For a school project I am to write and organize a set of data to a Microsoft Access database file. I am fairly comfortable with using python to read and write to files but can't find any information online regarding what I am specifically looking for.
I want to know what i would need to do to write to a database in specific Columns and Tables, for example, write the variable "name" in a field called "name" instead of just randomly adding it to the database.
EDIT: I cannot use any additional packages when doing this.
You can use PyODBC. Here is an example.
Edit: "no extra modules" is nice but unless you want to re-write pyodbc from scratch you may as well just use it.
Edit2: if you want to know what that would look like, check out pypyodbc - a pure-python odbc driver in about 3000 lines of Python code.
A friend of mine has asked me to write a quick Python script.
He has a small SQLite database (3 tables) and has to copy a bunch of data to it from an excel spreadsheet. The spreadsheet only has 2 data fields but alot of rows of data.
He asked if I would write a quick Python script to transfer the ss data to the db to so he doesn't have to spend a crapload of time manually copying it. I told him that I would do my best.
My question is: Where do I start? what do I need to research for this? Does anyone know if there is a pre-existing module to do this? Im trying to research this myself, but haven't come up with anything concrete yet and am not sure of any other search terms to use to narrow down my search.
Im just hoping someone wont mind giving my some guidance in the right direction.
Blessings and thanks
F
Do you really need Python?
SQLite Database Browser is a freeware, public domain, open source visual tool used to create, design and edit database files compatible with SQLite. Controls and wizards are available for users to:
Import and export tables from/to CSV files
If the file is simple enough (no commas in the content), you can import directly from SQLite:
For simple CSV files, you can use the SQLite shell to import the file into your SQLite database.
If you need to import a complex CSV file and the SQLite shell doesn't handle it, you may want to try a different front end, such as SQLite Database Browser.
is it possible to set up tables for Mysql in Python?
Here's my problem, I have bunch of .txt files which I want to load into Mysql database. Instead of creating tables in phpmyadmin manually, is it possible to do the following things all in Python?
Create table, including data type definition.
Load many files one by one. I only know this LOAD DATA LOCAL INFILE command to load one file.
Many thanks
Yes, it is possible, you'll need to read the data from the CSV files using CSV module.
http://docs.python.org/library/csv.html
And the inject the data using Python MySQL binding. Here is a good starter tutorial:
http://zetcode.com/databases/mysqlpythontutorial/
If you already know python it will be easy
It is. Typically what you want to do is use an Object-Retlational Mapping library.
Probably the most widely used in the python ecosystem is SQLAlchemy, but there is a lot of magic going on in it, so if you want to keep a tighter control on your DB schema, or if you are learning about relational DB's and want to follow along what the code does, you might be better off with something lighter like Canonical's storm.
EDIT: Just thought to add. The reason to use ORM's is that they provide a very handy way to manipulate data / interface to the DB. But if all you will ever want to do is to do a script to convert textual data to MySQL tables, than you might get along with something even easier. Check the tutorial linked from the official MySQL website, for example.
HTH!
A primary goal of a project I plan to bid on involves creating a Microsoft Access database using python. The main DB backend will be postgres, but the plan is to export an Access image.
This will be a web app that'll take input from the user and go through a black box and output the results as an access db. The web app will be built on a linux server.
I have a few related questions:
Is there a reliable library or module that can be used?
What has your experience been using Access and python?
Any tips, tricks, or must avoids I need to know about?
Thanks :)
Could you use an sqlite database instead?
edit:
If it HAS to be on linux and it HAS to be to MS Access, then I'm pretty sure this is your only choice, but it costs $1,550.
You are either going to have to shell out the money, or convince the client to change one of the other two parameters. Personally, I would push to change the database file to sqlite.
Of course you could always code up your own database driver, but it would probably be worth the time to shell out the $1,550. mdbtools has been working on this for years and the project has been pretty much abandoned.
found it, kinda
Ok, so I just couldn't let this go and found that there is a java library called Jackcess that will write to MS Access mdb files on any platform that can run the jvm. Granted, it's java and not python, but maybe you could learn just enough java to throw an application together and execute it from python? Or just switch the whole app to java, whatever.
The various answers to the duplicate question suggest that your "primary goal" of creating an MS Access database on a linux server is not attainable.
Of course, such a goal is of itself not worthwhile at all. If you tell us what the users/consumers of the Access db are expected to do with it, maybe we can help you. Possibilities: (1) create a script and a (set of) file(s) which the user downloads and runs to create an Access DB (2) if it's just for casual user examination/manipulation, an Excel file may do.
If you know this well enough:
Python, it's database modules, and ODBC configuration
then you should know how to do this:
open a database, read some data, insert it in to a different database
If so, then you are very close to your required solution. The trick is, you can open an MDB file as an ODBC datasource. Now: I'm not sure if you can "CREATE TABLES" with ODBC in an MDB file, so let me propose this recipe:
Create an MDB file with name "TARGET.MDB" -- with the necessary tables, forms, reports, etc. (Put some dummy data in and test that it is what the customer would want.)
Set up an ODBC datasource to the file "TARGET.MDB". Test to make sure you can read/write.
Remove all the dummy data -- but leave the table defs intact. Rename the file "TEMPLATE.MDB".
When you need to generate a new MDB file: with Python copy TEMPLATE.MDB to TARGET.MDB.
Open the datasource to write to TARGET.MDB. Create/copy required records.
Close the datasource, rename TARGET.MDB to TODAYS_REPORT.MDB... or whatever makes sense for this particular data export.
Would that work for you?
It would almost certainly be easier to do that all on Windows as the support for ODBC will be most widely available. However, I think in principle you could do this on Linux, provided you find the right ODBC components to access MDB via ODBC.
You could export to XML using MS's officedata namespace. Access shouldn't have any trouble consuming that. You can provide a separate xsd schema, or encode types and relationships directly in the document tree. Here's is a simple example:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<dataroot xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:officedata">
<Table1><Foo>0.00</Foo><Bar>2011-05-11T00:00:00.000</Bar></Table1>
<Table1><Foo>3.00</Foo><Bar>2011-05-07T00:00:00.000</Bar></Table1>
<Table2><Baz>Hello</Baz><Quux>Kitty</Quux></Table2>
</dataroot>
Googling "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:officedata" should turn up some useful hits.
I would suggest moving the data into a Microsoft SQL database, then linking or importing the data to access.
Could you create a self-extracting file to send to the Windows user who has Microsoft Access installed?
Include a blank .mdb file.
dynamically build xml documents with tables, schema
and data
Include an import executable that will take
all of the xml docs and import into
the Access .mdb file.
It's an extra step for the user, but you get to rely on their existing drivers, software and desktop.
Well, looks to me like you need a copy of vmware server on the linux box running windows, a web service in the vm to write to access, and communications to it from the main linux box. You aren't going to find a means of creating an access db on Linux. Calling it a requirement isn't going to make it technically possible.
http://adodb.sourceforge.net/ - installs on linux, written in php or python, connects to Access and PostgreSQL.
We've been using it for years, and it works beautifully.
I have an sqlite database whose data I need to transfer over the network, the server needs to modify the data, and then I need to get the db back and either update my local version or overwrite it with the new db. How should I do this? My coworker at first wanted to scrap the db and just use an .ini file, but this is going to be data that we have to parse pretty frequently (it's a user defined schedule that can change at the user's will, as well as the server's). I said we should just transfer the entire .db as a binary file and let them do with it what they will and then take it back. Or is there a way in sqlite to dump the db to a .sql file like you can do in MySQL so we can transfer it as text?
Any other solutions? This is in python if it makes a difference
update: This is on an embedded platform running linux (I'm not sure what version/kernel or what OS commands we have except the basics that are obvious)
Use the copy command in your OS. No reason to overthink this.