Is PHP/MySql the right tool for this project?

**Jerry Stuckle** · Sep 5 '05, 04:55 AM

Re: Is PHP/MySql the right tool for this project?

weissborn@chart er.net wrote:[color=blue]
> I have an application I have written in MS Access 2002. It is a very
> basic inventory system for keeping track of information about our
> Unix(solaris to be specific) servers. Other admins may want to use it
> shortly and running MS Access over the WAN is no picnic. It was
> suggested that I port to php and MySql. Having no experience with
> either, I'm wondering if this is a viable solution.
>
> The database if very "plain vanilla", i.e., bascially a flat file
> although a few tables with foreign keys relating to the main table. No
> fancy reporting just a few basic queries such as "show all systems
> marked as servers running version X of software Y" type of thing. Some
> of the forms have some VBA code behind them that do simple things like
> change the color of the text to make it stand-out. This data/web-page
> would only be used internally.
>[color=green]
>>From what I've read so far, php looks like it may be a good way to go[/color]
> but I'm not sure. What say you all?
>
> Any suggestions, comments, concerns would be most welcome as well as
> pointers to sites that might be doing something similar.
>
> Bill W.
>[/color]
Bill,

PHP/MySQL is one tool you can use for this project. Is it the right
one? Only you can say for sure.

If you had MySQL and PHP experience, then I would say it probably is a
great tool. However, PHP is much different than MS Access and I think
you'll find not much will carry over except for the table definitions.

If you have other experience, i.e. .NET or .ASP, I might recommend you
also look into those as possibilities, with a SQL Server for the database.

But if you don't have any programming experience outside of Access,
probably most tools are as good (or bad) as the rest.

--
=============== ===
Remove the "x" from my email address
Jerry Stuckle
JDS Computer Training Corp.
jstucklex@attgl obal.net
=============== ===

**Colin McKinnon** · Sep 5 '05, 08:35 AM

Re: Is PHP/MySql the right tool for this project?

Jerry Stuckle wrote:
[color=blue]
> weissborn@chart er.net wrote:[color=green]
>> I have an application I have written in MS Access 2002. It is a very
>> basic inventory system for keeping track of information about our
>> Unix(solaris to be specific) servers. Other admins may want to use it
>> shortly and running MS Access over the WAN is no picnic.[/color][/color]
<snip>[color=blue]
>
> PHP/MySQL is one tool you can use for this project. Is it the right
> one? Only you can say for sure.
>[/color]

The quickest solution would be to use a proper DBMS, attaching tables via
ODBC, if any forms/reports operates on joins then create queries set as
passthru SQL then use MS-Access (on a file share) as a front end. While I
like MySQL for web-based stuff, PostgreSQL might be a better backend of
this kind of setup.

HTH

C.

**weissborn@charter.net** · Sep 5 '05, 01:15 PM

Re: Is PHP/MySql the right tool for this project?

I guess I should have said in the original post that I do have
programming experience in a variety of languages and
scripting-languages.....j ust not PHP. Also have extensive experience
in Sybase as well as in MS-Access.

I'm not "married" to the idea of PHP/MySql for this. It was just one
recommendation.

Thanks for the feedback thus far

Bill

**Chung Leong** · Sep 6 '05, 04:15 AM

Re: Is PHP/MySql the right tool for this project?

As Jerry noted, PHP/MySQL is a tool you could use. I could easily see
you do the same thing with ASP and continue to use the same Access
database. It depends a lot on where this web application will sit.

**weissborn@charter.net** · Sep 6 '05, 07:55 PM

Re: Is PHP/MySql the right tool for this project?

It will probably need to fit on a box running Solaris (Unix).

bill W

**ManChild** · Sep 7 '05, 12:25 AM

Re: Is PHP/MySql the right tool for this project?

weissborn@chart er.net wrote:[color=blue]
> I have an application I have written in MS Access 2002. It is a very
> basic inventory system for keeping track of information about our
> Unix(solaris to be specific) servers. Other admins may want to use it
> shortly and running MS Access over the WAN is no picnic. It was
> suggested that I port to php and MySql. Having no experience with
> either, I'm wondering if this is a viable solution.
>
> The database if very "plain vanilla", i.e., bascially a flat file
> although a few tables with foreign keys relating to the main table. No
> fancy reporting just a few basic queries such as "show all systems
> marked as servers running version X of software Y" type of thing. Some
> of the forms have some VBA code behind them that do simple things like
> change the color of the text to make it stand-out. This data/web-page
> would only be used internally.
>[color=green]
>>From what I've read so far, php looks like it may be a good way to go[/color]
> but I'm not sure. What say you all?
>
> Any suggestions, comments, concerns would be most welcome as well as
> pointers to sites that might be doing something similar.
>
> Bill W.
>[/color]

It really depends on the host server -- if you already run MySQL then it
might be worth the effort however it'd probably be easier to hook PHP up
to access (I've done it before) and code a little front end if you are
stuck on *nix -- if you are on Windows consider upping the database into
the MSDE or SQL Server and churning out some classic ASP-- the code
fragments in the VBA app will probably be cut and pasteable in many cases.

I'm torn - but if its a low volumn app a complete re-write will be a
headache that is hardly worth it.

James

**Chung Leong** · Sep 7 '05, 02:05 PM

Re: Is PHP/MySql the right tool for this project?

Apache/PHP/MySQL is a bit of a pain to set up on Solaris. But I guess
you have your Sun gurus to take care of that.

My suggestion is to go with PHP 5 w/ SQLite. For a low volume site
you'll get better performance than a full-blown relational database.

**Sandman** · Sep 7 '05, 02:45 PM

Re: Is PHP/MySql the right tool for this project?

In article <1125886481.483 240.171420@o13g 2000cwo.googleg roups.com>,
"weissborn@char ter.net" <weissborn@char ter.net> wrote:
[color=blue]
> I have an application I have written in MS Access 2002. It is a very
> basic inventory system for keeping track of information about our
> Unix(solaris to be specific) servers. Other admins may want to use it
> shortly and running MS Access over the WAN is no picnic. It was
> suggested that I port to php and MySql. Having no experience with
> either, I'm wondering if this is a viable solution.
>
> The database if very "plain vanilla", i.e., bascially a flat file
> although a few tables with foreign keys relating to the main table. No
> fancy reporting just a few basic queries such as "show all systems
> marked as servers running version X of software Y" type of thing. Some
> of the forms have some VBA code behind them that do simple things like
> change the color of the text to make it stand-out. This data/web-page
> would only be used internally.
>[color=green]
> >From what I've read so far, php looks like it may be a good way to go[/color]
> but I'm not sure. What say you all?
>
> Any suggestions, comments, concerns would be most welcome as well as
> pointers to sites that might be doing something similar.[/color]

We're awfully biased towards php in this group - so the answer is a simple
"Yes" :)

I always like to keep my options open for future development, s while some data
might not directly require a SQL database, I like to put it there anyway, since
I often end up wanting to make it more advance in the future.

Plus, with SQL, you get the whole fetch/update/insert API built in. You don't
have to build own tools to lookup data in flatfiles.

--
Sandman[.net]

**David** · Sep 8 '05, 07:25 PM

Re: Is PHP/MySql the right tool for this project?

For short term, PHP has odbc database functions that can access the
Access dbs. I guess this would work if you can put the php on a Win
machine running IIS or Apache.

You can then think about moving to a new DB.

On 4 Sep 2005 19:14:41 -0700, "weissborn@char ter.net"
<weissborn@char ter.net> wrote:
[color=blue]
>I have an application I have written in MS Access 2002. It is a very
>basic inventory system for keeping track of information about our
>Unix(solaris to be specific) servers. Other admins may want to use it
>shortly and running MS Access over the WAN is no picnic. It was
>suggested that I port to php and MySql. Having no experience with
>either, I'm wondering if this is a viable solution.[/color]

**David** · Sep 8 '05, 07:25 PM

Re: Is PHP/MySql the right tool for this project?

One extra note. If you can run this from a Win. machine, PHP/Apache
or IIS is the fastest way to get a small app up and running. However,
I would not stay in Access if you plan updates of the DB!

On 4 Sep 2005 19:14:41 -0700, "weissborn@char ter.net"
<weissborn@char ter.net> wrote:
[color=blue]
>I have an application I have written in MS Access 2002. It is a very
>basic inventory system for keeping track of information about our
>Unix(solaris to be specific) servers. Other admins may want to use it
>shortly and running MS Access over the WAN is no picnic. It was[/color]

**expertware@libero.it** · Sep 9 '05, 12:55 PM

Re: Is PHP/MySql the right tool for this project?

Hello Bill,
Take a look at this product
(I am in the development team. You can make
any request of feature):

http://cam70.sta.uniroma1.it/TechnicalPreview/

Adriana
..NET Developer

Is PHP/MySql the right tool for this project?

Is PHP/MySql the right tool for this project?

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