XML size (was: no subject)

[Nicholas Piper]

On Thu, 04 Apr 2002, Derek Atkins wrote:

> Hmm.. Perhaps we should allow 'session logs'?  I'm not sure how to do
> this in general, particularly with a database.  Maybe the way to do
> this is to tie each data entry to a particular "session" and then
> allow the session to have a log message?

I'm not sure how relevant this is to what you were thinking, but it's
worth mentioning that PostgresQL supports triggers and rules; which
allow an automatic audit log of changes to the database to be
created. I've found this very useful in my own applications. This
wouldn't easily let you attach comments, but it would tell you who did
what, when.

I think an SQL backend, with the option of either embedded MySQL, or
external (MySQL | PostgresQL) is the best of all worlds.  Everyone has
access to their data both as an SQL database, and as text files (via a
dump utility). In addition, code is made easier for the gnucash devel
team, and people have programatic access to the data if they want it
(enabling web pages to show real time accounts summaries and whatnot).

Incidently, I currently feel I don't have sufficient access to my
data. If it was in an SQL database I could VERY easily get hold of it
via python, or whatever I liked in a structured form. The XML file I'm
using at the moment means I can't really get at the information
easily, if I want to produce my own kind of reports without learning
scheme. I find parsing XML very very messy and difficult compared with
some relational database.

I realise CVS GnuCash has postgres support, so I might very soon
venture into using it. From what I read however, once I move to CVS, I
*cannot* move back :-(

 Nick

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