Databases
You can find information about the following databases and database scripts at this site:
Structured Query Language (SQL)
SQL is the standard scripting language used by database developers to interact with relational database management systems (RDBMS) to
- create and delete the database,
- set up and delete tables,
- set up and manage user profiles,
- enter information and
- retrieve information in a meaningful way.
SQL can be used with any RDBMS such as MySQL, PostgresSQL, Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, Access, Sybase, Ingres etc. All the important and common SQL statements are supported by these RDBMS. However, each also has its own set of proprietary statements and extensions.
SQL can also be used to manage database users, data storage details and the database server.
SQL tutorials on this site are customised to each of
- SQL Server
- Microsoft Office Access 2003
- MySQL
- and Oracle in some tutorials.
While many of the SQL commands are common to all databases, some functions are proprietary to individual database management systems. When you follow these tutorials, make sure that the tutorial is written for the database management system that you are using.
We have the following comparisons for commands used by MySQL, Oracle, SQL Server and Microsoft Access:
- Cheat sheet 1:
- Referencing values in WHERE clauses
- Operators in WHERE clauses
- Limiting the number of rows returned
- Cheat sheet 2:
- Displaying the current date and time
- Displaying text strings
- Evaluating expressions
- Mathematical functions
Microsoft Access is a small yet powerful Relational Database Management System. It provides the ability to store your data in tables so that information can be easily retrieved using queries and displayed in forms, data access pages or reports. It can be automated using macros or modules containing Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) code. It is available for use on Windows operating systems.
The most recent version is Microsoft Office Access 2003, which has a large degree of backwards compatibility with Access 2000. Most applications built using Access 2000 will run in Access 2003. Earlier versions of Access are distinctly different, and often not compatible with Access 2003. You can convert Access applications written in Access 97 to Access 2000 or Access 2002-2003 format, and you can convert Access 2000 or 2002-2003 format to Access 97, but some of the underlying code or macros will need to be rewritten.
Over time, we plan to present a number of tutorials on relational databases and how to construct the tables efficiently, using expressions in queries, and other useful snippets. Current Access tutorials are:
- Access 2000 - Setting up a workgroup: If you are sharing a database that uses Access 2000, you must first set up Workgroups for all your users.
- Access 2000, 2002-2003 - Sharing an Access database on a small network: Find out how several staff members can use your Access database at the same time.
MySQL is an open source relational database management system (RDBMS). It uses Structured Query Language (SQL) to create and interact with databases, tables and users.
MySQL is often used with PHP to store the data required for dynamic web pages, although is immensely powerful used on its own. It can be downloaded from the MySQL AB site