[CQ-Contest] XML Contest Files Discussion - 2nd try

[Lee Buller]

Thank for all of you who have replied to my first email about converting contest files to XML.  I truely am a novice at databasing and hate to use Access.  I have heard so much about SQL and its power, I am trying to understand it.  I was looking for an easy way to import files into a SQL database and MySQL will import XML files along with others as well.  I was able to write a QuickBasic program (that is all I have) and turned the logs into a comma delimited file.  I got that loaded into SQL.
 
I also took my LOTW file and parsed it to a CSV file using good old QuickBasic.  (I am too cheap to buy programming software)  The LOTW files are quasi XML.  I also have that loaded into MySQL as well.
 
It just seems to me that the world is going XML and maybe ham radio should be too.  Of course we would all have to agree on the definitions.  It seems to me that XML files make sense to the world wide community of hams since it is becoming a datafile standard.
 
Comments?
 
Lee - K0WA (Novice Database Guy)