[PHP-DEV] Database Abstraction
Hi folks. I have a question about database abstraction. If this is not the place to ask, please redirect me. There are millions of PHP-scripts using MySQL. Most of them probably doesn't use an Database Abstraction Layer (DBAL) in order to support other databases. When the requirement is made some day that a script should support another DB than MySQL programmers are facing the challenge of literally rewrite most of their code to fit some DBAL, like ADOdb or whatever. So my idea was to make a DBAL which basically offers a parallel set of functions to the current MySQL-functions (search/replace) but internally parses the queries and re-makes the query into something Oracle or MSSql or some third DB would understand. This would be totally transparent and give instant DBA to millions of PHP-scripts. A MySQL emulator. For MySQL it wouldn't affect performance. For other DBs I would require a little parsing time of the query. I know this is not as simple as it sounds, but is it *totally impossible* since noone made it yet and if some of you think it is, please let me know why. I think the idea is obvious. - kasper - Q: So who is going to drive TYPO3 ahead? A: The man in the mirror! -- PHP Development Mailing List http://www.php.net/ To unsubscribe, visit: http://www.php.net/unsub.php
Re: [PHP-DEV] Database Abstraction
On Wed, 5 Feb 2003, [ISO-8859-1] Kasper Skårhøj wrote: Hi folks. I have a question about database abstraction. If this is not the place to ask, please redirect me. wrong list :) - [EMAIL PROTECTED] Derick -- - Derick Rethans http://derickrethans.nl/ PHP Magazine - PHP Magazine for Professionals http://php-mag.net/ - -- PHP Development Mailing List http://www.php.net/ To unsubscribe, visit: http://www.php.net/unsub.php
Re: [PHP-DEV] Database Abstraction
hi, There are millions of PHP-scripts using MySQL. Most of them probably doesn't use an Database Abstraction Layer (DBAL) in order to support other databases. [..] There are (too) many parallel efforts trying to create yet another database abstraction layer. We all know it's necessary, but we also know that by ab- stracting you have to either reduce the available features to the least common denominator (not so good), or emulate stuff within the abstration layer. Check out the existing ones, first: http://pear.php.net/packages.php?catpid=7catname=Database http://phplib.sf.net/ http://freshmeat.net/projects/metabase/ -daniel -- PHP Development Mailing List http://www.php.net/ To unsubscribe, visit: http://www.php.net/unsub.php
Re: [PHP-DEV] Database Abstraction
Kasper Skårhøj wrote: but internally parses the queries and re-makes the query into something Oracle or MSSql or some third DB would understand. This would be totally transparent and give instant DBA to millions of PHP-scripts. A MySQL emulator. ODBC does something similar AFAIK, just with ANSI SQL as standard dialect instead of MySQL ... but still i'd like to see how you are going to get features like auto-increment or fulltext search 're-made' ;) -- Six Offene Systeme GmbH http://www.six.de/ i.A. Hartmut Holzgraefe Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Tel.: +49-711-99091-77 Sie finden uns auf der CeBIT in Halle 6/H44 http://www.six.de/cebit2003/ -- PHP Development Mailing List http://www.php.net/ To unsubscribe, visit: http://www.php.net/unsub.php
Re: [PHP-DEV] database abstraction layers [from: MySQLfeature/bug]
Hello Mark, On 31-Jan-01 16:33:56, you wrote: I have been crafting my own database abstraction layer, and in doing so create an array of the results of a query. Is this an db abstraction layer written in php (script), or written as a module for php (C)? I was thinking of writing an (open source) db-abstraction module (that uses existing db-modules, of course), which could then be used from php-script as well as from other modules that need db-functionality without committing to a specific database. Or, does such a module exist already and should I concentrate on using and/or co-developing that one? I'd be open to turning it into C, as all my layer is really doing at its core is to do every single bit of error checking and API utilization for all the different DB drivers present on the system. Before trying to re-invent the wheel, maybe you would like to take a look at Metabase. It is not yet written in C, but nothing stops it from being converted. Unlike others it assures inter-database application portability. What I've seen of PHPLIB and PEAR's DB function don't interest me. I hardly see the point of using objects to do the work that a general function would do just as well and without any need to instantiate it. Objects are important to interface with different database drivers using the same API, but yes for the public API objects are not needed, they are really confusing for less experienced programmers and they are also a problem for PHP3 users (yes, a lot of PHP developer can't or don't want to move to PHP 4). I need to spend some time with the Zend API to see if it's really worth it for my time to go about doing it, but yes, I am very much considering turning it into C. I doubt that it is worthy, not just because of the conversion risks but also the maintenance costs. Instead, if you would like to join and contribute of Metabase, look here for this poll and tell how would you like to participate. http://www.egroups.co.uk/surveys/metabase-dev?id=392814 Metabase is available for free and over 4.000 unique PHP users downloaded it from here: http://phpclasses.UpperDesign.com/browse.html/package/20 There are several ready to use components based on Metabase like this for browsing query results: http://phpclasses.UpperDesign.com/browse.html/package/130 or even full application frameworks like Binary Cloud: http://www.binarycloud.com/ Regards, Manuel Lemos Web Programming Components using PHP Classes. Look at: http://phpclasses.UpperDesign.com/?[EMAIL PROTECTED] -- E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] URL: http://www.mlemos.e-na.net/ PGP key: http://www.mlemos.e-na.net/ManuelLemos.pgp -- -- PHP Development Mailing List http://www.php.net/ To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To contact the list administrators, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
RE: [PHP-DEV] database abstraction layers [from: MySQLfeature/bug]
This is something that PHP has always lacked. Its also something that I have always found to be the most attractive about application servers like Allaire's Cold Fusion (http://www.allaire.com/). The ability to totally abstract database access makes it much easier on the developer and transparent to the end-user. While I agree that there are high maintenance costs, I still believe that its worth it in this case. For an initial offering, a subset of DB functionailty would be needed, something that all of the databases offer, for example: 1) $connection_id = db_connect( $host_string ); 2) $query_result = db_query( $query ); 3) $query_row = db_fetch_row( $query_result ); 4) void db_close( $connection_id ); (Perhaps $host_string is the identifier for some defined datasource in the php.ini or .htaccess files) This abstraction (any abstraction for that matter) would open up the doors for quite a number of interesting capabailities. For example, a flatfile "driver" that would be queried, or a google "driver." PEAR is fine for most people (myself included) but from an efficiency standpoint, this would be much better handled from the PHP API level, and not from the PHP language level. In any case, I am more than willing to help out in any way that I can. Regards, === Sean Bright [EMAIL PROTECTED] / [EMAIL PROTECTED] / http://www.seanbright.com/ === -Original Message- From: Manuel Lemos [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Sunday, February 04, 2001 2:12 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [PHP-DEV] database abstraction layers [from: MySQLfeature/bug] Hello Mark, On 31-Jan-01 16:33:56, you wrote: I have been crafting my own database abstraction layer, and in doing so create an array of the results of a query. Is this an db abstraction layer written in php (script), or written as a module for php (C)? I was thinking of writing an (open source) db-abstraction module (that uses existing db-modules, of course), which could then be used from php-script as well as from other modules that need db-functionality without committing to a specific database. Or, does such a module exist already and should I concentrate on using and/or co-developing that one? I'd be open to turning it into C, as all my layer is really doing at its core is to do every single bit of error checking and API utilization for all the different DB drivers present on the system. Before trying to re-invent the wheel, maybe you would like to take a look at Metabase. It is not yet written in C, but nothing stops it from being converted. Unlike others it assures inter-database application portability. What I've seen of PHPLIB and PEAR's DB function don't interest me. I hardly see the point of using objects to do the work that a general function would do just as well and without any need to instantiate it. Objects are important to interface with different database drivers using the same API, but yes for the public API objects are not needed, they are really confusing for less experienced programmers and they are also a problem for PHP3 users (yes, a lot of PHP developer can't or don't want to move to PHP 4). I need to spend some time with the Zend API to see if it's really worth it for my time to go about doing it, but yes, I am very much considering turning it into C. I doubt that it is worthy, not just because of the conversion risks but also the maintenance costs. Instead, if you would like to join and contribute of Metabase, look here for this poll and tell how would you like to participate. http://www.egroups.co.uk/surveys/metabase-dev?id=392814 Metabase is available for free and over 4.000 unique PHP users downloaded it from here: http://phpclasses.UpperDesign.com/browse.html/package/20 There are several ready to use components based on Metabase like this for browsing query results: http://phpclasses.UpperDesign.com/browse.html/package/130 or even full application frameworks like Binary Cloud: http://www.binarycloud.com/ Regards, Manuel Lemos Web Programming Components using PHP Classes. Look at: http://phpclasses.UpperDesign.com/?[EMAIL PROTECTED] -- E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] URL: http://www.mlemos.e-na.net/ PGP key: http://www.mlemos.e-na.net/ManuelLemos.pgp -- -- PHP Development Mailing List http://www.php.net/ To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To contact the list administrators, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- PHP Development Mailing List http://www.php.net/ To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To contact the list administrators, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
RE: [PHP-DEV] database abstraction layers [from: MySQLfeature/bug]
Hello Sean, On 04-Feb-01 16:09:21, you wrote: This is something that PHP has always lacked. Its also something that I have always found to be the most attractive about application servers like Allaire's Cold Fusion (http://www.allaire.com/). The ability to totally abstract database access makes it much easier on the developer and transparent to the end-user. Metabase assures this for you. Metabase goes further, not only it assures portability of the application acceses to the databases, but is also to install database schema from a database independent schema definition format base in XML. This means that only need to tell which tables, fields, indexes and sequences in a simple XML file and Metabase manager installs it for you in any of the supported databases seeminglessly. The cool part is that if you want to change your database schema (and often you do), you just need to change the schema definition file and Metabase manager will update your schema without disturbing any data added to the database since the database was first installed or was updated for the last time. PEAR is fine for most people (myself included) but from an efficiency standpoint, this would be much better handled from the PHP API level, and not from the PHP language level. Metabase API is made of simple functions (not objects that you have to create). Doing what Metabase already does with built-in functions would not buy you much that would be worthy. Manuel Lemos Hello Mark, On 31-Jan-01 16:33:56, you wrote: I have been crafting my own database abstraction layer, and in doing so create an array of the results of a query. Is this an db abstraction layer written in php (script), or written as a module for php (C)? I was thinking of writing an (open source) db-abstraction module (that uses existing db-modules, of course), which could then be used from php-script as well as from other modules that need db-functionality without committing to a specific database. Or, does such a module exist already and should I concentrate on using and/or co-developing that one? I'd be open to turning it into C, as all my layer is really doing at its core is to do every single bit of error checking and API utilization for all the different DB drivers present on the system. Before trying to re-invent the wheel, maybe you would like to take a look at Metabase. It is not yet written in C, but nothing stops it from being converted. Unlike others it assures inter-database application portability. What I've seen of PHPLIB and PEAR's DB function don't interest me. I hardly see the point of using objects to do the work that a general function would do just as well and without any need to instantiate it. Objects are important to interface with different database drivers using the same API, but yes for the public API objects are not needed, they are really confusing for less experienced programmers and they are also a problem for PHP3 users (yes, a lot of PHP developer can't or don't want to move to PHP 4). I need to spend some time with the Zend API to see if it's really worth it for my time to go about doing it, but yes, I am very much considering turning it into C. I doubt that it is worthy, not just because of the conversion risks but also the maintenance costs. Instead, if you would like to join and contribute of Metabase, look here for this poll and tell how would you like to participate. http://www.egroups.co.uk/surveys/metabase-dev?id=392814 Metabase is available for free and over 4.000 unique PHP users downloaded it from here: http://phpclasses.UpperDesign.com/browse.html/package/20 There are several ready to use components based on Metabase like this for browsing query results: http://phpclasses.UpperDesign.com/browse.html/package/130 or even full application frameworks like Binary Cloud: http://www.binarycloud.com/ Regards, Manuel Lemos Web Programming Components using PHP Classes. Look at: http://phpclasses.UpperDesign.com/?[EMAIL PROTECTED] -- E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] URL: http://www.mlemos.e-na.net/ PGP key: http://www.mlemos.e-na.net/ManuelLemos.pgp -- -- PHP Development Mailing List http://www.php.net/ To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To contact the list administrators, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- PHP Development Mailing List http://www.php.net/ To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To contact the list administrators, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Regards, Manuel Lemos Web Programming Components using PHP Classes. Look at: http://phpclasses.UpperDesign.com/?[EMAIL PROTECTED] -- E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] URL: http://www.mlemos.e-na.net/ PGP key: http://www.mlemos.e-na.net/ManuelLemos.pgp -- -- PHP Development Mailing List http://www.php.net/ To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For
RE: [PHP-DEV] database abstraction layers [from: MySQL feature/bug]
Hi, I need to spend some time with the Zend API to see if it's really worth it for my time to go about doing it, but yes, I am very much considering turning it into C. I've really been hoping that someone was going to take an intermediately complex Zend extension and put together a how-to that would help beginners and advanced programmers alike. I've managed to create a working module using the 'web application development with php 4.0' book, lurking on this list, searching on the net and nosing through the code. The module is able to use functions from the compiled-in mysql-module and all seems ok, so I think the basic ingredients to build a db-abstraction module are available... I think there is a real need for someone or a group of programmers to get together and write a step-by-step theory/implementation "cookbook" for the sake of the community. Should I reach that point, I'd be happy to do it, but I tend to believe that the community could do it faster and better than I could right now, and that if if such a document were made publicly available, the community could build more and better core tools faster. You could try www.zend.com/apidoc, which contains a part of the book I mentioned and gives a nice intro/howto to developing php-extensions. It's helped me, I know :-) Cheerio, Marc. -- PHP Development Mailing List http://www.php.net/ To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To contact the list administrators, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
AW: [PHP-DEV] database abstraction layers [from: MySQL feature/bug]
there exists a db abstraction layer in the PEAR (pear.php.net) harald. -Ursprngliche Nachricht- Von: Marc Boeren [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Gesendet: Mittwoch, 31. Jnner 2001 16:57 An: '[EMAIL PROTECTED]' Cc: 'Mark J. Hershenson' Betreff: [PHP-DEV] database abstraction layers [from: MySQL feature/bug] I have been crafting my own database abstraction layer, and in doing so create an array of the results of a query. Is this an db abstraction layer written in php (script), or written as a module for php (C)? I was thinking of writing an (open source) db-abstraction module (that uses existing db-modules, of course), which could then be used from php-script as well as from other modules that need db-functionality without committing to a specific database. Or, does such a module exist already and should I concentrate on using and/or co-developing that one? Thanks, Marc. -- PHP Development Mailing List http://www.php.net/ To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To contact the list administrators, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- PHP Development Mailing List http://www.php.net/ To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To contact the list administrators, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
RE: [PHP-DEV] database abstraction layers [from: MySQL feature/bug]
there exists a db abstraction layer in the PEAR (pear.php.net)
I know, but this is done in php-script, not as a php-module... wouldn't a
php-module be more efficient (faster?) and less hassle to use for people
(php compiled with dbal-module and eg mysql-module, users just type
$handle=dbal_connect("MySQL", "dbname", "username", "pasword"); or something
and don't have to include the php-scripts on their own pages) ?
Cheerio, Marc.
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Re: [PHP-DEV] database abstraction layers [from: MySQLfeature/bug]
I have been crafting my own database abstraction layer, and in doing so create an array of the results of a query. Is this an db abstraction layer written in php (script), or written as a module for php (C)? I was thinking of writing an (open source) db-abstraction module (that uses existing db-modules, of course), which could then be used from php-script as well as from other modules that need db-functionality without committing to a specific database. Or, does such a module exist already and should I concentrate on using and/or co-developing that one? Thanks, Marc. I'd be open to turning it into C, as all my layer is really doing at its core is to do every single bit of error checking and API utilization for all the different DB drivers present on the system. What I've seen of PHPLIB and PEAR's DB function don't interest me. I hardly see the point of using objects to do the work that a general function would do just as well and without any need to instantiate it. I need to spend some time with the Zend API to see if it's really worth it for my time to go about doing it, but yes, I am very much considering turning it into C. I've really been hoping that someone was going to take an intermediately complex Zend extension and put together a how-to that would help beginners and advanced programmers alike. I think there is a real need for someone or a group of programmers to get together and write a step-by-step theory/implementation "cookbook" for the sake of the community. Should I reach that point, I'd be happy to do it, but I tend to believe that the community could do it faster and better than I could right now, and that if if such a document were made publicly available, the community could build more and better core tools faster. My 2 cents...:) -- Per the initial question I posted, can there at least by made available a newer option for mysql_fetch_array() such as MYSQL_ALL, which would then give you null and non-null associative names? Mark J. Hershenson [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.green-ant.com/ -- PHP Development Mailing List http://www.php.net/ To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To contact the list administrators, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
