C++ SQL database library comparison

Question

Hi,

I am starting development on a medium-scale C++ project that has to work with a Microsoft SQL Server database. I have done database work before using .NET technologies but I don't find using a .NET approach to be appropriate this time. I would like to get some feedback concerning the various free (as in GPL, LGPL, Boost) C/C++ SQL libraries available. I found MySQL++ and SOCI to be pretty interesting and I would like to know which one you guys prefer and why.

Also, although this project will primarily be run on Windows workstations, I prefer developing under Linux so cross-platform compatibility is an advantage.

Thank you all for your time, I really appreciate your advices !

Jeremie

EDIT : Sorry about the typo, I meant Microsoft SQL Server and not MySQL Server.

Answer 1

I can highly recommend OTL.

Not only does it support all major DBs, it's also very STL-ish and is generally written according to to proper C++ methodology (IMO). It worked for me just fine on VC8 (I used the MySQL ODBC connector).

Moreover, it's a one-header library. So there's no linkage issues or anything. Just include the header and you're done. You're 3 lines of code away from querying a MySQL table.

I've used it over the past few months, and also had a good experience communicating with its developer, asking questions, etc.

Answer 2

I recommend SQLAPI++. It's shareware so you can try it for free and the support is excellent. Works for Windows and Linux.