Question : SQL vs BDE

What would be the difference in SQL DB vs BDE DB, so let's say I have a program that is running on BDE. What are some negatives about this setup and how compatible is BDE vs SQL.

Answer : SQL vs BDE

Hi intellie ex,
The BDE(Borland Database Engine) is not a DB(Database) or Database Management System(DBMS), it is a Data Access Layer like ODBC(Open Database Connectivity by MS) but when someone say BDE DB it could be one of the databases that BDE supports or when a Delphi programmer talks about BDE DB it could be Paradox (DBMS) that comes with Delphi(free).

Advantages & Disadvantages over ODBC(Open Database Connectivity by MS).
http://www.ayton.id.au/gary/it/Delphi/C_DBlink.htm

Although all DBMS support SQL(Structered Query Language), when someone say SQL DB it should refers to MS SQL Server DBMS . And when a delphi programmer say SQL DB, it also refers to MS SQL Server that you can use ADO(Synchronous Database Object)  to connect to MS SQL Databases from Delphi.

Please read the articles or just the part I paste;

Connecting to a database. BDE? ADO?(http://delphi.about.com/od/database/l/aa022001a.htm)

The BDE is a common data access layer for all of Borland's products, including Delphi and C++Builder. The BDE consists of a collection of DLLs and utilities. The beauty of the BDE is the fact that all of the data manipulation is considered "transparent" to the developer. BDE comes with a set of drivers that enables your application to talk to several different types of databases. These drivers translate high-level database commands (such as open or post) and tasks (record locking or SQL construction) into commands specific to a particular database type: Paradox, dBASE, MS Access or any ODBC data source. The BDE API (Application Programming Interface) consists of more than 200 procedures and functions, which are available through the BDE unit. Fortunately, you almost never need to call any of these routines directly. Instead, you use the BDE through the VCL's data access components, which are found on the Data Access page of Component Palette. To access the particular database the application only needs to know the Alias for the database and it will have access to all data in that database. The alias is set up in the BDE Administrator and specifies driver parameters and database locations.
The BDE ships with a collection of database drivers, allowing access to a wide variety of data sources. The standard (native) BDE drivers include Paradox, dBase, MS Access, ASCII text. Of course, any ODBC driver can also be used by the BDE through the ODBC Administrator.

Delphi applications that use the BDE to access databases require that you distribute the BDE with the application. When deploying the BDE with an application, you must use InstallShield Express or another Borland certified installation program.

The BDE has several advantages as well as disadvantages as a database engine.

HTH,