Databases

Database choices with Zoom Accounts

A SQL database is the preferred option for "mission critical" software as it adds considerable robustness and scalability to your application. It would be relatively easy to modify the Zoom Accounts components to use a BDE database such as Paradox or Access however such databases are too frequently corrupted by client disconnections and are best avoided unless your budget restricts you to Delphi Professional.

Firebird is the database of choice for Zoom Accounts as it is relatively fast and lightweight compared with some proprietary solutions.
The whole of the data and indexes etc. normally reside within a single file. Firebird and can be run either on a server or as an embedded single user system using just a couple of DLLs and without the overhead of a running database server.
This flexibility allows your application to be portable so it can be run off a pen drive or even a CD whilst being fully scalable to the largest enterprise multi-user network environment.
The database is cross platform and just as home on your Mac or Linux server as it is on Microsoft Windows.

Zoom Accounts can be used with any of the Delphi supported databases (Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL etc.) with the minimum of code changes. Developers are invited to submit patches to extend easy switching between database platforms.