MS Access-like functionality for Linux?
 

Howdy all,

I have recently come to the conclusion that I'd like to try making the big switch to Linux at home. So I installed RH8.0 on a test machine and told myself that if I could get 90% of my WinXP functionality - I'd switch. So far, I am very impressed. While there is def. a learning curve involved, I'm willing to take time and figure most things out. But I have run into one small issue and I wanted to ask advice, so onto the question:

I regularly use MS Access under WinXP. I maintain a pretty simplistic table which I use on my webpage for ASP. I am really in need of a simple, GUI-based, Access-like app. that runs under KDE. I tried installing MySQL and UnixODBC - then linking that to OpenOffice, but failed miserably somewhere in the ODBC link setup.

Is there anything the provides Access-like functionality under Linux? I mean simple table editing, graphical SQL building, forms, reports, etc.? I noticed that StarOffice seems to have a DB app. that I am supposing is trying to approximate MS Access - but I think the price is a tad too much (read: it's not free).

Anyway, sorry to ramble. Thanks in advance for any help.

OpenOffice will play nicely with practically any database out there. My recommendation (having done database on Linux for many, many years now) is PostgreSQL. It's faster, more stable and FAR more powerful than MySQL, although MySQL has found quite a niche market when it comes to web-based stuff.

Linking to OO shouldn't be an issue -- is your UnixODBC current and configured correctly?

TheKompany makes a few decent database apps. DataArchitect is a database design program. Rekall is a report forms generator. Between OO and those applications I haven't had any issue with database access under Linux.

StarOffice has Adabas D. Don't buy SO if that's all you want from it, as it is HORRIBLE to install and set up. You are FAR further ahead by putting Postgres somewhere and using ODBC.

$79 is a tad too much? I imagine that your copy of XP and Office is pirated then.

Thanks much for the suggestions akohlsmith, I really appreciate it.

And no, to be honest $79 is very reasonable. I was just trying to slide a joke in there. As for the piracy comment, let's say that I'm moving to Linux in an attempt to avoid some of those Win32 issues... making up for what I now consider to be some poor judgement in that dept.... (read: If Billy browsed my machine, he'd be powerful pissed).

Thanks again, will test some of your options now!

All I really need to be totally Microsoft free at this office is a CAD package that meets or exceeds AutoCAD Mechanical Desktop and Inventor, and then to be able to get some of my electronic design tools (MPLAB ICE-2000) to work with WINE. StarOffice has done a great job for me, and even if I were to continue running Win2k on a few computers, it works great on Windows.

Yeah, would also be nice to have a board/circuit CAD package like Cadence/Allegro... but I'm assuming that will not happen for a LONG time (maybe ever).

Thanks again.

Eagle (cadsoft.de) exists but I'm far too used to Orcad/386 (which I almost have working well in dosemu)

akohlsmith:

Is there a tutorial somewhere on how to setup the UnixODBC correctly, I think that's where I'm screwing up somehow...

try http://www.unixodbc.org/doc/OOoMySQL.pdf
it worked for me

I find the gtk and qt front-ends unixODBC make the job pretty simple, you need to make sure your DMBS is up and runing, and accepting connections first.

I have to agree with akohlsmith, PostgreSQL is a great DBMS. I would highly recommend it, and it comes with great docs too.

be careful,

I have done the migration from access to postgres under a linux environment (I also changed all the code to php from asp)

here is a couple of things to note when doing the same:

-> When installing PostGreSQL: (Refer mainly to the documentation online postgres.org)

- First compile, make and get use to the idea of a seperate user for accessing the database (one called postgres, and another for apache (also called apache))

- Make sure there is a share/db inside your postmaster (sql server) even if it's not setup

- Connect to your server in the unix console (not using tcp) and if it works, try get ot to startup on boot (you will need to use the long address for accessing the terminal client named 'psql')

- Once you are certain your database is running when you're computer boots, now setup the TCP connection

- Here's why: If you were like me and you straight away try to connect to your database over the network and get "connection refused" for half a day, it's because the service is not running properly, solution?

- Trouble shooting, start the service in terminal with no logging (to stop the process at any time use ctrl+c), open another terminal and use 'psql localhost' (you might need the full location to access psql) which means your server works, then try getting loggin working and it starting on boot

- Petty damn sure that you don't have access on tcp? then mybe you don't, you need to add your host to the pb_something.conf file and allow tcp connections both in the postmaster.conf file and in your startup command (it looks something like
postmaster -N "data/location" -o '-i"

Refer to google.com for help on that

-There are programs which can copy your access database into postgres, but only in windows I think, I'm going to write a script tomorrow.. but it's in php so it probably wont help you, you can email me at admin@digit-1.com to get these scripts

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Once you get it going use the new postsql admin III for administrating it, it's wacky! but it;s so much more structured, and you'll eventually learn the proper way in which a database works (you're playing with the big boys now)

Goodluck!

I believe that Cadence is available for Linux

PostgreSQL
 

I made my living for several years programming MS Access. I found it not very robust; databases that were used only once a year ALWAYS got broken during the idle period. Every release of Access was 50% fatter than the previous one, and there were correspondingly more bugs. I switched to Delphi using Paradox tables (dBase tables have to be reindexed too often) and then to Kylix. I never could connect with any database from Kylix. However, I switched all my databases to PostgreSQL (now using 7.3). I still have to use it from psql, but its performance is flawless. Am working presently toward using PyQt as the interface.
Pgsql does have a lot of features that MySQL doesn't, such as triggers and stored procs. I haven't used them yet, but it's better to be prepared, especially when the price is right!