Re: [Bug-gnupedia] Storing large data elements

[Hook]

MySQL can handle what it calls blobs (Binary Large Objects .. i.e. images,
MP's etc), but it doesn't handle them terribly well.  As for raw text it's
got quite a few options, upto 64k (IIRC) in a single column (i.e. field).
Basically, a better mechanism for this is to keep the actual data elsewhere,
and use the database for mets data -- location of the article, author,
submission date, keywords etc.  That way you don't clutter up the database
with things that it doesn't need, and can't handle that well anyway.

Also, be aware that using MySQL in all it's glory will pretty much lock you
in to mySQL. Converting to another rdbms later will be somewhere between
very hard and impossible.  Been there, looked into it, been unimpressed.

Paul



> Most databases I've come across have tended to deal with "large" data
> elements by treating them specially. In effect, they tend to say that
> after 256 (or some other small number) characters of text, and all
> binary data, are held externally to the database, and the db just
> references the external storage location. Depending on the
> sophistication of the db, you may or may not get versioning support for
> the external elements; usually not. I don't know mySQL, but I suspect
> it does the same :-?
>
> This becomes a real pain for our style of database, where our content
> will typically *not* fit in the database, an all versioning gets pushed
> back on the programmer, and mw end up with Rob's "(c) hybrid" solution
> (but with added versioning support).
>
> So, this is another "what's the mySQL approach?" query.
>
> /Bob Dodd
>
>
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