Client and Web Applications - Design and Use of Relational Databases in Chemistry - page 38

> select sid, activity_outcome, "log_gi50_M" from pubchem.nci_h23
limit 10;
sid | activity_outcome | log_gi50_M
-------+------------------+------------
67107 | 1 | -4
67121 | 2 | -7.287
67122 | 1 | -4.688
67213 | 1 | -4
67217 | 1 | -4
67294 | 1 | -5.339
67379 | 1 | -4
67383 | 1 | -4
67432 | 1 | -4
67525 | 1 | -4.743
(10 rows)
For routine database maintenance such as backup, each RDBMS pro-
vider typically supplies other command line programs. For example,
PostgreSQL provides the pg_dump program that outputs a file of SQL
commands containing the definition and data contained in each table,
schema, etc., in the database. This file becomes a backup of the database,
which can be restored using the psql command to execute the SQL com-
mands in the file.
Depending on the level of familiarity with command shell programs,
these can become the primary method of working with a database.
Programs can be written in any language to produce SQL commands that
are then passed to the SQL command shell. However, for browsing and
formatting data, other methods will probably be more suitable.
5.3 Web-Based Applications
Because of the flexibility and familiarity of Web browsers, Web-based
applications have become very popular and powerful. There are many
Web-based interfaces to RDBMS. For example, phpPgAdmin 1 is a popu-
lar Web application for PostgreSQL. PhpMyAdmin 2 is popular with users
of MySQL. These applications allow one to connect to a chosen database
server, browse the schemas and tables in the database, and enter SQL
commands. The output from SQL commands, especially table output, is
formatted nicely. Other operations, such as creating, altering, or dropping
tables and schemas, are also provided. These use an HTML form inter-
face, with text boxes, radio buttons, check boxes, and other form elements
familiar to all uses of the Web.
One advantage of Web-based applications is that the Web browser can
be run on virtually any desktop or laptop computer. The database server
itself can be located elsewhere, use a different operating system, and be
maintained by others. In addition, the Web server can reside on yet a third