使用Ruby操作数据库，可能不会在Ruby on Rails中用得到。但是这种使用Ruby直接操作数据库的方法，有时候还真可以派得上用场。我们都知道Ruby是一种类似Perl和Python的语言，但其功能却比这两种语言强大不知道多少倍。Ruby几乎全部继承了Perl的优点，又克服了Perl的缺点。而且完全面向对象，其功能之强大，Perl和Python绝对望尘莫及。
Ruby甚至可以取代传统的shell脚本语言，例如我们编写shell程序都使用awk之类的语言，用Ruby也完全可以做得到。但是你可以使用awk连接数据库么？当然不能。有人使用Python连接数据库，并在一定程度上也实现了替代awk的功能，这当然完全没有问题。但这里给出的是Ruby的实现方法。其实也是蛮简单的。简单归简单，如果没做过的话，看上去也很难。下面我们就开始：
一、安装ruby-dbi
下载地址：http://rubyforge.org/projects/ruby-dbi/
下载ruby-DBI（我下载的是dbi-0.1.1.tar.gz）,解压后进入目录运行如下命令：
E:\ruby-dbi>ruby setup.rb config --with=dbi,dbd_mysql
entering config phase...
config done.
E:\ruby-dbi>ruby setup.rb setup
entering setup phase...
setting #! line to "#!e:/ruby/bin/ruby"
setup.rb: skip bin/proxyserver(dbd_proxy) by user option
setup.rb: skip ext/dbd_sqlite(dbd_sqlite) by user option
setup.rb: skip ext/dbd_sybase(dbd_sybase) by user option
setup done.
E:\ruby-dbi>ruby setup.rb install
entering install phase...
mkdir -p e:/ruby/bin
install sqlsh.rb e:/ruby/bin
setup.rb: skip bin/proxyserver(dbd_proxy) by user option
mkdir -p e:/ruby/lib/ruby/site_ruby/1.8/DBD/Mysql
install Mysql.rb e:/ruby/lib/ruby/site_ruby/1.8/DBD/Mysql/Mysql.rb
mkdir -p e:/ruby/lib/ruby/site_ruby/1.8/dbi
install columninfo.rb e:/ruby/lib/ruby/site_ruby/1.8/dbi
install row.rb e:/ruby/lib/ruby/site_ruby/1.8/dbi
install sql.rb e:/ruby/lib/ruby/site_ruby/1.8/dbi
install trace.rb e:/ruby/lib/ruby/site_ruby/1.8/dbi
install utils.rb e:/ruby/lib/ruby/site_ruby/1.8/dbi
install version.rb e:/ruby/lib/ruby/site_ruby/1.8/dbi
install dbi.rb e:/ruby/lib/ruby/site_ruby/1.8
setup.rb: skip ext/dbd_sqlite(dbd_sqlite) by user option
setup.rb: skip ext/dbd_sybase(dbd_sybase) by user option
install done.
二、安装MySQL/Ruby for Windows
下载地址：http://www.vandomburg.net/pages/mysql-ruby-windows
我的文件为：mysql-ruby-windows-2.7.3-r1.zip
安装方法（我直接把英文的步骤拷贝过来吧，这个我测试过，没问题）：
1、Select and copy the .so file of your choice to %RUBYARCHDIR% and rename it to mysql.so (e.g. C:\ruby\lib\ruby\site_ruby\1.8\i386-msvcrt\mysql.so).
The 4.1 and 5.0 directories correspond to your MySQL server version. (For all you tech savvies: they are generally interchangable, but differ slightly on byte level in terms of argument types.)
The ‘vanilla’ library is the stock MySQL/Ruby 2.7.3 we all know and love. The ‘performance’ library has Stefan Kaes’ garbage correction patch applied that can increase performance anywhere from 5% to 30% depending on the size of the data set you’re accessing. The flip-side is this: it is less tested, so take your pick!
2、MySQL/Ruby needs a DLL dependency satisfied in order to run. You can do this by either:
(Recommended) Including the MySQL bindir in your path (e.g. C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.0\bin).
3、Copying libmySQL.dll from your MySQL bindir or source package to your Ruby bindir (e.g. C:\ruby\bin).
To verify, try to run the following code:
require 'mysql'
puts Mysql::VERSION
If it outputs 20703, then you’re all set up! Just be sure that you’re MySQL server has TCP/IP connections enabled.
三、Linux 上的安装方法：
1、对于ruby-dbi没有什么区别，此略。
2、MySQL/Ruby for Linux
下载地址：http://tmtm.org/downloads/mysql/ruby/
