Re: Postgre vs MySQL

On Fri, 5 Jul 2002, Manuel W. wrote:

> PostgreSQL or MySQL?"? I'm using SuSE Linux 8 and I need a
> high-performance database which will contain about 2-3 GB of data
> (it's a mailserver logging we have to keep for legal reasons).

The question you should always ask is what tool is right for the job.
Postgres, due to its design, is great for databases that need lots of
integrity checks, foreign keys, and so on. Mysql is in many ways, a
glorified file-storage mechanism with a SQL front-end. Its simplicity
gives it many advantages when you don't need all the features of
postgres.

But the real question is why a database at all? Mailservers have their
own logging systems usually, so why not just save that? A database
doesn't seem the best place to save logs relating to legal requirements
when those are generally around the 2-7 year range.

Personally, I'd start by using flat files. Then, if lots of people need
to query them for some odd reason, go to mysql. Then if you really need
foreign keys, triggers, stored procedures, and so on, go to postgres.
No reason to jump straight to the endgame. It's akin to using an ICBM
to swat a fly. ^_^

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