sql, rdf

[originally posted to xpcom list]

I'm thinking of using XUL to prototype a relatively simple system 
involving schools, teachers, students, classes, test docs, etc.  Schools 
have teachers and students, students are in a grade, each doc has a 
subject, belongs to a student, etc.

I was going to do this using one of the sql interfaces, but I couldn't 
get the sql thingee to work, either for sqlite or mysql.  So I've looked 
in to RDF a little bit.  If I have only a few hundred records, I wonder 
if it would be faster just to hack up some RDF data and use that.

But I find it rather a hard slog making sense out of RDF. In any case, 
does anybody out there have any advice on the wisdom of such an 
approach?  It looks like RDF would be pretty useful once learned, but if 
working with RDF data and interfaces is anywhere near as complicated and 
excruciating as getting through the documentation, then I would have to 
say no, thanks anyway, I'd rather have a tooth pulled without 
anaesthesia. Would my time be better spent figuring out what I'm doing 
wrong with the SQL components or learning RDF?  Or are they best taken 
together?

Thanks,

gregg