freebasing

oniian

So here is the scenario, my friend works at a non-profit community health care provider. Being that they are a non-profit, they don't have any money to throw around. They are currently using Access to keep their records for donators. But Access has intergity issues after a certain amount of data entries. I said I would help him out and see if I could get a better system going for them. My experience with databases is with Oracle using SQL and PL/SQL. Is there any free database software that anyone could recommend? It doesn't have to be anything complicated, just be able to preform simple querries.

Short verision: Is there any free database software to create a simple database of donators for a non-profit medical provider?

msuitepyon

MySQL.

thatoneshortkid

If you have experience with Oracle, try PostgreSQL. It uses PL/SQL too, so it should familiar.

There's more info on the web about MySQL, so depending on your experience level, you might just want to go with that.

supabeast

Get in touch with your local Linux users group. I guarantee you'll get plenty of assistance if you ask them for help moving a non-profit from Access to Open-Source.

oniian

I took a brief looking at MySQL before posting but didn't get a chance to give it proper look. But I did notice it wants you to buy its enterprise software. The software needs to be legitimate and not just student/home database due to liability. Is there MySQL software that is legit and free?


Also supabeast, I am a complete n00b when it comes to linux. So in other words how would I get in touch with a group like that?

And come to think about it, it would be helpful if the software has a forms builder similiar to Oracle seeing as after me most people using the database would be low-tech to no-tech people. That way they can easily enter in new data and generate reports simply and painlessly.

Wezoin

I'd recommend heating it in a spoon and the inhaling the fumes.

But seriously, MySQL is my fav.

Nibble

What about OpenOffice Base?

Jimmy King

As have been recommended, MySQL or PostgreSQL. MySQL 5 is fairly up to date on the features it provides. If Access has been doing the job you can probably even get by with something more lightweight like sqlite.

blincoln

Of the two, PostgreSQL is supposed to be much more robust. I think pgAdmin is a good tool compared to the ones for MySQL as well. But give them both a try, they're both free.

oniian

thanks guys, I'll check them all out and I'll make sure to pop back in if any questions arise.

PirateJon

You all fail.

Dude, check out Microsoft SQL server express edition. Say what you will about the dark side, they have good tools and documentation and it would be orders of magnitude easier for you to set up than linux/mysql box.

"SQL Server 2005 Express Edition is the next version of MSDE and is a free, easy-to-use, lightweight, and embeddable version of SQL Server 2005."

http://www.microsoft.com/sql/editions/express/default.mspx

supabeast

oniian wrote: »

I took a brief looking at MySQL before posting but didn't get a chance to give it proper look. But I did notice it wants you to buy its enterprise software. The software needs to be legitimate and not just student/home database due to liability. Is there MySQL software that is legit and free?

Also supabeast, I am a complete n00b when it comes to linux. So in other words how would I get in touch with a group like that?

There are free and commercial variants of MySQL, and the real advantage to buying it is that you get vendor support.

As for contacting a local LUG, just start Googling for Linux User Groups in your area.

an_alt

I've worked at least a little with MySQL, MS SQL Server, and PostgreSQL. Of the three, I'd take Postgre. The tools are great, it has given me less grief than the other two in terms of reliability, and I find project just move along faster when I'm using it.