I'm not familiar with Filemaker Pro, but Access was just a dumbed-down interface into a (shoddy) "real" database back-end. MySQL is what a "real" SQL database looks like. Same with Oracle. SQL is a programming language, so all of your interaction with the database is through a command line, because that's how you talk to a database. I think even MS SQL is the same way - there is a GUI front end, but it basically pops up a window for you to type SQL commands to. That said, there are a number of tools that will let you manage the database itself (not the data), like creating tables, setting permissions, etc. Then I've seem programs that will automatically build web-based CGI interfaces to manipulate the data based on the table structures. So the MySQL developers left it up to the end-user's to build their own front-ends, based on what they wanted. Some people like the web-interface because it's cross platform. Some people want a command-line tool so they can include it in scripts. Some people want a Gnome or Motif or Tcl or KDE or whathaveyou interface. But they didn't want to constrain you to just the desktop option. This is probably more complicated than what you did with Filemaker, but keep in mind that SQL engines like MySQL and Oracle were meant to handle TERABYTES of data. FYI - The Mysql documentation page has a Filemaker Pro to MySQL migration whitepaper you might want to look at. > Now with that said lets take one thing at a time here, Database I will > explain the way I built mine First..Which is using a GUI from > filemakerPro. all I had to do was make my page layouts and then match > everything up and send it to were ever I wanted by linking them very > easy When I look at mysql there is alot of command line stuff or > should I say scripting..And maybe I just dont no what a real database > is...Can anyone help with this? or point me in the way I should be > going? > > __________________________________________________________________ > McAfee VirusScan Online from the Netscape Network. > Comprehensive protection for your entire computer. Get your free trial today! > http://channels.netscape.com/ns/computing/mcafee/index.jsp?promo=393397 > > Get AOL Instant Messenger 5.1 free of charge. Download Now! > http://aim.aol.com/aimnew/Aim/register.adp?promo=380455 > > _______________________________________________ > TCLUG Mailing List - Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota > http://www.mn-linux.org tclug-list at mn-linux.org > https://mailman.real-time.com/mailman/listinfo/tclug-list > Adam Maloney Systems Administrator Sihope Communications _______________________________________________ TCLUG Mailing List - Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota http://www.mn-linux.org tclug-list at mn-linux.org https://mailman.real-time.com/mailman/listinfo/tclug-list