C++ Database Access With No Required Installation

Question

I am looking for a database that can I run SQL statements on without having to have a database server installed. I.e. I need the ability to select/insert/update a database given only the database file and any external libraries.

Here is my situation:

• I am using C++ to parse through a number of oddly-formatted binary files, and I would like to store them into some type of database to offer more convenient access to the data.
• Once the files have been inserted into the database, I will use C# to write an interface/GUI by which a user can interact with the database.
• I'm using C++ for the speed of reading the files and because I've already written that part.
• I'm using C# because it is much easier to do GUI programming.

Here are my requirements:

1. Database must provide a way to run commands in C++ using only external libraries (no installation)
   
2. I should be able to move the database to any (similar [Windows]) computer and run my application
   

I believe this is possible with MS Access *.mdb files using ADO or JET or something like that, however, I would like to hear some alternatives. Please provide the database and the C++ engine/libraries in your answer.

My priorities are:

1. "Lite"-ness
2. Performance (speed of insert/select)
3. Client code simplicity (i.e. how easy it is to set up)

Thank you all.

Answer 1

You need to look into SQLite. It is perfect for this scenario and very easy to use. It is vastly popular (large community), compact, cross-platform, and simple to use.

There are SQLite implementations for other languages too. For instance, you can also access SQLite databases using C#. There is even a Linq-to-SQLite.