Hi Roelof,
This is a very broad question with a lot of options, there is no short
answer.
If I had to choose a relational database approach from the beginning,
I would choose Sqlite, it's a very nice db, small, fast, works very well
with Pharo (I used it some time ago with FFI, didn't know about native
boost mapping, it's cool),
can be used with other guis and tools and, should my data or requirements
grow unexpectedly, I could move to Postgresql or some other bigger db
without too much stress.
For an object approach , I would still choose a relational db for
storage (same as previously) with an object relational mapping
framework like Glorp on top of it,
not an object system for storage (magma or gemstone - I'm not saying
that they are bad!).
Beware that relational system (like object systems) will require some
specific skills
at some point (I like relational systems for myself, but very often see
they are widely misunderstood, even by those who develop with).
In any case, if I were you, I would first choose to defer my choice :)
until I have a more detailed idea of what I want/have to do, and I would
start very small with a file based approach (STON) and a Data Access
Layer of my own on top of it, so that I could adapt it to my future
requirements or choices (relational, object or nosql database like mongo).
I would even develop this DAL later and start with a single document
approach (a simple read/write of the whole stuff with STON).
The most important is : don't get lost in underlying technical choices
from the beginning (plus it's bad for health), make choices you can
change. And stay focused on your goal : your application.
my 2c
Regards,
Alain
