[Tutor] Open Source database software

[Alan Gauld]

"Mike Meisner" <mikem at blazenetme.net> wrote

> I'd like to get away from using Microsoft Access.  
> I have a number of Access databases to convert.

The obvious choice would be the OpenOffice DB.
I believe it can read Access format - although I've never tried...

> 1.  A relational database management system for a single user 
> (i.e, I don't need client/server and all the extra baggage 

A server based RDBMS is not a lot of extra baggage, 
especially small ones like Firebird but if you really don't 
want a server solution then SQLite which comes with Python
is file based and good enough for anything but enormous 
databases.

> 3.  A good GUI front end for creating the database, 
> creating forms for user data input, queries, reports, etc.

With opensource the GUI tends to be an add on so you 
get a separate choice over which front end you want. 
Personally I don't ever use them so can make no comment, 
I prefer SQL.

> Smart enough to easily read and convert an Access 
> (.mdb) database file.

THat is likely to be another tool too. Apart from OpenOffice 
I don't think the databases typically feature conversion tools.

> everything either in Python or with APIs that Python can 
> easily use.

Again SQLite is the obvious choice here but most databases 
can be accessed from Python via the standard DBAPI and a 
suitable driver..

HTH,


-- 
Alan Gauld
Author of the Learn to Program web site
http://www.freenetpages.co.uk/hp/alan.gauld