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SQLite Migrator
Issue: 8.1 (November/December 2009)
Author: Dave Mancuso
Article Description: No description available.
Article Length (in bytes): 3,687
Starting Page Number: 11
Article Number: 8104
Related Web Link(s):
http://www.logicalvue.com/sqlite/sqlite.html
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SQLite Migrator, from LogicalVue Software, is essentially a one-stop shop for conversion of databases into SQLite format. What kinds of databases? SQLite will transform, Access, FoxPro, MySql, Postgresql, MS SQL, and the list goes on. The reason that SQLite Migrator is such a Swiss Army knife kind of tool is that it can connect to any database format that makes use of ODBC for connections. The possibilities for this are very impressive. If a client wants you to remake an old database for them, and the database is in Access, you're not too far away from a quick magic trick. Convert the database to SQLite with SQLite Migrator and you can start building something in REALbasic right away. This could be very handy when you need something quick.
Installing the app is pretty standard on Mac OS and Windows using the standard installers. I installed the application on both Mac OS (Snow Leopard) and Windows 7 (where the installation took less than six seconds). The interface is pretty simple, with buttons (and corresponding menu commands) to selects a database source and destination. On OS X, I couldn't get the Source DB command to open a dialog box, either an issue with Snow Leopard or an issue with my own machine. On Windows 7, the dialog box opened with no problems. Choosing commands was a bit slow but not bad, probably a Windows 7 issue (I'm using the beta).
Converting a database took a few steps, but went well. The PDF documentation, found in the SQLite Migrator application folder, is invaluable for running through the process the first time. Note that in Windows this application folder is in the C drive's Program Files directory. I set up the ODBC data source using the Windows ODBC Administrator Control Panel for my test database, and then used SQLite to convert the database to SQLite. The original database was left untouched, always a good thing. The new SQLite database was cleanly made and worked fine. Essentially, that was it. SQLite Migrator worked, and it worked simply, quickly, and accurately.
LogicalVue has an online support site, and I noticed a few features targeted for future versions, mostly enhancements in how primary keys, indexes, views, and tables are handled. The developer (Paul Lefebvre) has an active blog and online presence, a key necessity for an application of this nature. The application is priced at $49.95, and in demo mode will convert the first three tables and ten rows of a database. That's certainly enough to test a few databases for conversion in your own situation. SQLite Migrator promises to be a valuable tool in a developer's programming arsenal.
End of article.