MySql database for iDempiere

[Karl Kuhrman]

Does anyone know of an active effort to build MySql support for iDempiere? If none exists, I may start development on this.

[Carlos Antonio Ruiz Gomez]

Hello Karl,

There's no active effort to support mysql.

Recently I made a Proof of Concept to try iDempiere running on an old db
server.

I made some changes to core on this ticket:
https://idempiere.atlassian.net/browse/IDEMPIERE-2664
in order to fully support other databases as plugins (and if you find
issues porting a mysql plugin, caused by core I'll be glad to help you
fix it covered by that ticket).

The results of the POC were not satisfactory enough because that
database version had so many restrictions that in the end the db was not
capable to fully support a full fledged ERP like iDempiere.
But it was satisfactory as it helped to improve iDempiere and make it
more extensible - and I think a port to mysql is more feasible.

But, if you want to port and maintain a mysql plugin we could have a
talk (I'm hanging on IRC most of the time).
I think the obsolete adempiere project may have some code developed for
mysql that you can examine to see if it's worthy.

IMHO it is important not just to develop the plugin but to have a
maintainer for it, otherwise the effort will simply die.

Regards,

Carlos Ruiz

On 13/08/15 a las 14:49, Karl Kuhrman wrote:
> Does anyone know of an active effort to build MySql support for
> iDempiere? If none exists, I may start development on this.

> --

[Henrique A. Lavezzo]

Carlos, do you and idempiere team have some project in progress, or plans to add a ORM model like Rails ActiveRecord for the Idempiere? Or is it inviable?

[Carlos Antonio Ruiz Gomez]

Hi Henrique,

I don't know any project about that - can't answer if is viable or not as I don't have experiences with that.

Regards,

Carlos Ruiz

[Karl Kuhrman]

I would be happy to take on development and maintenance of a MySql/MariaDb plugin for iDempiere, if for no other reason as a way to get involved with the project. MySql is not a bad choice but perhaps not the best for production environment. Nonetheless support of MySql/MariaDb may make it easier for users to evaluate the product on many standard IaaS environments, which usually have a full LAMP stack out of the box. Just my thoughts.

Karl Kuhrman

[HansAnton Riess]

Hi Carlos,

as far as i know the new Version of Adempiere 3.8 does not support MySQL.
IMHO there are some good reasons to do so ;-)

Instead of supporting another DB which does not have the necessary functionality,it would be better to evaluate new features of Postgres 9.5 (like Replication, materialized views, writeabel views etc.).
There is still a lot of code in the core which tries to translate Postgres syntax to Oracle Syntax. Another DB make live not easier ;-)

Regards

Hans

[Carlos Antonio Ruiz Gomez]

Thanks Hans, I think that initiative is dead because lack of maintainer, I was in Adempiere when they decided to integrate that to trunk, and I refused because I think we have enough trying to support oracle and postgreSQL on core.

But, iDempiere goal is to be extensible, and my POC shown that a new database can be supported with just a little plugin (if the database is strong enough to support a big ERP), so, if there are supporters for a specific platform, and there is a maintainer, why not?
I would refuse to integrate another database in core, but I would gladly make changes on core to make it more extensible.

One thing to consider is that there are companies that are already set and have the people with skills on a specific database (i.e. mariaDB, or DB2 ...), and they will not consider using iDempiere because they don't want another database.  I think all of us that have been in this business long enough have heard that rejection, and the common question asking if it can be ported.

On your comments:

> it would be better to evaluate new features of Postgres 9.5 (like Replication, materialized views, writeabel views etc.).

iDempiere tries to be DB agnostic, so in principle we must not use anything in core that is supported by just one database, however all those fancy features can be supported in plugins.

> There is still a lot of code in the core which tries to translate Postgres syntax to Oracle Syntax

Yes, and I think that's an extensibility problem that we can fix, not adding more if to the equation, but making our code more standard and DB agnostic.

Regards,

Carlos Ruiz

[Karl Kuhrman]

I'm new to the iDempiere code base but I've worked on enough commercial software to avoid tight coupling to a particular DB in code. It seems the significant differences between Postgres and MySql have to do with support for nuances like PSQL and JSON/NoSQL (http://insights.dice.com/2015/03/19/why-i-choose-postgresql-over-mysqlmariadb/). Am I correct in understanding from this thread that support for a DB like MySql in iDempiere may be viewed as impractical because it would require improved abstraction from the data layer?

Karl

[Carlos Antonio Ruiz Gomez]

> Am I correct in understanding from this thread that support for a DB
like MySql in iDempiere may be
> viewed as impractical because it would require improved abstraction
from the data layer?

No, I think iDempiere have already the required abstraction, at least my
Proof of Concept was successful on that, it showed is feasible, and not
too complex.

Now, it requires a strong database - we still don't know if
mariaDB/mysql is such database, apparently it is, we'll see.

Just one example, the database I used for the POC limited the number of
foreign keys, limited the bytes per record, didn't support cascade
foreign keys, etc. All those limitations leading to just a partial
support - IMHO because of the database, not because of iDempiere.

Regards,

Carlos Ruiz