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https://github.com/yasuhirokimura/db18
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Yasuhiro KIMURA
120 lines
5.5 KiB
HTML
120 lines
5.5 KiB
HTML
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?>
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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
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<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
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<head>
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<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />
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<title>Do you need Berkeley DB?</title>
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<link rel="stylesheet" href="gettingStarted.css" type="text/css" />
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<meta name="generator" content="DocBook XSL Stylesheets V1.73.2" />
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<link rel="start" href="index.html" title="Berkeley DB Programmer's Reference Guide" />
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<link rel="up" href="intro.html" title="Chapter 1. Introduction" />
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<link rel="prev" href="intro_dbisnot.html" title="What Berkeley DB is not" />
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<link rel="next" href="intro_what.html" title="What other services does Berkeley DB provide?" />
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</head>
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<body>
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<div xmlns="" class="navheader">
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<div class="libver">
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<p>Library Version 18.1.40</p>
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</div>
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<table width="100%" summary="Navigation header">
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<tr>
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<th colspan="3" align="center">Do you need Berkeley DB?</th>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td width="20%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="intro_dbisnot.html">Prev</a> </td>
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<th width="60%" align="center">Chapter 1. Introduction </th>
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<td width="20%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="intro_what.html">Next</a></td>
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</tr>
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</table>
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<hr />
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</div>
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<div class="sect1" lang="en" xml:lang="en">
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<div class="titlepage">
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<div>
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<div>
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<h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="intro_need"></a>Do you need Berkeley DB?</h2>
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</div>
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</div>
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</div>
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<p>
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Berkeley DB is an ideal database system for applications
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that need fast, scalable, and reliable embedded database
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management. For applications that need different services,
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however, it can be a poor choice.
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</p>
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<p>
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First, do you need the ability to access your data in ways
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you cannot predict in advance? If your users want to be able
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to enter SQL queries to perform complicated searches that you
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cannot program into your application to begin with, then you
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should consider a relational engine instead. Berkeley DB
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requires a programmer to write code in order to run a new kind
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of query.
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</p>
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<p>
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On the other hand, if you can predict your data access
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patterns up front — and in particular if you need fairly
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simple key/value lookups — then Berkeley DB is a good
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choice. The queries can be coded up once, and will then run
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very quickly because there is no SQL to parse and
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execute.
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</p>
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<p>
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Second, are there political arguments for or against a
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standalone relational server? If you're building an
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application for your own use and have a relational system
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installed with administrative support already, it may be
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simpler to use that than to build and learn Berkeley DB. On
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the other hand, if you'll be shipping many copies of your
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application to customers, and don't want your customers to
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have to buy, install, and manage a separate database system,
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then Berkeley DB may be a better choice.
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</p>
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<p>
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Third, are there any technical advantages to an embedded
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database? If you're building an application that will run
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unattended for long periods of time, or for end users who are
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not sophisticated administrators, then a separate server
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process may be too big a burden. It will require separate
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installation and management, and if it creates new ways for
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the application to fail, or new complexities to master in the
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field, then Berkeley DB may be a better choice.
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</p>
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<p>
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The fundamental question is, how closely do your
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requirements match the Berkeley DB design? Berkeley DB was
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conceived and built to provide fast, reliable,
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transaction-protected record storage. The library itself was
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never intended to provide interactive query support, graphical
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reporting tools, or similar services that some other database
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systems provide. We have tried always to err on the side of
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minimalism and simplicity. By keeping the library small and
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simple, we create fewer opportunities for bugs to creep in,
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and we guarantee that the database system stays fast, because
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there is very little code to execute. If your application
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needs that set of features, then Berkeley DB is almost
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certainly the best choice for you.
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</p>
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</div>
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<div class="navfooter">
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<hr />
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<table width="100%" summary="Navigation footer">
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<tr>
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<td width="40%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="intro_dbisnot.html">Prev</a> </td>
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<td width="20%" align="center">
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<a accesskey="u" href="intro.html">Up</a>
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</td>
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<td width="40%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="intro_what.html">Next</a></td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td width="40%" align="left" valign="top">What Berkeley DB is not </td>
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<td width="20%" align="center">
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<a accesskey="h" href="index.html">Home</a>
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</td>
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<td width="40%" align="right" valign="top"> What other services does Berkeley DB provide?</td>
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</tr>
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</table>
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</div>
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</body>
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</html>
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