The PHP-centric magazine php[architect] has released their latest edition, the February 2014 issue "Databases".

Before I got into coding I had no concept of what a database was, except that it was a place to store “data.” After reading about “tables” and “relations” I could visualize it better. Later, after working with databases for a few years, I can totally grok it. For years, relational databases were king. Now, it seems that non - relational databases are all the rage. Really, though, it’s like any other tool - you pick the one that suits the situation best.

In this month's edition articles include:

• SQL to NoSQL Migration
• I18n by Translation Proxy
• The Confident Coder: Attention to Detail
• Laravel Tips: Rapid Coding and Prototyping Through Generators

...and of course editorials from staff members Eli White and Beth Long Tucker. You can pick up a single copy (in PDF or print) of this issue from the php[architect] site or grab a full year's subscription.

On the SitePoint PHP blog today they've posted a new tutorial by Mehul Jain about combining PHP and Neo4J, a popular graph database tool as an alternative to the typical table-driven database structure. This is the first part of a series and only explains some of the basics behind the technology. The actual PHP implementation comes next.

For a long time, data has been typically stored in tabular form so as to increase the indexing and readability. Nowadays, the trends are changing as Graph databases are quickly gaining popularity. In fact, it would not be wrong to call them "the future of DBMS". New to the world of graphs and databases? Don't worry, by the end of this introductory article you will have sound theoretical knowledge about the topic – just enough to easily glide through the rest of the series – actual implementation.

He starts with the basics - introducing the ideas behind graph databases and some of the most basic concepts behind them. He continues, looking at common uses for them including dealing with connected data and how it lets you "move through" the data rather than jumping from record to record. He includes some real world examples if this kind of data ranging from social networks to network management.

If you're relatively new to PHP development or have just meaning to get into using relational databases with your application, you should check out this new post from NetTuts giving a "for dummies" approach to learning about RDBMSes.

Web apps can be split into two major components: a front-end that displays and collects information, and a back-end for storing the information. In this article, I’ll demonstrate what a relational database is, and how to properly design your database to store your app’s information.

They describe the usage of a database in several steps (no code is included, just SQL at the end):

• Get Some Data
• Remove Repetitive Data Across Columns
• Remove Repetitive Data Across Rows
• Linking Tables with Keys

This is followed by links to a few of the different RDBMSes out there and a brief introduction to what SQL is and what it looks like.

The International PHP Magazine has posted the results from their latest poll on their site today. The question of the week this time was "which of the following is your favorite category of PHP functionality?"

Among the options, there was "General PHP", "PHP Design", "PHP & XML" and "PHP Security". The one that came out on top, however, was "PHP & Databases" with 26.4% of the vote. Next in line was tied up between two options - "General PHP" and "PHP & Business/Ingegration" both with 15.3% of the votes.

Be sure anc check out (and vote on) their new poll for the week asking readers what they think is the biggest advantage of making to move to PHP5 for their scripts.

The International PHP Magazine has posted the results from their latest poll on their site today. The question of the week this time was "which of the following is your favorite category of PHP functionality?"

Among the options, there was "General PHP", "PHP Design", "PHP & XML" and "PHP Security". The one that came out on top, however, was "PHP & Databases" with 26.4% of the vote. Next in line was tied up between two options - "General PHP" and "PHP & Business/Ingegration" both with 15.3% of the votes.

Be sure anc check out (and vote on) their new poll for the week asking readers what they think is the biggest advantage of making to move to PHP5 for their scripts.

From Ana Aman's Blogspot blog today, there's a quick post with a helpful hint for anyone working with PHPMyAdmin experiencing freeze-ups.

If you are using phpmyadmin on a database with more 1500 or more tables, you may experience problems. The page will not load at all so you will not be able to operate propery with phpmyadmin.

Of course you can still run commands from a terminal or console but it is not as confortable as using phpmyadmin.

The solution? Following a bit of digging, Ana discovered that upping the memory limit for the server PHPMyAdmin installed on makes a world of difference.

From Ana Aman's Blogspot blog today, there's a quick post with a helpful hint for anyone working with PHPMyAdmin experiencing freeze-ups.

If you are using phpmyadmin on a database with more 1500 or more tables, you may experience problems. The page will not load at all so you will not be able to operate propery with phpmyadmin.

Of course you can still run commands from a terminal or console but it is not as confortable as using phpmyadmin.

The solution? Following a bit of digging, Ana discovered that upping the memory limit for the server PHPMyAdmin installed on makes a world of difference.

This new post on the Sitening.com blog (written up by Tyler Hall) today takes a look at PHP and databases (MySQL specifically in this case) and "getting real" with them.

He proceeds to show a class that can perform operations similar to those styled in RoR - creating the object, applying proterties to it and performing the action (inserts/delete/etc). It's all made possible through the use of the __get and __set functions offered in PHP5. From there, it's just a simple matter of defining the functions for the actions.

To bring the point home, he also includes some examples of how to use this kind of functionality with a bit more than the previous example - selecting, updating, deleting, and inserting a new record (including the action function for each). Lastly, he gives an example of extending this base class, as mentioned in his first example (creating an object like "Animal" or "User" to abstract out the connections even more.

This new post on the Sitening.com blog (written up by Tyler Hall) today takes a look at PHP and databases (MySQL specifically in this case) and "getting real" with them.

He proceeds to show a class that can perform operations similar to those styled in RoR - creating the object, applying proterties to it and performing the action (inserts/delete/etc). It's all made possible through the use of the __get and __set functions offered in PHP5. From there, it's just a simple matter of defining the functions for the actions.

To bring the point home, he also includes some examples of how to use this kind of functionality with a bit more than the previous example - selecting, updating, deleting, and inserting a new record (including the action function for each). Lastly, he gives an example of extending this base class, as mentioned in his first example (creating an object like "Animal" or "User" to abstract out the connections even more.