Re: I need your thoughts ....

On 2010-03-14, Didier Gasser-Morlay <didiergm@gmail.com> wrote:

> I am starting to write a new application where I'll need a fairly light
> local database engine when the user is travelling but with the ability to
> connect to a central db server once back in the office. The central server
> will be PostgreSQL, but I have got questions about the local server. I would
> love it to be PostgreSQL, which would simplify a lot of things as although
> the volume of the local database will be fairly small: a few hundreds or
> records on a maximum of 20 tables, but the queries might be complex and the
> benefit of stored procedures if of great value to me.
>
> My constraints are:
>  1- I won't be with the users for the setup
>  2- Ideally I'd like a one-step setup (db and my app), or at least with no
> questions asked (fully automated setup)

It can be done if you use a big enough hammer.  at work we chain-load
the old .MSI format installer with some values we've chosen for
passwords etc.  it works 99% of the time.

you get problems when the user already has postgres installed,
but they they usually also havethe wrong version installed :(

>  3- the users will be running on Windows and possibly on Mac within 18
> months

should nbot be a problem,

> Is PostgreSQL suited for this especially point 2.

if you can live without the stored procedures and make do with an
embedded database engine like SQLite instead that's make install
easier.