transactions...(update: after a fashion):
See the first line of this page and follow the links

[SageMusings]

Why ACCESS, of course.

Hey, it's not my fault. My employer will not entertain any other ideas!

Don't laugh, but once in a while a flat-file DB and a hash table can go long way :)

[Maclir]

This poll really needs some qualification. Really, what are we choosing a database Management System for? If we are talking about some very high transaction rate, very large database, then it is difficult to go past Oracle, or even DB/2 (running on a monster mainframe with terebytes of disk storage).

Is the database the back end storage for a particular application - such as SAP? Then in most cases (SAP is almost DBMS-agnostic) the software supplier has a preferenace for one, or maybe two DBMS's.

Or are we wanting a smaller, several user data base? Then probably MySQL.

At least no one mentioned Access. Or bDase II. Or Reflection.

[tune]

Mysql is the best for simple database driven websites. However it works really well with large datasets, and in the future developers will implement a few very awaited and useful features like transaction processing, and subselects for example. Those goodies just will improve it. I am a real big fan, keep it up!

--
tune

[E-Bitch]

Oracle, if you have the dough, or a corp to stand behind you... havent played with too much else.
_________________________________________
E-Bitch
Tempora Mutantur Nos et Mutamur in Illis
"The Times are Changed Even as We are Changed in Them"

[princepawn]

Informix is great. I especially loved that text tool to use with the database... forgot it's name

However, they got bought out by IBM and so I don't feel their future is so bright.

[wardk]

I think the text interface tools you are thinking of would be dbaccess.

Their load/unload tools also rock in that they are fast and real easy to learn and run ( dbunload/dbload ). I especially like the ability to just unload delimited data via plain 'ol sql....much easier than Oracle's SQL*Plus where you use spool and get just more of the same ugly output, or sqlldr which requires a control file.

my main beef with informix is that it takes a supreme being to get DBD/DBI compiled with HPUX.

imho, IBM buying informix is a good thing if you are a customer, IBM rarely orphans paying customers. and if Lotus is an indicator, Informix folks will be around long past their relevence in the industry. :-)

[mugwumpjism]

Where's "Berkeley", or "ISAM" ??!

[coolmichael]

And DBD::CSV? That counts as a real database right?

Right??

Hello? Can anyone hear me?

Michael, who sulks into the corner

[chumley]

Well, I'm using it for a project at home. But that's because I am learning Tk and DBI at the same time, and performance is not an issue here, so I didn't want to deal with learning MySQL as well.

I guess a lot of it depends on what you're using it for. At work we have SQL 7, Oracle, and Sybase databases. Not to mention lots of Excel spreadsheets doing stuff that should be put into databases!

Chumley

Imagine a really clever .sig here.

[chazzz]

and GEMINI, and InnoDB!!!!

[Seema]

When I first started working...I didnt' know any languages except for Java programming, Visual Basic, and a little of HTML. After teaching myself, I learned the basics of SQL, Perl, Unix/Linux, and Oracle.

Though, I still find SQL very easy to learn...especially for a person who doesn't know anything about it!

~Seema

[shadox]

Hey , for me MySql, it is small, fast, there are version for a lot of O.S , and it is Free! :) The only bad thing is that it don't have stored procedures, but there will be soon, i am sure.

[cbrink]

Actually the NuSphere MySQL DB does have ACID transactions, row level locking, and replication. Sorry no stored procedures and even worse it violates the GPL.

[astaines]

MySQL

It's proabably the best simple databse for handling data which doesn't change much, but needs complex processing - like datasets from epidemiolgical studies, which is what I do. :-)

Oracle

What can I say? Does almost everything. On the other hand it's not cheap, and it needs a lot of skill to make it work well. ;-/

-- Anthony Staines

[pmas]

And what is worse - mySQL also does not support transactions.

pmas
To make errors is human. But to make million errors per second, you need a computer.

[seanbo]

Where is the 'CowboyNeal' choice??

seanbo

[Poetic Justice]

I griped and complained when they made me learn SQL 2000. For 2 years I found about 80% of my work life devoted to using DB2. But if I have to pay for a database, or I'm being paid to *Like* a database, I've gotta say that SQL 2000 is less painful than DB2. Damn shame there's no *NIX port. It's pretty robust. More than I would have believed on anecdotal evidence alone. I like working with it.

[elwarren]

MS SQL Server is based on Sybase, maybe you'd feel more comfortable working with it on unix?

[raptor]

damed u included Access but forgot Interbase !!!!!
shame on you...

[gregor42]

ahem...

Filemaker Pro - for interface prototyping, & small business applications in a heterogenous environment.

Also, since I run OS X aka Darwin, yes I use Perl with it.

Also, it functions as it's own web server.

After that:

MySQL - backend for serious Perl/Java development and anything that I run personally.

ORACLE - what I reccomend professionally, and get called to work with the most.

ahemINFORMIX - well, I used to build & maintain fully blown Perl applications that would process & deliver 18Gb of financial reports daily... But now they've been bought out by IBM, so who knows, it'll probably fade away.

8-P

Wait! This isn't a Parachute, this is a Backpack!

[elwarren]

Oracle is an excellent database, you just need to know what you're doing. It is not for people that don't already understand database concepts.

[hacker_j99]

For all those using sybase please see me I have a couple questions and projects I need help on.. If You guessed what I need help on, you deserve a cookie

Hacker_J99
UTC File Server for all your File needs