WordPress Integration: Same Database or Separate?

I need a forum solution for my WordPress website and my research has lead me to the beautiful product that is Vanilla Forums.

I have downloaded the package and am preparing to install. I have one quick question regarding the MySQL database. Should I create a separate database or just install it on the existing one my WordPress website is on?

Currently, WordPress is the only thing on the database.

sahotataran

A suggestion: since your forum is going to be different that wordpress - i would suggest you to create a different database wholly for forums. your forum will be on http://yourdomain.com/community and then u can embed it in wordpress using VANILLA EMBED.
m not sure about vanilla going to same database as wordpress - as for me it created its own tables with Gdn_TABLENAME - so it will populate your wordpress database which already has tables with WP_TABLENAME - so i suggest a new database keeping the wordpress and vanilla totally separate.
Again just as suggest - rest is upto you - but do try it on localhost before going online on your wordpress because after a mess up its going to be hard to sort it out

Thanks

codylarson

Thank you for your suggestion. I was looking to take advantage of Single Sign-On and it appears the best way to do this may in fact be to install on the same database. I'm going to be using the subdomain: forum.mydomain.com and want my users to have a seamless experience. Ultimately the user accounts for commenting and using the blog/website would be the same as the forum.

My WordPress website is brand new and I am the only user currently. Given all this do you still recommend different database? Or do they need to be in the same database to allow for SSO to work?

sahotataran

i think SSO works on other database as well. as on my Localhost i test wordpress and vanilla on different databases and i was forcing my forum to be displayed on a page in wordpress itself and they worked. may be @Todd can explain you better on this.

still if i was going to do as you i will keep databases different because i do mess with databases often - and make changes in database itself rather than making changes through admin panel and it will get hard for me to sort WORDPRESS TABLES AND VANILLA TABLES in single database.

Thanks

codylarson

Ok thank you for taking your time to help :)

I guess I will make a new database and see if I have any issues.

sahotataran

no problem m always happy to help.
do keep posted if there are any issues or if the whole process goes perfectly fine.
thank you

x00

The only I reason for sticking it in a single db is if there is any restriction on how many you can have.

But either way makes no difference becuase of the prefix.