Python & XML

Building the Database

Explaining the installation of a specific database is outside the scope of this book. However, if you are completely new to databases, we provide a quick overview of how this particular database was set up and used in this example. This overview broadly applies to any database systems, including SQL Server, Postgres, and MySQL. As a Python XML developer gluing together applications, understanding at least the fundamentals of working with databases will serve you well.

We used Microsoft SQL Server during the creation of this example as our relational database. However, only one simple table is created, and any database that supports SQL queries should be fine. A SQL table creation script is provided that should work on just about any SQL platform. However, the Python connectivity code presented here uses ODBC for access. If you choose to use a different database than SQL Server, you may need to download a Python API to access it. For example, the MySQLdb API is available at http://sourceforge.net/projects/mysql-python/ to provide access from Python to MySQL databases. Regardless of your connectivity API, the SQL calls shown in this chapter should be identical.

Creating a Profiles Database

If you’ve installed your database of choice, your first task is to create a database inside of the system. If you are using SQL Server or your database offers an administrative GUI, this process may be as easy as typing a database name into a dialog box. For example, if using ...