The platform where you store your data may determine how easy it will be for you to use it. There are many ways to store data, but you need to know who or what will be consuming it.

Transact SQL or T-SQL is the lingua franca of data manipulation in the databases we work with (with the exception of XML). Simply stated, T-SQL is a language that will wrap changes to the data in a database within a transaction preventing inconsistencies. In other words, if a block of code debits an account by $1,000 and credits another account by $1,000 if either the credit or debit fails, the entire transaction is rolled back, thereby eliminating the possibility of $1,000 disappearing into the ether, or worse yet, both accounts having an extra $1,000.

Microsoft SQL Server

We have been working with Microsoft SQL Server since version 4.21 when it was based upon the venerable Sybase SQL Server. This is a mature, commercially supported platform. Applications that have been developed by us include custom CMSs, real estate comparables databases and transaction reconciliations for day trading houses. In addition, we have handled migration of databases from Access to SQL Server in the conversions from desktop to client server architectures.

Regardless of whether you need someone to create a database from the ground up or to enhance or optimize an existing one, we can handle it.

MySQL

MySQL (pronounced My S-Q-L), is an Open Source data base server, similar to SQL Server which will run on several Linux variants as well as Windows, Mac OS X and Solaris, just to name a few. Typically it is deployed with web based CMSs running under a variant of Linux. Stored Procedure functionality has been included since version 5.0 which addresses issues in earlier versions. MySQL does have .NET native providers, which means that dependent on a client's needs the company develops a .NET based client to run against a MySQL back end.

Access

Microsoft Access is a perfect example rightsizing. Many times a client needs a simple database application with little need for multi-user access to the data, yet an application built on this platform is able to be scaled later to a more robust server based architecture should the need arise. This is the perfect transition when data management outgrows an Excel worksheet.

XML

XML or eXtensible Markup Language is a text file-based data structure with no specialized or proprietary software required to manage it. XML looks very similar to an HTML document. In fact, XHTML is the next generation of markup to describe web pages. Zahler IT turns to this technology for managing limited small data sets.