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102 lines
5.1 KiB
HTML
102 lines
5.1 KiB
HTML
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<?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 11.2.5.2</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.
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Introduction
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</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>Berkeley DB is an ideal database system for applications that need fast,
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scalable, and reliable embedded database management. For applications
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that need different services, however, it can be a poor choice.</p>
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<p>First, do you need the ability to access your data in ways you cannot
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predict in advance? If your users want to be able to enter SQL
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queries to perform
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complicated searches that you cannot program into your application to
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begin with, then you 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 of query.</p>
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<p>On the other hand, if you can predict your data access patterns up front
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— and in particular if you need fairly simple key/value lookups — then
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Berkeley DB is a good choice. The queries can be coded up once, and will then
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run very quickly because there is no SQL to parse and execute.</p>
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<p>Second, are there political arguments for or against a standalone
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relational server? If you're building an application for your own use
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and have a relational system installed with administrative support
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already, it may be simpler to use that than to build and learn Berkeley DB.
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On the other hand, if you'll be shipping many copies of your application
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to customers, and don't want your customers to have to buy, install,
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and manage a separate database system, then Berkeley DB may be a better
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choice.</p>
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<p>Third, are there any technical advantages to an embedded database? If
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you're building an application that will run unattended for long periods
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of time, or for end users who are not sophisticated administrators, then
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a separate server process may be too big a burden. It will require
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separate 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 field,
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then Berkeley DB may be a better choice.</p>
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<p>The fundamental question is, how closely do your requirements match the
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Berkeley DB design? Berkeley DB was conceived and built to provide fast, reliable,
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transaction-protected record storage. The library itself was never
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intended to provide interactive query support, graphical reporting
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tools, or similar services that some other database systems provide. We
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have tried always to err on the side of minimalism and simplicity. By
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keeping the library small and simple, we create fewer opportunities for
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bugs to creep in, and we guarantee that the database system stays fast,
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because there is very little code to execute. If your application needs
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that set of features, then Berkeley DB is almost certainly the best choice
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for you.</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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