Thanks to the YAF folks for chiming in on this thread! I think it will be really great to be able to use mojoPortal and YAF together and I'm glad to help in any way that I can.
Katherine, Yes, I think you should wait until the actual module comes out, it will be much easier then. As far as other database platforms and technology in general, pretty much everything is a pain until you know how it works and how to use it and then it seems easy. That is kind of the thrill of learning technology, you master something that once seemed like a pain and once mastered it seems easy. There is so much to learn that it is good to pick a technology stack and learn it well first then over the years it becomes interesting to try different things as well.
Best,
Joe