Expand my knowledge in DB programming

Question

my name is Tal,

Im working on a PHP Application the should have lots and lots of records, what DB should I use, and are there guides on the web that explains how to build efficient dbs and tables?

Tnx!

Answer 1

Get familiar with database normalization. It's a brilliant theory that will help you build stable and scalable databases. There is a good article on the subject at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Database_normalization

As to what database management system you should use, I'd recommend that you start with MySQL. It's the world's most popular database software (it's what they use in WordPress, phpBB and Drupal). It's fast, reliable, open source and there are plenty of learning materials about it.