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databasedjangodjango-adminenterprise

Using Django Admin for a custom database solution

A client wants to have a simple intranet application to manage his process. He runs a query and wishes to track number of loads delivered per day and associated activities.

Since I knew about Django's excellent Admin interface, I figured I could define the "Schema" in models.py and have Django Admin generate the forms.

I did exactly that and the result is not bad at all. I've been able to customize the look and feel to suit the client's taste.

Some questions:

  1. Is Django Admin the right choice for such a use-case?
  2. Will I run to problems in the future due to flexibility of the framework?
  3. Is there a better framework out there specifically designed for this use-case (general Database management for small businesses)? I prefer ones written in Python since I can hack it up to customize.

Thanks!

Solution

  • In my personal experience, Django is a good choice for just being able to have a nice-looking UI on top of a database.

    There is a chance you could run into flexibility issues trying to customize the admin interface... however, using Django's ModelForms and Templates - it is easy to create your own CRUD application - if you can't do what you need in the admin interface.

    As far as Python frameworks go, I personally prefer Django over Turbogears or Pylons (which I believe also have admin interfaces) because it seems much simpler to get installed, setup and running.

    Again, that is just my personal preference. ymmv.