Re: [Planner Dev] Fixing database support

[Jon Wilkins <jon wilkins winskil co uk>]

On Wed, 2005-11-23 at 19:32 +0100, Kristian Berg wrote:
> Hi!
> 
> I've started looking into the database export/import code in planner, in
> hopes of updating and extending it.
> 
> I've only used planner for running different software projects with
> connections to college courses, so I'm not familiar with the real needs
> for people using it in a more extensive way.
> 
> Here's what I was planing to start with:
> * Rewrite the import/export dialogs to use predefined data sources as
> defined by gnome-db. This doesn't add another dependency though. Here's
> a small mockup of the dialog I imagined:
> http://kriberg.tihlde.org/greier/planner-db-export.png
> 
> Sources can be defined by using the gnome database properties provided
> with gnome-db. The add button on  the dialog could either start the
> gnome-database-properties thingie, or start a wizard which creates a
> source for you (hence, not dependet on gnomedb).
> 
> * Fixing up the export dialog to use table prefixes, or make projects
> able to use the same tables.
> 
> I was thinking in the lines of using a central database to store all
> projects and providing scripts to generate html from the db.
> 
> Anyone have two cents?

Kristian,

I do think that the planner db functionality should support the database
being a central database of more than one project.  By doing this, the
dbms can become the centre of a very useful tool for monitoring entire
groups of project, collecting metrics and all sorts.  

At some distant point down the road, I think it would be good for
planner to default to connecting to the dbms resource and presenting a
list of current projects to open... 
... though the Planner Community must'n forsake file-based project files

I did some work a way back to try to get planner working with Mysql -- I
didn't get a lot further than getting planner to create the table
structure, but you're welcome to that work if you can use it.

This is another good point -- Any revamp of the planner db should make
it play well with dbms other than postgresql (mysql especially - but
once the code can accomodate more than one dbms it will probably be able
to support multiple others).  I seem to remember that the db code for
actually accessing the project data (in libplanner?) is highly dependant
on postgresql's cursors - which mysql does not support.

jon