Re: dia2sql

[Tim Ellis <Tim Ellis gamet com>]

On Wed, 7 Aug 2002 13:06:45 +0100 (IST)
Alan Horkan <horkana tcd ie> wrote:

> how well integrated with dia are these programs?
> (even a glorified simple plugin wrapper to exec() these programs could
> make them dramaticallly easier to use for many people)

I think I know where that one came from... ;) Is there a generic plugin
for Dia that's a wrapper to exec()? Something I could then "hack up" in
about twenty minutes? I don't have a lot of time for non-Database tasks...

> which ones are best suited to a particular tasks?
> which are being actively maintained and developed ... etc

The concept of ERD-->SQL is, although a bit complicated, still pretty
well-defined. You can generally say "This one is better than that one" in
an objective sense.

Of all the Dia-->SQL converters I've seen, mine does implement the most
fundamentally-necessary features, which roughly translates to, I'm
asserting mine is best.

There's a whole $$$/value ratio, and some would probably assert buying
Win32 and say ER/Win would be a better $$$/value ratio. But if you're on a
tight budget, or if you're a citizen that agrees with Richard Stallman
that GPL software is the Right Thing To Do, then you'll probably find
tedia2sql a better $$$/value ratio.

> Im not actually looking for these answers right but anyone seeing
> these on our links page would likely ask similar questions so if this
> kind of information could be included on the links page i am sure it
> would be very helpful.

I think "source code freely available" is the most important thing, with
"actively developed" (or "feature complete") as the second-most-important
thing about an ERD-->SQL converter. Everything else is editorialising.

> I worry about redundant effort somtimes that's all ...

I emailed the poster of the PHP dia2sql to tell him about my project, to
let him know he could borrow code examples if necessary. However, note
that for those who do not know Perl but do know PHP, that project may
qualify as "source code available" whereas mine would not.

-- 
Tim Ellis
Senior Database Architect
Gamet, Inc.