XML Database for Blogs

[sachin_kothari]

I am planning to develop a web app for Blogging in PHP. I would like to know if it would be feasible to store all the the data in XML database or MySQL database in terms of speed and effeciency.

I tried googling for it but could not find anything informative and rest was too confusing.

Also, if possible, please suggest me an XML database.
Thanks.

[victor_rambo]

I have worked with MySQL but not with XML.
Can you tell me how an XML DB will differ from a MySQL DB?
Will it be a XML file?

[sachin_kothari]

this will be my first experience with xml db. but i am assume that the database will be sort of xml files. i want to explore them since its a new thing for me.

[victor_rambo]

Why don't you install some XML DB enegines and benchmark it against MySQL on your localhost? I will try this too?

[sachin_kothari]

Do you know any XML DB that i should test? Please suggest them here.

[victor_rambo]

^Hmmm...have absolutely no experience with XML DB engines!

[QwertyManiac]

A large XML file would be inefficient to extract data from. Like say a 10 MB XML file where you would need to access only a few nodes, MySQL does a better job or would have almost no difference at all.

But its good to create small XML files as cache, for small requests from a DB, updating the same when the DB is modified. Smaller, per-page XML files would be more efficient but do make sure they are generated from a DB.

Try Apache's Xindice and/or myXMLDB (Provides inter-op with MySQL).

[victor_rambo]

^ Even I thought so. Everytime we need to query the database, the whole XML file has to be loaded into the RAM. This will instantly occupy a large chunk of memory alloted to your scripts.

And just a observation, I googled and found many XML DB enegines, but hardly any popular open-source package uses XML DB! May be because of its drawbacks or may be because its in its infancy.

Also, XML format, I think, was invented to store and exchange data is an easy format. Not sure if it was created for acting as a database.

I may be wrong, but from my best comprehension, I think that XML file will bloat the application by making its too redundant. I may be wrong because I have no experience, but I am thinking on the directions provided by QuertyManiac

[sachin_kothari]

Even i did a few searches on google and came up with a list of xml databases. Apache Xindice, Sedna, Ozone as well as some more xml databases.

Don't know which is more better, but have downloaded Sedna. Will test it and post my comments here.

About the performance, if it degrades with increase in file size then it is obviously of no use. And since the base application here is Blogging, and storing the blogs in database will obviously increase the size of the database.

If not XML, any other suggestion how to go about it?

[QwertyManiac]

Using MySQL is just fine! It has excellent support for PHP as well. Here's a starter and a reference.

[sachin_kothari]

i have been using mysql for a long time now. was just wondering if xml or something else could work or not. but after lots of looking here and there even i feel that only mysql is the solution. tried sedna, but it seems just too complex.

anyways thanks victor and harsh for all the help. i will be going ahead with mysql as my database and might use xml for caching purpose.