I like Lua for content databasing for a few reasons:
1) Content data is essentially static -- it only changes when new stuff is put in there, and doesn't really change at runtime. The only thing you really get out of having it be SQL is searchability and the ability to invalidate a whole table in a single brainfart. (Oh, and making sweeping changes, which I guess is nice for this project; I hope to make at least items and spells convertible back and forth from SQL, which would still allow that.)
2) For some things (like the spawnpoint and path grid stuff I put up) open-ended scriptability is a lot simpler than having to add new fields (sometimes new tables) and new code for every little new abstract functionality or feature you want to add.
3) Having everything organized into the folder of the zone it belongs to is nice. Not that e.g. the NPC database could not be changed to include zone and reduce the need for global NPCID numbers, but that's probably one of those "too late to consider changing" things.
Definitely would not want to force anyone to switch. But there are reasons both for and against.
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