MySQL and mSQL

Chapter 8. Database Application Architectures

Before we explore the details of database application development in various languages, we should take a moment to take a broader look at the question of how you architect database applications. The focus of this chapter is conceptual; we are going to take a look at the client/server architecture behind database programming. The issues are important for programming with MySQL and mSQL, but they are not specific to these database engines. They are instead issues you can apply to programming in any database environment. Without these concepts, however, you may find that your database applications neither meet your current needs nor adapt to meet any changing needs. Our look at database programming covers such complex issues as understanding common two-tier development, object-to-relational mapping, and two-tier’s more cutting-edge sibling, three-tier client/server.

The Client/Server Architecture

At its simplest, the client/server architecture is about dividing up application processing into two or more logically distinct pieces. We have spent the entire book so far discussing the database as if it exists in some sort of vacuum. It serves its purpose only when being used by other applications. The database, at its simplest, makes up one piece of the client/server architecture. The database is the `server’; any application that uses that data is a `client.’ In many cases, the client and server reside on separate machines; in most cases, the ...