From: Robert Wentworth
Date: March 24 1999 5:27pm
Subject: Managing Unix mySQL database from PC?
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I am building a web site using mySQL on a Sun UltraSparc server
managed by a commercial hosting provider.  My question is:

    What is the best strategy (or what are my options) for managing
    this database from my (local) PC?

I'm new to this, but I imagine my options might include:

A)  Do everything on the server.  Build a secure management
    interface to allow us to perform management operations
    from a web browser.

B)  Arrange to export/import tables, download/upload to/from PC,
    manipulate data locally in, e.g., MicroSoft Access.

C)  Arrange for flexible remote access to the database on the
    server, e.g., by having MicroSoft Access talk to the remote
    database via ODBC.  (I have no idea if this is possible.)

Tradeoffs, as I see it:

(A) ensures database consistency but doesn't make it easy to
arrange for things like custom queries when trying to explore
the data.  A lot of development effort involved.

(B) is dangerous from a consistency point of view, may involve
large file transfers (albeit, not in the near future), but would
allow fairly flexible access to the data, with less development
effort.

(C) might allow good data consistency together with flexible access,
but I don't really understand whether something like this is
possible.

Comments or suggestions would be welcome.

Robert Wentworth
rhww@stripped