On Wed, Nov 07, 2001 at 02:27:11PM -0600, Hvidsten, Leif wrote: > So for someone who wants to learn relational database concepts (with > no background other than M$ Access) and wants to learn PHP as well, > would you recommend PostgreSQL over MySQL? I was planning to focus on > using MySQL with PHP and Apache, would PostgreSQL be a better way to > start? I'm very unfamiliar with these database technologies at the > moment and would welcome any feedback. I've had far better success doing fun things like subselects and inner/outer joins with PostgreSQL than with MySQL. Both will teach you the basics of RDBMS's, but PostgreSQL's syntax and command set will more closely resemble those of the commercially available RDBMS's, ones you will most likely run into in the non-"Free Beer" world. Honestly, as far as database administration goes, it's six in one hand, half-a-dozen in the other. I'll suggest PostgreSQL over MySQL because that's what I'm most comfortable with. PHP interfaces well with either one. A nice PHP library you should look at is called adodb[1]. It provides you with a single set of function calls to use, but let's you interface with either database -- as well as many others. PHPLib[2] and PEAR[3] will let you do the same type of thing as well. 1. http://php.weblogs.com/ADODB 2. http://phplib.sourceforge.net/ 3. http://sourceforge.net/projects/pearsession -- Chad Walstrom <chewie at wookimus.net> | a.k.a. ^chewie http://www.wookimus.net/ | s.k.a. gunnarr Key fingerprint = B4AB D627 9CBD 687E 7A31 1950 0CC7 0B18 206C 5AFD