SQL (learning/Creating a database)

[Vae]

I'm after some advice.

I look after the records for a local sports club which currently uses a rather out of date, unsatisfactory and unsupported software package. I'm half considering building something on SQL to look after the records and possibly upload to a website and store the data on there instead.

1) Is Sql the right thing to be thinking about?
2) Do I have to get dirty and do it all in code or are there more WYSIWYG kind of things (i.e. as though I was working in Access)
3) What do I need to work with/Where can I get it?
4) Any suggestions for where to learn from or books to buy?

I'm probably showing up lots of my ignorance here but any advice is welcome

What it will need to do:

Keep records of people's personal details
Keep records of their scores
Have a data entry screen on which date, venue, score and type of round are entered which then looks up a classification and handicap from two different databases based on the score and round.
Flag up if a score exceeds a club or county record
Maintain a database of club and county records.

[Vae]

Ok no replies yet

I've downloaded MySQL and had a little play on the command line but I think it would be easier from my point of view if there was a GUI to it so can anyone recommend a GUI manager for MySQL?

Also if my ultimate aim is to have a graphical data entry webpage I presume I need to combine the SQL database with a PHP front end to have nice buttons, fields for entering data and displaying the results of lookups?

[Deebs]

Vae,

the one that MySQL AB produce is good enough to get you started and it is free.

[TdC]

if you're running a webserver that understands PHP there is something called phpMyAdmin or something like that iirc.


linkie: phpMyAdmin | MySQL Database Administration Tool | www.phpmyadmin.net

[Vae]

Deebs, Tdc thank you.

I'm having a play with the MySQL workbench now which will hopefully allow me to learn a bit and structure the tables etc the way I want. I'm trying to build this locally rather than on a webserver atm. I'm learning fromteh help files etc for the moment but think I'm going to have to investigate a book to explain a bit more about SQL databases and then how to link it into PHP to make webpages using the database.

[Ashala]

hey there, you can get this wonderful packages with all the stuff you need to run a fully functional webserver

Download WAMP

[dysfunction]

Originally Posted by Vae

Deebs, Tdc thank you.

I'm having a play with the MySQL workbench now which will hopefully allow me to learn a bit and structure the tables etc the way I want. I'm trying to build this locally rather than on a webserver atm. I'm learning fromteh help files etc for the moment but think I'm going to have to investigate a book to explain a bit more about SQL databases and then how to link it into PHP to make webpages using the database.

Could you tell me how you have gone about creating a MySQl database locally? i would like to also have a go at this sort of development as well...

Ive only ever handled a MySQL database that is on a webserver already that has come bundled with my hosting package...

[Vae]

So far all I've done is install MySQL and MySQL workbench. I've had a play about with the command line console and basic commands in MySQL and imported an example SQL database into Workbench to play about with teh structure of the database. Not loaded any data into it yet or tried calling any of the functions. Think I might well need the local webserver that Ashala suggested in order to do such things and to try and call the data to a webpage or similar.

Basicly I'm fumbling around in the dark, spotting a few glimmers of light here and there as I read things in the help pages of workbench or MySQL.

Have just ordered a

book
book

on MySQL/PHP which I hope might give me more of an all round idea and explain some things to me.

[Overdriven]

SQL GUIs (3 I use)

Navicat Oracle, MySQL Admin Tool - the World's Best Oracle Manager, MySQL GUI & PostreSQL GUI for Windows, Linux & Mac OS X - Download Now! Support Access to MySQL, Excel to MySQL, MySQL editor, MySQL administrator, MySQL frontend, MySQL manager, php
MySQL-Front - A MySQL front end can join ease of use with a powerful MySQL GUI
MySQL :: MySQL Query Browser

If you want to make it from a website, you'll need PHP. If you want to do it through a applcation, I'd suggest (*Waits for people to say no) you design it in C# as it has alot of database functions on it.

[Vae]

At the moment I want it to be offline but at some point I'm planning to add it to a website so other people can access it and look at their scores etc.

I don't really want to investigate C# because the last languages I programmed in were Fortran and Java about 8 years ago! So for the moment I guess the best plan is a local webserver because it means I can eventually upload whatever I design to a website (also seems easier!).

[ramathorn]

Hi Vae,

I have a lifetime membership to ASP.NET, C#, Visual Basic Tutorials and Training on LearnVisualStudio.NET - this has some very nice nice vids on all kinds of programming languages and database engines which will be useful for beginners right through to experts.

My venture into programming never really lasted very long and I havent used my membership for quite some time, I would be happy to pass the login info on to yourself if it will help you at all.

[SheepCow]

Setting up some kind of WAMP (Windows, Apache, MySQL and PHP) server on your local computer would be relatively painless.

phpMyAdmin is quite a nice admin tool. It lets you at most of the good stuff and is reasonably easy to understand (no real SQL knowledge is needed to create anything since it does it all for you).

You'll have to learn SQL itself though if you want to make a webpage etc. As you'll need to write the queries to get data in/out.

[Vae]

ramathorn: I'm staying clear of C# or other programming for the moment but thank you for your kind offer.

SheepCow: I've got wamp up and running on my computer and I'm playing with basic HTML and PHP using a program called EnginSite Editor which seems quite useful. It's only a trial version though so will run out in 30 days. Any idea what the best free program is out there for handling writing the PHP/HTML in? I think I've got a copy of Dreamweaver somewhere but it's a few years old so probably out of date. I'm considering Maguma Studio Free unless anyone has a better suggestion.

I'm slowly working through the book I ordered, either coding in examples to play with or just reading sections if it's straight forward. Looks like I'm going to have to find my HTML book as well to refresh my memory of that too!

[SheepCow]

Mmmm I have no idea about WYSIWYG editors, I'm more of a TextMate person.