mirror of
https://github.com/berkeleydb/libdb.git
synced 2024-11-16 17:16:25 +00:00
101 lines
5.1 KiB
HTML
101 lines
5.1 KiB
HTML
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?>
|
||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
|
||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
|
||
<head>
|
||
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />
|
||
<title>Do you need Berkeley DB?</title>
|
||
<link rel="stylesheet" href="gettingStarted.css" type="text/css" />
|
||
<meta name="generator" content="DocBook XSL Stylesheets V1.73.2" />
|
||
<link rel="start" href="index.html" title="Berkeley DB Programmer's Reference Guide" />
|
||
<link rel="up" href="intro.html" title="Chapter 1. Introduction" />
|
||
<link rel="prev" href="intro_dbisnot.html" title="What Berkeley DB is not" />
|
||
<link rel="next" href="intro_what.html" title="What other services does Berkeley DB provide?" />
|
||
</head>
|
||
<body>
|
||
<div xmlns="" class="navheader">
|
||
<div class="libver">
|
||
<p>Library Version 11.2.5.2</p>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<table width="100%" summary="Navigation header">
|
||
<tr>
|
||
<th colspan="3" align="center">Do you need Berkeley DB?</th>
|
||
</tr>
|
||
<tr>
|
||
<td width="20%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="intro_dbisnot.html">Prev</a> </td>
|
||
<th width="60%" align="center">Chapter 1.
|
||
Introduction
|
||
</th>
|
||
<td width="20%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="intro_what.html">Next</a></td>
|
||
</tr>
|
||
</table>
|
||
<hr />
|
||
</div>
|
||
<div class="sect1" lang="en" xml:lang="en">
|
||
<div class="titlepage">
|
||
<div>
|
||
<div>
|
||
<h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="intro_need"></a>Do you need Berkeley DB?</h2>
|
||
</div>
|
||
</div>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<p>Berkeley DB is an ideal database system for applications that need fast,
|
||
scalable, and reliable embedded database management. For applications
|
||
that need different services, however, it can be a poor choice.</p>
|
||
<p>First, do you need the ability to access your data in ways you cannot
|
||
predict in advance? If your users want to be able to enter SQL
|
||
queries to perform
|
||
complicated searches that you cannot program into your application to
|
||
begin with, then you should consider a relational engine instead. Berkeley DB
|
||
requires a programmer to write code in order to run a new kind of query.</p>
|
||
<p>On the other hand, if you can predict your data access patterns up front
|
||
— and in particular if you need fairly simple key/value lookups — then
|
||
Berkeley DB is a good choice. The queries can be coded up once, and will then
|
||
run very quickly because there is no SQL to parse and execute.</p>
|
||
<p>Second, are there political arguments for or against a standalone
|
||
relational server? If you're building an application for your own use
|
||
and have a relational system installed with administrative support
|
||
already, it may be simpler to use that than to build and learn Berkeley DB.
|
||
On the other hand, if you'll be shipping many copies of your application
|
||
to customers, and don't want your customers to have to buy, install,
|
||
and manage a separate database system, then Berkeley DB may be a better
|
||
choice.</p>
|
||
<p>Third, are there any technical advantages to an embedded database? If
|
||
you're building an application that will run unattended for long periods
|
||
of time, or for end users who are not sophisticated administrators, then
|
||
a separate server process may be too big a burden. It will require
|
||
separate installation and management, and if it creates new ways for
|
||
the application to fail, or new complexities to master in the field,
|
||
then Berkeley DB may be a better choice.</p>
|
||
<p>The fundamental question is, how closely do your requirements match the
|
||
Berkeley DB design? Berkeley DB was conceived and built to provide fast, reliable,
|
||
transaction-protected record storage. The library itself was never
|
||
intended to provide interactive query support, graphical reporting
|
||
tools, or similar services that some other database systems provide. We
|
||
have tried always to err on the side of minimalism and simplicity. By
|
||
keeping the library small and simple, we create fewer opportunities for
|
||
bugs to creep in, and we guarantee that the database system stays fast,
|
||
because there is very little code to execute. If your application needs
|
||
that set of features, then Berkeley DB is almost certainly the best choice
|
||
for you.</p>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<div class="navfooter">
|
||
<hr />
|
||
<table width="100%" summary="Navigation footer">
|
||
<tr>
|
||
<td width="40%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="intro_dbisnot.html">Prev</a> </td>
|
||
<td width="20%" align="center">
|
||
<a accesskey="u" href="intro.html">Up</a>
|
||
</td>
|
||
<td width="40%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="intro_what.html">Next</a></td>
|
||
</tr>
|
||
<tr>
|
||
<td width="40%" align="left" valign="top">What Berkeley DB is not </td>
|
||
<td width="20%" align="center">
|
||
<a accesskey="h" href="index.html">Home</a>
|
||
</td>
|
||
<td width="40%" align="right" valign="top"> What other services does Berkeley DB provide?</td>
|
||
</tr>
|
||
</table>
|
||
</div>
|
||
</body>
|
||
</html>
|