[GRASS-dev] Re: Proof of concept for more complete database access in GRASS module [was: Re: [GRASS-user] RE: Problem querying layers other than '1' in gi s.m]

[Trevor Wiens]

On Tue, 10 Oct 2006 16:53:26 +0200
Moritz Lennert wrote:

> Trevor Wiens wrote:
> 
> > I wonder now how many steps it takes to recreate your arbitrary query
> > graph with 'layers' and I wonder about performance differences between
> > the two.
> 
> I'm not sure you can handle this via layers. Currently you have to do 
> the following (untested):
> 
> echo "create view temp as select t1.pop_2001 as pop1, t2.pop_2001 as 
> pop2, t1.comcod from bel_espon143 as t1, commcen as t2 where 
> t1.comcod=t2.comcod order by t1.pop_2001 desc" | db.execute
> 
> v.db.connect -o map=communes table=temp key=comcod
> 
> d.vect.chart map=communes scale=0.0001 columns=pop1 sizecol=pop2
> 
> v.db.connect -o map=communes table=original_table key=keycolumn
> 
> echo "drop view temp" | db.execute
> 
> So, in order to get back to the exact previous situation four extra 
> steps of creating the view, linking to the view, linking back to the 
> original data table and erasing the view.
> 
> Moritz

That is what I thought. Although the concept of layers probably sounded
good at the time, my guess is that once implemented in all modules,
arbitrary queries will prove to be much more flexible and
operationally quicker (but perhaps computationally slower).

I should add however, in defence of layers, that for users without
knowledge of SQL, arbitrary queries might in fact be much more
difficult to use than layers. On the other hand, if one is serious about
GIS at some point one has to get serious about attribute management
which means moving beyond flat files anyway. So... I suppose arbitrary
queries would push people to learning things that are useful later on.
Since layers are counter-intuitive and require learning anyway....

T
-- 
Trevor Wiens 
twiens at interbaun.com

The significant problems that we face cannot be solved at the same 
level of thinking we were at when we created them. 
(Albert Einstein)