[ale] MySQL mentor

[Christopher Bergeron]

Get phpMyAdmin and point it at your mysql DB.  If you need a webserver with
php, I will give you a url and you can point it at it.  phpMyAdmin is a
FANTASTIC db tool.  I can't believe it's open/source/free.  It's easily
commercial quality.  It'll make your life a _HUGE_ amount easier when it
comes to Mysql.  I don't know what I did before it.  phpMyAdmin is the #1
project on sourceforge.net (at last check).

I would recommend using PHP to interface with the DB;  PHP is great.

YMMV
-CB

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Tommie M. Jones [mailto:tj at atlantageek.com]
> Sent: Wednesday, January 16, 2002 11:39 AM
> To: David S. Jackson
> Cc: ale at ale.org
> Subject: Re: [ale] MySQL mentor
>
>
> Usually what you are talking about (keeping data unique) is done in the
> business logic when using MySQL.
>
> I always hate it when other people suggest other tools on these lists but
> I am about to do it
>
> You need foreign keys to do what you are talking about.  I suggest
> switching to postgres.  Also get a copy of pgaccess.  It provides you with
> a graphical way to manage your database and provides a method for easy
> data entry.
>
> Your tables look good for a system that is fairly temporary.
>
> Also I have seen some auction systems on freshmeat, you might want to
> check those out.
> ---------------------------
> Get inside Atlanta's Tech Scene - http://www.atlantageek.com
> 'Business Intelligence' is not an Oxymoron - http://www.intelliforge.com
>
>
> On Wed, 16 Jan 2002, David S. Jackson wrote:
>
> > Hi,
> >
> > I volunteered to help some folks at my daughter's school (they're
> > really desperate!) who are doing an auction and need someone to
> > handle a database for all the donated items.
> >
> > I've got Mysql on one of my network boxes here at home, and I've
> > been teaching myself the ropes from the mysql.com info and the
> > debian-supplied docs.
> >
> > I was hoping there was a local MySQL or SQL guru who could review
> > my progress and tell me how to get past some problems.
> >
> > For example, in my effort to create a normalized structure, I've
> > got six tables:
> >
> > 	My attempted normalized structure
> > 	---------------------------------
> >
> > [donated item]:
> > --------------
> > item_id
> > description_for_bid_handout
> > contributor_id
> > description_short
> > retail_value
> > volunteer_id
> > delivery_status_id
> > group_id
> >
> >
> > [contributors]:
> > --------------
> > contributor_ID
> > name
> > address
> > city
> > state
> > zip
> > company_contact_id
> > volunteer_id
> >
> > [contact]:
> > ---------
> > contact_id
> > contact_name
> > telephone
> > email
> >
> > [volunteer]:
> > -----------
> > volunteer_id
> > name
> > phone
> > email
> > address
> >
> > [delivery_status]:
> > -----------------
> > del_status_id
> > status_type
> >
> >
> > [bid_grouping]:
> > --------------
> > group_id
> > item_id
> >
> > 		What they had been working with
> > 		-------------------------------
> >
> > The basic structure for each record that they've been using in an
> > excel spreadsheet is:
> >
> > item#  bid#  bid_description  contributor  address  city  state \
> > 	zip  contact  telephone  email item_descrip  retail_val \
> > 	vms_volunteer  vms_vol_telephone  delivery_status
> >
> >
> > 		Questions and Challenges
> > 		------------------------
> > 1. I guess I'm supposed to combine these tables into a single
> > table, thus avoiding duplication of data.  Ie, if I misspell a
> > contributor's name, I update it in the contributors table, and it
> > ripples through any other tables necessary.  Where can I see how
> > you create a table from links to the ID keys of the tables above?
> >
> > (IOW, can I make a single table like the original excel
> > spreadsheet, but have it reflect the info in the respective
> > tables instead of retyped information?)
> >
> > 2. Oh, yeah.  Do you see any problems in my normalization of the
> > data?
> >
> > 3. Am I supposed to make a script or macro or something to let
> > people update each record?  That is, first they fill in item,
> > then bid_description, then contributor, etc.  But since they're
> > all in different tables, is there some spiffy way they can update
> > all of them in one swell foop?  Have it look to them like they're
> > updating a single table than several tables?  Or if they update a
> > table that joins the above tables, will the data ripple back to
> > the contributor table, the donated_item table, etc.?
> >
> > 4. I was going to let people update the catalog over the
> > Internet.  I was just going to direct port 3306 to my mysql
> > server.  Does that make sense?  Just password basic user account
> > in /etc/my.cnf so no passwordless connections can be made?
> > Any other precautions?
> >
> > 5. My debian potato installation of server and client (ver
> > 3.22.32-6) doesn't seem to include isamchk.  apt-cache search
> > isamchk doesn't show anything.  How could debian have left this
> > out?  Or am I missing something?
> >
> >
> > I should probably break out any further questions to separate
> > emails.  :-)
> >
> > TIA!
> >
> > --
> > David S. Jackson                        dsj at dsj.net
> > =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
> > I don't kill flies, but I like to mess with their
> > minds.	I hold them above globes.  They freak out
> > and yell "Whooa, I'm *way* too high." -- Bruce Baum
> >
> > ---
> > This message has been sent through the ALE general discussion list.
> > See http://www.ale.org/mailing-lists.shtml for more info.
> Problems should be
> > sent to listmaster at ale dot org.
> >
> >
>
>
> ---
> This message has been sent through the ALE general discussion list.
> See http://www.ale.org/mailing-lists.shtml for more info.
> Problems should be
> sent to listmaster at ale dot org.
>
>


---
This message has been sent through the ALE general discussion list.
See http://www.ale.org/mailing-lists.shtml for more info. Problems should be 
sent to listmaster at ale dot org.