[Zope] Help in deciding approach to Web App

[Sareesh Sudhakaran]

I have a personal project - a web application I wanted to develop - but I'm confused on which route to take. I am not under any time constraint.
About the App:The best I can describe it is as a kind of expert system (but not AI) that needs to find the best workflow for a process, given a set of initial and final parameters. E.g. a 'capsule' of data must pass through many 'tools' or 'environments' to reach a desired output - something like a very complicated car wash.Let's say there are many tools that can be used at various stages in the process. I have estimated there are at least 500 tools as of now, and it is bound to grow in the future as newer tools are introduced. Existing tools will also have version updates.Each tool, on average, has at least 100 properties that define the tool. Some of them have as high as 1000 unique properties. Some of these tools are linked to each other - e.g if one tool is selected, there are only n tools that can correspond to it for the next step in the process. I also have the problem of 'matching' the tools for analysis. E.g. Tool A might have only three fixed rpms - 100, 200 and 500, but Tool B might have rpms from 20 to 2000. I'm not sure how I can construct a database without spelling out each number, as in the example above.The total number of tools needed for the process can be defined at the beginning, however, it will change as the application becomes more complex in the future. I plan to address every contingency in the process. The idea is - if the user inputs the initial parameters and the desired outcome (another set of parameters), the app must find the 'best' path - sort of like a decision tree. The best path can be the fastest, cheapest, etc. I would like the user to choose what is best for him/her.Unfortunately, parameters might change, relationships might change (but not regularly) - the 'rules' I will be using might be revised for better accuracy in prediction.I also need to track each user's path and solutions' for future reference (but no personal details except username and email address for logging in). Maybe when the app is up and running, I'd like to make it more democratic, with users contributing to refining the logic/rules involved.If possible, I would also like the app to output a graphical flowchart at the end showing the workflow with all tools grouped in an easy to understand layout.
My questions:Will the app be better served with a relational DB like mySQL or an Object database? After a lot of research I've guessed that my particular case might be better served with Python and Zope/ZODB. But I might be wrong? Maybe PHP+mySQL or Django is a better fit?Can anyone provide general advice on how to go about beginning such a project in ZOPE. Which is the best place to start learning for a newbie? Can anyone recommend a good shared hosting provider that supports Zope fully but is not expensive? Is there a module or app that is open source that I can use to output a graphical flowchart based on the results, or will I be better served programming it from scratch with Python?I would appreciate any help in getting started. Thank you in advance. I have tried most online forums but have not good any productive answers. Most of the answers I got were pro-PHP+mySQL.
Adam 		 	   		  
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