# Noob: database selection question

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/noob-database-selection-question/185082>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [March 13, 2010, 4:40am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/noob-database-selection-question/185082 "2010-03-13T04:40:13Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![lsumnler](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lsumnler](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/lsumnler)\
**Post date:** [March 13, 2010, 4:40am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/noob-database-selection-question/185082/1 "2010-03-13T04:40:13Z")

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I am reading through “Agile Web D. with Rails” 3rd edition. My  
question is this;

The book seems to suggest that development should be done using sqlite3  
and that the testing and/or production can be switched to some other  
database. Now it does not say you have to do it this way and even gives  
instructions to setup your initial development using MySql.

My question is - is this how most people/organizations do it or do they  
just use the same database from development through production.

What are the pro’s and con’s.

I would think using different databases could lead to errors due to  
database quarks in the your coded application.

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**Author:** ![lsumnler](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lsumnler](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/lsumnler)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2010, 6:37pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/noob-database-selection-question/185082/2 "2010-03-14T18:37:17Z")

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On Fri, Mar 12, 2010 at 8:40 PM, Len S. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid)  
wrote:

> The book seems to suggest that development should be done using sqlite3  
> and that the testing and/or production can be switched to some other  
> database. Now it does not say you have to do it this way and even gives  
> instructions to setup your initial development using MySql.
> 
> My question is - is this how most people/organizations do it or do they  
> just use the same database from development through production.

I don’t know about “most” but my preference is to use the same DB  
all the way through. Sometime’s it not practical, so…

> I would think using different databases could lead to errors due to  
> database quarks in the your coded application.

Yep, it happens. At the least you should have a staging server with  
an environment identical to production for your final testing.

## FWIW,

Hassan S. ------------------------ removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid  
twitter: @hassan