Re: VisAD and SQL databases

• To: Justin Clift <justin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
• Subject: Re: VisAD and SQL databases
• From: Bill Hibbard <billh@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
• Date: Tue, 21 Jan 2003 18:26:31 -0600 (CST)

Hi Justin,

> Would it be reasonable to create a "standard practise" of having a table
>   (i.e. visad_structure) with the relationships and datatypes (etc) of
> all the other elements in it?
>
>  From the point of view that creating this table and including the
> needed VisAD meta-data in it would let people plug in their JDBC driver,
> point it at the database, and then know all of these informational bits
> that are being mentioned here?  i.e. Gridded vs Irregular topology info,
> etc.
>
> Maybe it wouldn't be that hard to discuss what would be a good meta-data
> layout needed for such a table so that things become as automatically
> configuring as possible?

All a general SQL interface can depend on is information
that will be present in every SQL database (i.e., the SQL
standard). Defining a auxiliary metadata table would only
work for those who set out to make their SQL data
VisAD-compatible. Our experience with other file and
server formats (VisAD has interfaces for over 20) is that
all they have to work with is information in the format
standard.

Cheers,
Bill

• References:
  • Re: VisAD and SQL databases
    • From: Justin Clift