> Yes/no
> answers would be more than sufficient.
>
> Questions:
> 1. I'd like to provide the user with results to SQL queries to a few
> databases (Oracle, MySQL, ...). Can the Perl DBI be set up so that it
> can easily switch between databases? For example, if the user has a
> form that sends the database type, host, database name, and
> port info to
> the Perl DBI, will the database be transparent to the user
> (assuming all
> have the same tables present)?
yes, unless your app uses some functionality present in one DBMS or driver
that is not available in another one (eg calling stored procedures).
> 2. If #1 is true, can I load multiple modules to support the different
> databases, or would they conflict with each other?
They get along fine in my experience. Open multiple sessions on multiple
machines running several different OS's or DBMS's simultaneously if you
like.
> 3. Are some database interfaces better supported than others?
Yes. I'm most familiar with the Oracle driver, and it is very solid.
> 4. If I set up the Perl DBI using CGI on a Win 2K machine, it should
> work the same on a Linux or Solaris box, correct?
I've moved cgi scripts between linux, solaris, hp-ux and NT4 and had them
run the same without changing a single line of code.
HTH.
