| We are not coding Guru's; please remember that the Internet is like a buffet;
please take what you want from this article and leave the rest. - Thanks! |
OK, let's get
started building your Web Database.
Of course there are a few things that you have to have running
on your local system and the web server to make it all happen. You really
have 2 choices.
Option #1 - Easy Breezy and very functional...
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FrontPage 2000+
This is the program you use to design the pages on your home
computer and then upload - or publish on the Internet. FrontPage is
no longer supported by Microsoft, although it has a large installed
base. FrontPage makes
coding databases and your websites
an "environment"; since
everything is integrated with the
"Server Extensions" on
the host. It's the fast and easy way to
create database driven websites. |
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Microsoft Access
2000+
Using mySQL? Click
here to read this article in
Penguin |
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Space on a Windows
2000/2003 Server with FrontPage Extensions, Active Server Pages and Access or SQL Server database support |
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OR.....
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| Option #2 - ASP.Net - The latest technology |
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Windows 2003 Server with ASP.Net 2 or higher |
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Independent database server - You don't
always require another physical server, this is another program that is
installed and runs as a "service". This database is much
more robust and is next-generation compared to simple tables in
Access. You don't have to spend alot to get stated since most of the
big vendors offer "Express" versions of their database
solutions. The idea being that once you develop in their environment
one of these days you will have to buy a full license and will go with
them simply because you feel comfortable with the interface. Not
entirely untrue... Examples of free Express editions of the
major databases: Microsoft
SQLExpress, Oracle
10g Express Edition, , IBM's
DB2 Express-C |
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ASP.NET Editor A free edition of Visual Studio is bundled
with Microsoft SQL Express. You could also use the "new"
FrontPage; ExpressionWeb . These editors allow you to use "controls"; or
pre-coded routines in your pages. These editors are "standards
compliant" which means that the underlying code is checked for accuracy.
This is becoming very important in today's cross-browser
world. With this setup you can create virtually any web environment
you desire, and if you want a web 2.0 site, this is for you. |
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OK, NOW YOU NEED A DATABASE TO PUBLISH
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Create a database with a
table or two and add some records. This can also be done by creating
a form that submits to a database; with the default table being
"Results". Which is
better: Access or SQL server? The key difference is the number of transactions each can handle and the
features offered. Basic Access database support is included in IIS5
and is good for about 20 "concurrent" (people accessing data at
the same moment) users. SQL server is an independent server, perhaps
running on another IP address. It's a premium service which can handle thousands of transactions
a second and is very stable. Connection
Strings The editor uses a link to your database to view the
information. This link is called a Connection String. Usually
you configure and name it once. You can then lay out your page where you want each column value to fall, depending on the query. It's easy to set up - once you have authenticated
it's
like your database is part of the web. If using Access you can
simply
double-click on the icon for the
database while your web is open on
the server, it opens Access on
your local machine; you edit your
tables and once you close the
table the changes are uploaded to
the server. Easy, breezy. |
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