Can Anyone Help?

Hi, I know this is off topic and hope it is ok to post this here, does anyone here work with relational databases? Need to pick someones brain... :D

I'vedone relational databases before but not for a couple years...probably wouldn't be much help!

its just to get some idea of what they are and are they quite flexable?

Im an Oracle analyst programmer - fire away, i'll help if I can !

WOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSHHH! Straight over my head if your on geek speek!

Tho Ive been to marridge guidance counciling before if that counts for relational stuff!

cheers russ, I was trying to understand if you can make them say open a table, scan the text in it say a phone number and then compare that to data it already has so it could tell if 01666 was a malmesbury area code?

Also can you make them do things like activate other pieces of software like an electronic version of the phone book?

Its just I dont know a thing about them ? Any help or thoughts greatly appriciated...

ummm, you could try www.rentacoder.com you tend to see projects like this on there so you may pick some more info up there but:

How are you going to get the phone number from the phone into the database:
a) automatically transfer the number using some kind of sync software - dont know anything about that, sorry.
b) type it into a form - something like a internet web page type form

Storing and comparing data is what databases are all about so storing area codes, searching etc no problem.

Electronic phone books ... are generally databases so "activating" the software you mean searching potentially another database or maybe the same one if you are building the whole system from scratch.

"Also can you make them do things..." - well this depends on what database you choose (Access / SQLserver / Oracle), and what software you choose to "talk" to the database be that an HTML form or whatever. Anything is possible.

Is this part of a bigger project or just something for personal use etc ? Hope this helps ?

very kind indeed, thanks very much for that. Tres helpfull. It is part of a project I am developing myself as have setup in business to develop it so kind of both personal and something bigger. Ill have a look at the web site... Thanks again!!

Also sorry for the very untechnical questions.....

no problem, ill put the invoice in the post ;) good luck with your venture !

ta