Which database program is best suited to lots of images?

[Mike Barnard]

Hi.

I am NOT a database expert, yet. I'm currently learning about
designing table and their structures.

But I *am* working around the plans for a system that will keep track
of graffiti, who's doing it, it's cleaning impacts and so on within a
UK council area. I have a general idea forming in my head of what it
needs to do, and it includes keeping photos of the graffiti 'tags'
before and after the cleaning.

I was going to use MS Access (2003), but I've heard that it's not so
good on larger databases. Y/N?

My expectations are that the db should keep track of up to about
10,000 records [1] of areas cleaned in a year. It will need to have
about 3 years worth of data available for comparison before long term
storage is enforced, but each item may have up to a couple of dozen
photo's incorporated in it. (Of course, I'll have to include some sort
of batch resizing to reduce the picture to a usable but storeable
size). A GIS mapping program, MapInfoPro 9, will be linking in to the
data to show whats going on. There will be an internet enabled access
point for others to log in; Police and other authorised council
officials with read only rights, cleaning contractors with read/write
rights etc. There is even suggestion of it being accessable (through
mapinfo9) via our website for residents to see the efforts we are
making to remove graffiti.

Of course, someone will want to add some other functions to this in
the future, so it needs to be reasonably easy to modify.

There will only be a few users at any time accessing the database, and
it's maintainence should be as low tech as possible as trained users
cost money, and staff will change over time.

So to start off on the right foot, what database would you reccomend
for this application? MS Access2003 is available on almost every
desktop and there is an Access specialist in the IT section. But she
is SOOO busy! MySQL is I believe free (for this use?) and used
reliably by millions, but then there are all these to consider also...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Database#Links_to_DBMS_products

Once it's started there will be no going back, so the right choice
needs to be made now. Access or not?

Thanks for your opinions.

Mike.



[1] Probaby 20 fields (ish) in the main records with a dozen smaller
tables backing it up. And a couple of BIG tables, the addressing
gazateers for the areas covered and the photographs.

 

[Isissoft]

Mike,
I am NOT an Access expert, but I program in several other DB languages. I
have built a system like the one you mention and in the end decided that I
would simply store the paths to the various picture files required in the
DB and not the actual pictures themselves. This has many advantages in that
the Picture data is seperate and could be stored in various sizes and
qualities depending on use - you only store filenames (paths can be coded
into variable or hard coded if required), Pictures can easily be edited and
refined because thay are just pictures etc etc. Obviously, there a couple
of downsides, the picture data IS seperate and needs to be backed up
seperately, I use a folder beneath the main DB folder and actually have 3
seperate picture folders in different qualities and formats that the user
can change between - I also implement a system of picture naming so that
every 'matter' has a unique ID, the pictures are then called 1.jpg, 1a.jpg,
1b.jpg etc - this allows multiple pictures for each 'matter' and I just
scan for the numeric portion of the picture name when loading the relevant
screen and have a single position on the screen (form, or whatever) that
the user can scroll the pictures through one by one.

Anyway, just my $0.02, and not really access specific.

HTH

 

[Arvin Meyer [MVP]]

That is generally the best advice. I have a sample database which does just
that and can be imported or used within any other Access database:

http://www.datastrat.com/Download/Picture2K.zip