Re: [xsl] perhaps OT: ?s on native XML DBs and filesystem XML docs

[Robert Koberg <rob at koberg dot com>]

Michael Kay wrote:

>>>I think that learning how to make effective use of any
>>>
>>database package, XML
>>
>>>or otherwise, is going to cost you a lot more than 25k (in
>>>
>>any currency)
>>
>>>before you even start paying for software or developing your
>>>
>>application.
>>
>>Well this is definitely discouraging... What do you feel is
>>the required
>>expense? (I am not opposed to paying what is necessary...)
>>
>
>It depends on your starting point, and on what you are trying to achieve.
>But you need to learn how to write [efficient] queries, how to drive the
>API, how to configure the server, how to write schemas and do the physical
>database design (e.g. allocating space, building indexes), how to do
>database loading, how to set up backup and recovery, how to register users
>and allocate access permissions, how to build interfaces with other systems.
>A full set of Oracle manuals occupies several metres of shelf-space and it
>will cost you $25K just to pay someone to read them. There are good reasons
>why database software is expensive; a well-performing database serving a
>substantial user community and deliverying high availability is a
>substantial investment. Rolling-your-own using operating system filestore
>may be a lot cheaper, but it doesn't scale.
>

Exactly, but I thought the promise of a native XML database, like 
Tamino,  would offer us the ease of operating on the DB like we were 
operating on the filesystem (that is what i got from the mareketing...). 
I guess I got that *way* wrong. I would view this as a failure of XML DB 
vendors (ducking...). If I am going to pay for a product i want it to 
just work. If I want to spend time=money on learning something I will 
use Open Source software... Of course there are leanring curves, but why 
climb them if the vendors do not provide a usable path.

I guess it is much easier/cheaper to scale up hardware then? Maybe I can 
get 10-20 (maybe 50 it seems, but I need to do more testing) sites per 
US$3000 linux machine...

Of course, this does not give you all the things that come with Tamino, 
like search and built in web services (whatever that means today...).

-Rob



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