Databases: Access, Oracle, Sybase

[Michael A. Weber]

Web4libers:

I getting curious about web databases.  I want to learn more about
programming Access, Oracle, Sybase, Perl, and other databases.

I am wondering:

1) What are the strengths and weaknesses of these databases?
2) Which ones are easiest to learn?
3) What online and print resources are available that will give me a
practical "dive-in, and just do it" introduction to these databases?
   
Right now our webhost has constructed a database that uses a Perl program
to read data from a text file.  We can update this text file using MS Access.

However I am finding that I need to update more than just the data.  We
want to add fields to the database and/or update the functionality.  I am
also interested in constructing some new databases.  In order to do this I
would need to learn Perl.  Since this doesn't seem to be an easy task, I am
finding that I need to pay a programmer $1500 every time I make a simple
update.  This being the case, I would like to be able to make some simple
databases on my own.

More Questions:

1) Is the database that I described above an Access database?
2) If not, how does an Access database run?  Do you need Perl or another
programming language?
3) Do you need Perl (or another programming language) to bridge between
your HTML pages and other databases such as Oracle and Sybase?  

Thanks in advance.

Mike Weber



Michael Weber
Dr. Frank A. Franco Library
ALVERNIA COLLEGE 
400 St. Bernardine Street
Reading PA  19518
(610) 796-8352
(610) 796-8347 Fax
webermi at alvernia.edu