Le dimanche 25 Juillet 2004 21:28, [EMAIL PROTECTED] a écrit : > > Let me explain, I guess I did no express myself clear. > > There is quit some SQL-generating software (like MDA*-software, but also all kind > of GUI's for databases, and these kind of GUI's can be everywhere in many kinds > of software), and that software expects that the most fundamental SQL is > understood. > It expects the engine to be able to create, drop and alter tables/indices, and it > expects the engine to support common datatypes, and common select/join- > constructions. > > This software is not prepared for workarounds because an engine has an omision > like not understanding ALTER TABLE. > As far as I know is SQLite the only sql-engine which does not understand ALTER > TABLE. > > It causes me a lot of trouble. I am even writing a small converting-programm which > converts an SQLite-database to a Firebird database (inclusive data). Let the > Firebird-database be manipulated by the SQL-generating and SQL-manipulating > software (MDA), and convert it back to the SQLite database, then switch the > connectors back to SQLite and in that way fool the MDA so it thinks it had > changed the SQLite database, and I can go on with my work. > > I hope I expressed myself clear now. > That's exactly the same with OOo : the OOo database GUI doesn't allow the user to modify an existing table, simply because SQLite doesn't support ALTER TABLE. And it's the same with Kexi ... When I say that ALTER TABLE is the most wanted feature, I mean in an end user point of vue. For a developper there's always a solution ! But for a poor OOo user (they are millions) who trys to build his own small database with his office suite (or anything else), it's difficult to understand why he can't modify a table when he has made a mistake. Most of them don't know SQL and have never heard about ALTER TABLE. I've written a howto for OOo users to explain how they can use SQLite Databases with the ODBC driver. After the publication of this howto, I have recieved tons of mails from people who asked why they couldn't modify existing tables with SQLite, but can do it with MySQL and OOo. But these people are not on this list ... OOo supports a lot of different database systems and it can adapt itself to the particularities of each one.
My goal is not at all to criticize SQLite developpers. I want to thank them to have developped such a performant and universal file based database. When I see that it's choosen by more and more developpers for their program, I know that it's a good system ! And i'm happy to be able to use it each day with OOo. Of course I dream to see it one day integrated in OOo, like it is already in many others systems (PHP for example). Best regards. Yves
