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Flat-file, relational, object-relational
Databases are kind of like kitchen equipment: The simpler the tool, the more skilled the operator needs to be to achieve a great result. Expert chefs can produce gourmet fare using nothing but a very sharp knife and a few old pots and pans, whereas amateurs must whip out the Cuisinart and the Calphalon to produce similar results .
So it is with databases. It can get almost laughable to read people’s arguments about the purported failings of this or that database, knowing that the skill of the individual user is reflected by this piece of software more than almost any other. Suffice it to say that many technical masterpieces live in the simplest hash tables, while untold botched messes are simmering along on the latest and greatest object-oriented Java-enabled DBMS.
You can use three main types of databases with PHP: flat-file, relational, and object-relational Flat-file or hashing databases, such as Gnu DBM and Berkeley DB (aka Sleepycat DB2), are
mostly used by or within other programs such as e-mail servers. They provide the lightest weight and fastest means of storing and searching for data such as username/password pairs or dated e-mail messages. Old-school C programmers usually have the most experience with this type of database.
So it is with databases. It can get almost laughable to read people’s arguments about the purported failings of this or that database, knowing that the skill of the individual user is reflected by this piece of software more than almost any other. Suffice it to say that many technical masterpieces live in the simplest hash tables, while untold botched messes are simmering along on the latest and greatest object-oriented Java-enabled DBMS.
You can use three main types of databases with PHP: flat-file, relational, and object-relational Flat-file or hashing databases, such as Gnu DBM and Berkeley DB (aka Sleepycat DB2), are
mostly used by or within other programs such as e-mail servers. They provide the lightest weight and fastest means of storing and searching for data such as username/password pairs or dated e-mail messages. Old-school C programmers usually have the most experience with this type of database.