Looking for a Free Database Application w/ GUI

[DaCurryman]

OK, so I'm doing some work for a client where I need to analyze some data from their records. The problem is that they sent me a Tab Delimited Text File that I need to put into a Database. I have no problem doing that with Access, but the issue is that the data is over 4.5 Million records and the file exceeds Access 2GB limit.

Can someone please suggest a DB application that has an intuitive GUI Front-end like Access that doesnt have a size limitation. Also, I'm looking for OpenSource/Free since I don't want to shell out money for this one project.

I guess if it's not possible. I'll have to split the txt file into multiple files and import them into multiple Access DBs and then analyze the totals or something.

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[EagleKeeper]

MySQL is free.

There are some generic interfaces that will work with it.

Try Google or SourceForge.net for leads on user interfaces.

You probably will not find anything like an Access FrontEnd that is free.

 

[DaCurryman]

I was looking at MySQL as well as PostgreSQL, but I guess the issue is trying to find a front-end GUI for it. I don't need anything complex. Just import from a text file a single table of about 8 columns and then run some queries on it.

 

[sourceninja]

Both Mysql and PostgreSQL have web based front ends. Also I belive you can use Toad (http://www.toadsoft.com/toadmysql/toad_mysql.htm) on both of them as well. MySQL also has a admin console for windows that is graphical (if I recall, its been a while I mostly use PostgreSQL and Oracle now due to the need for triggers, and full PL/SQL functions and procedures and other stuff MySQL is just now getting.

 

[kamper]

More along the lines of Access: OpenOffice 2 has some nice looking stuff coming up. Of course, it's still in beta or alpha or something...

But with a real database, why is the gui so important? Will the client be using the gui? If it's a one time analysis, the important thing is really to be able to write some sql and see a table and there's tonnes of workable ones for either postgres or mysql. Squirrel sql is an interesting database agnostic one that hasn't been mentioned (but it's java so you'd have to be comfortable with that).

 

[KB]

Import it into a free DB and use Access as the frontend. Microsoft released SQL Express 2005 which is next version of MSDE and is free, plus has a 4 GB limit, and should allow you to link MS Access to it. Is it in Beta but works well.

 

[KLin]

You can use Microsoft Access with mySQL. You just need the mySQL odbc driver.

 

[kamper]

Access with mysql. Who'd have thought it would be that simple? 😕 That sounds like the best solution to me so far, or a dumbed down version of sql server like KB suggested. 🙂

 

[Calin]

You can use even Excel over MySQL - with the limitation that you can use SQL queries only to retrieve data from the database, no other fancy stuff

 

[HJB417]

for mysql front ends, I use Db Tools and MySql Control Center