from Valeriy Onuchin: MINOS-Database Offline Interface

 o Long-term goals.

    We propose TSQL API should as close as
    possible as JDBC API. "As close as possible"
    stands for as close as difference between C++ 
    and Java can afford it to be. 

    JDBC specification can be find else where
 
     http://java.sun.com/products/jdbc/

    So, TSQL is not a single class but set of
    classes which corresponds to java.sql.xxx

    The minimal set of classes which should be
    implemented first are:
   
     - Connection
     - DriverManager
     - ResultSet
     - Statement

 o Design issues:
     
     TSQL classes are abstract base classes.
     
     Implementation classes:
     
      ODBC_TSQL  - based on ODBC API ( this is 
	           our first priority ).
             
      OCI_TSQL   - based on OCI API ( considered 
	           as long-term goal )

   Comments:

      ODBC_TSQL implementation can meet problem
      of absent of ODBC Oracle driver  for some
      Unix platformes e.g. Linux. We believe
      that this obstacle is temporary and probably
      be solved in the nearest future.
      
      We are going to move to Dunix 5,
      for which ODBC driver is one of the parts of 
      the operation system distribution. 

 o  Our current state (sorry for some extensive details)
   
     - waiting for access IHEP Oracle db server
     
      However,  
          - IHEP bought few Campaq/Alpha machines.
            These machines have ODBC driver installed.
 
          - IHEP computing division going to install
            Oracle db at main cluster by the end of year.                 
       
       we hope to get access to these machines and db.

 o  Planning of development:  
  
      - coordinate efforts   

      - do it in iterative/asymptotic way, but providing
        user with simple tools as soon as posible. 

      - for project success, GUI support should go 
        step ahead of implementation of core/functionality 
        classes.
         
           we need to implement in ROOT Excel look-a-like 
           spreadsheets, editable tables, etc
       
     !!! Since, we have problems with db access, absent of
         ODBC driver,
 
     !! we are going to concentrate our efforts on GUI design
        until the problems will be solved