Hand creating MySQL tables vs. generating them

Kosmo

This is interesting, since I'm both RoR and Django user I use both, RoR fetches the required info from a hand made tables, Django makes them for me with additional goodies based on a simple syntax.

I have to say that I'm no expert on SQL and I have never picked up the language, so I'm bit clumsy when it comes to making databases and using some valid design conventions, so I prefer the Django way of generating the necessary tables with simple script file.

Ofcourse PHP developers might go with the manual creation, but I bet there are some PHP frameworks that generate them.

Is there that much to is that manually making them and writing the syntax is generally considered better than generating it?

WallPhone

Nah, I find hand creating tables tiring because I can never remember the syntax when the time comes to create one, and they are easily changed if you forget an index or something. Personally use MySQL Front or PHP My Admin to create tables.

Minisweeper

Technically you're still hand creating them though, wallphone, because you choose the exact setup of them. I think hand creating them will always have its advantages for people who know exactly what they want and what theyre doing. I always hand create mine but i tend to just pick stuff i know will work and be done with it - it's not necessarily the best way of doing it and i'm pretty sure if i had an app to make them for me it'd probably do a better job. But if i was a mysql expert i wouldnt trust an app to do the best job for me. Ok?

WallPhone

OIC--using the framework as a data store. *Bumps 'play with Django' higher up on the TODO list.*

3stripe

I don't ever handmake them, mainly cos nearly everything I use does it for me.

3stripe wishes Django wasn't so damn hard to install.

Bergamot

No matter what you use to make your tables, you should have a firm grasp of relational database structure, basic SQL syntax, and why sensible normalization is important, or you're going to screw up your Django models just as bad.

Kosmo

True, but I have never paid more attenttion to the warehouse than the product or the software that controls the innards of the warehouse. Granted, some might advice me to pay more attenttion to the warehouse because it could speed up the managing of the goods and making some good choices gives me longevity in the warehouse usability.

It's really sad that RoR doesn't have a neat little modelling syntax like Django has, usually generation syntax gives you more than database tables, like in the case of Django, you get some validation and django specific helpers (javascript calendars and such).

Altho, I like the RoR way of throwing in a :scaffold to the controller and building my model in the MySQL Front and adding validation to the model, and when I'm done I just take the :scaffold away and start building the intelligence behind the beast.

3stripe wishes Django wasn't so damn hard to install.

Django wasn't that hard to install after I had installed RoR, but now that I had to reinstalll my winnie, Ruby just doesn't want to start working so I have to fiddle with it a bit. But, that is life.

lech

I think it's generally a rule to learn as much as you can about not only the language you're going to be playing with, but also whatever else comes with or what's going to be attached to it. Like php + mysql, if you're going to be using a database, learn at least a little of the basic syntax that can at least be used to create or delete rows/columns/tables and fire selective queries that you need to. It's just good practice.