XML size (was: no subject)

[Roland Roberts]

>>>>> "Derek" == Derek Atkins <warlord@MIT.EDU> writes:

    Derek> I think finding an embedded sql system would be a great
    Derek> approach, provided the database is portable.  I think the
    Derek> overhead of setting up a SQL server is greater than many
    Derek> users want to have, but if we can get the benefits of a
    Derek> database by using an embedded system (which would hide from
    Derek> the user the fact that SQL is being used), that would be
    Derek> ideal.  The user still sees a "file" but we're using SQL
    Derek> internally.

I'm a lurker here, but I'll jump in anyway.

As a user, I would see little or no benefit in having the internals
changed to using embedded SQL if externally it is still a file.  The
benefit to me is when I can have both my wife and I work on gnucash
simultaneously.  Most often we both want to update our accounts once
the kids have gone to sleep.  Having a file requires we do the updates
sequentially even though the updates are orthogonal.  Having a *real*
database gives me features a file doesn't.

No, I'm not an average user in that I already have PostgreSQL set up
for other things, and I don't consider the extra work to be a burden.
But your average person probably will which means that the change to
use SQL internally is only useful to me if it can switch been "file"
and database server.

roland
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