Why no SQL Database Backend?

[Herbert Thoma]

Am 10.09.2013 20:32, schrieb David T.:
> I believe the answer is "history."

Yes, the answer definitively is history.

My GnuCash file starts Jan. 1st, 1999, and it still has the file
ending .xac because GnuCash was called XAccountant back then.
It used a binary file format for storage and and a motif UI.

This was later converted to XML storage and Gnome UI. The current
SQL backend came even later. And the development process of
GnuCash has never been particularly fast.

You (blfs) state: "Also for any kind of real use of this program in
an endeavor of any size the user would need to be able to run SQL
programs on the data." That is probably true for any business
use case of any size larger than one or a few employees.
However, for my personal accounting I am perfectly happy (well mostly)
with the current capabilities of GnuCash. And personal finance
was the original use case for GnuCash.

That does not mean that a transition of GnuCash towards beeing a
"real" SQL application would not be a good thing (at least if
I can still run it in a file mode and don't need a SQL server).

So, if you are willing and able to help with such a transition,
I am sure that all GnuCash developers would welcome you.

  Herbert.


> Quoting Wikipedia: "Programming on GnuCash began in 1997, and its first stable release was in 1998."
>
>
> At that time, MySQL was two years old, and I hazard the guess that the developers of Gnucash were not imagining the project needing that level of storage. And so, the program was built on other technologies.
>
> The current database backend is an initial set of steps to transition to a more RDBMS friendly system, but as another user mentioned in a different thread a few hours ago, the data management in Gnucash is deeply embedded in all the code, and will require fundamental code rewriting. I honestly do hope that your inquiry means that you have skill and energy to help with the transition. Many of us wish for it.
>
> David
>
>
> ________________________________
>   From: "blfs at comcast.net" <blfs at comcast.net>
> To: gnucash-devel at gnucash.org
> Sent: Tuesday, September 10, 2013 9:13 AM
> Subject: Why no SQL Database Backend?
>
>
> I have been puzzling over why GNUCASH was not written on top of an existing database engine.
>
> There are several excellent GNU databases out there.
>
> The natural design of a program such as GNUCASH would be the something like SQL-Ledger .
>
> This would solve all kinds of problems with this program. I understand that the program is not
> multi-user. If this program had been developed on top of existing excellent SQL DB this issue would
> be easily solved.
>
> Also for any kind of real use of this program in an endeavor of any size the user would
> need to be able to run SQL programs on the data.
>
>
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