[mapserver-users] How to link Oracle attributes to SHAPEFILE

[Paolo Corti]

>
> Hi Roald.
>
> Thanks for the reply.
>
> In this project, we are required to use SHAPEFILES and Oracle, so we can't
> change this environment.
>
>
> Roald de Wit wrote:
>>
>> Hi Pedro,
>>
>> A number of years ago i had a situation like you describe below. The
>> solution we chose was:
>> - Create a postgresql/postgis datawarehouse
>> - Import shapefiles into postgis (shp2psql or ogr2ogr)
>> - Import attribute info from oracle into postgresql (we needed a
>> commercial license for converting Oracle to Postgresql)
>> - Either create a view or merge tables to join the geometry and
>> attribute info
>> - Serve the lot through MapServer WFS/WMS
>>
>> I hope this helps.
>>
>> Regards, Roald
>>

Pedro, the solution Roald is proposing is IMHO the closest one you
have to obtain what you need with MapServer (et alii).

according to this doc: http://mapserver.org/mapfile/join.html

supported formats are:
    * DBF/XBase files
    * CSV (comma delimited text file)
    * PostgreSQL and PostGIS tables
    * MySQL tables

So you have 5 options:
1. shapefile + dbf (exported from Oracle tables)
2. PostGIS
3. MySQL
4. Oracle Spatial
5. Oracle + ArcSde

in 2. and 3. no need to join, you could use views.
in 4 you need views.
with 5 there are many limits with joins, so could be the wrong way to go.

Note anyway that for what you need (join to make thematic map)
according to the above doc there is no way.
So the only solutions to go are 3, 4
I am not aware of other map web server software, neither OS or
commercial, able to make mixed (from different sources) join for
thematic mapping

best regards
Paolo