Database: Software

Some of this software might be useful to you.

Design Tools

DBDesigner

Description: A tool for designing MySQL databases.
Licence: Free, open source.
URL:www.fabforce.net

DbVisualizer

Description: A designer tool
License: Personal use free, otherwise $99.
URL: www.minq.se

Relation Diagrammer

Description: Produces ERD diagrams from MS Access databases. Version 1.3 went into a loop on my WinXP system. Perhaps the next version will work.
License: Free version limited to 7 tables.
URL: www.msbsoftware.ch/relation.html

Databases

MySQL

This is a very popular database used with low/medium size web servers, used typically with PHP. Recent versions of MySQL has added a number of features, including transactions and replication. There are many free addons -- check their links for lots of stuff.
Comments: I use it and am quite happy with it.
URL: www.mysql.com
License: Free, open-source.

Links to MySQL clients, etc

Description: Lots here.
URL: www.mysql.com/portal/software/admin/index.html

MySQL-Front

Nice looking front end to MySQL. Actively developed.
License: Free.
URL: www.mysqlfront.de/

Article on installing J/Connect JDBC driver for MySQL

URL: stardeveloper.com/articles/display.html?article=2003090201&page=1

Slashdot discussion of DB GUI admin tools

URL: Hmmm

Rekall

Description: Open source Access-like front end to MySQL, PostgreSQL, ...
URL: www.totalrekall.co.uk

PostgreSQL

Description: A good, complete, free, open-source database which has improved greatly over early versions. Unix, but available for Windows reportedly only with complicated Cygwin installation.
License: Free, open-source.
URL: www.postgresql.org

SQLite

Description: small database usable from C++.
Free, open source.
URL: sqlite.org

Hibernate

Description: Java programming interface to JDBC. From their website:

Hibernate is a powerful, ultra-high performance object/relational persistence and query service for Java. Hibernate lets you develop persistent objects following common Java idiom - including association, inheritance, polymorphism, composition and the Java collections framework. Extremely fine-grained, richly typed object models are possible. The Hibernate Query Language, designed as a "minimal" object-oriented extension to SQL, provides an elegant bridge between the object and relational worlds. Hibernate is now the most popular ORM solution for Java.

License: Open source.
URL: www.hibernate.org/

Firebird

Description: An open-source descendant of Borland's InterBase. It's a little hard to tell what's going on with this project -- their FAQ is a year out of date.
License: Free, open-source.
URL: firebird.sourceforge.net

Clients

All database engines provide some kind of client interface, even if it is as primitive as a text based DOS window. Here are some other client programs that either interface via a general ODBC connection, or can use the native protocol to a particular server.

DBTool

Description: Looks like a nice, simple, JDBC client interface, but I haven't tried it.
License: free.
URL: www.thoja.info/dbtool.htm.

WinSQL

Description: Windows interface to SQL databases via ODBC.
Comment: It's a nice SQL interface. I've used it and like it, but the recent free version seemed too crippled.
License: Lite Version Free
URL: www.synametrics.com

Misc. Database Links

Sentences, an Associative Databases

Sentences uses metaphors of chapter, paragraph, noun, verb (verbs form the associations). In Java.
:License: Free(?) personal edition. to use.
URL: www.lazysoft.com

DBTools Software

URL: http://www.dbtools.com.br/EN/index.php

Online Book: SQL: A Practical Introduction by Akeel I Din

License: Free if you register.
URL: www.managedtime.com/freesqlbook.php3