[Mapserver-users] Re: Mapserver/Mapscript and MySQL 4

[pkishor_98]

--- In mapserver-users at yahoogroups.com, Matthew Smith <matt at k...> wrote:
> pkishor_98 wrote:
> --SNIP--
> >>I am using MySQL 4.0.x, so MyGIS mentioned in the Wiki is out, although 
> >>it would have been the preferred solution.
> > 
> > why would it have been the preferred solution? The reason I ask -- is there 
> > something to be achieved by putting your spatial data into a database? is there 
> > something you can do with it in the db that you can't do with it as shapefiles? 
> > Essentially, I ask this of myself -- is there any advantage to a specific way, or am 
I 
> > going to do it that way only because it is available...
> --SNIP--
> I'll explain a little further to show why I need the database access:
> 
> The actual points are localities - no, they don't move about much ;-) 
> However, the data that does change is the labels assigned to the points. 
>   The project in question is a community directory; the localities are 
> just markers and may be displayed as "boat ramp", "hospital", "pizza 
> shop", etc.  This data *is* dynamic, hence my need for database access.

I would assume that just as a locality might not "move around", its character also 
wouldn't change that much... I mean, what are the odds of today's hospital becoming 
tomorrow's boat ramp ;-).

In which case, converting the points to a shapefile and then using LABELITEM expr to 
label the features would avoid the DBI/DBD overhead.

On the other hand...


> 
> So, the data being read from the .shp would be constant - it's just the 
> stuff that would normally lurk in a .dbf that changes.  (I'm not going 
> to use DBF access because I've already got a huge MySQL database.)
> 


ya... then the DBI/DBD way seems like a good approach. 

You are on the right track. Good luck.