Databases
have increasingly become a "must
have" technology for any website
on the Internet that wants to be
useful and interesting to its visitors.
Databases are so powerful and so
useful, that they have become the
standard for website development
in the 21st century.
What is a database?
A database is a store of information,
usually in large quantities, and
often of a complex nature. A database
could contain something as simple
as a list of people, or as complex
as accounting data, weather forecasts,
and other information that is interrelated
beyond simple lists. Some common
database systems are Cold Fusion,
Dotnet Nuke, Oracle, PostgreSQL,
MySQL, and MS-Access.
What is a database driven
website?
A database driven website is a website
that uses a database to gather,
display, or manipulate information.
An example of this would be an "e-commerce"
site using a database to store your
online orders and billing information.
Another example would be a site
that displays current stock market
information; it is retrieving this
information from a database and
displaying it on a website.
Database driven websites are very
powerful tools because they allow
a site to be dynamically generated
or customized to display the information
that is relevant to each visitor.
They allow a website to quickly
and efficiently display a subset
of relevant information selected
from a larger pool. They also allow
a website to be interactive and
store information the user enters,
for use in the rest of their visit
to the website, or for use in other
activities.
Are database sites easier
to update than HTML site?
The answer to this question is most
emphatically yes! You don’t
need extensive HTML skills to change
things such as pictures, and text
on your website. Through the use
of special forms you can keep your
site up-to-date with minimal effort.
If you can use a photo editing program
such as Corel Draw, Adobe Photoshop
or Adobe Illustrator and you can
use Microsoft word, then you are
100% qualified to operate a database
driven website. Gone are the days
of combersom HTML websites were
only a trained professional could
do the work, Let eSharp show you
how you can become your own webmaster.
What are some examples
of database driven websites?
There are examples of database driven
websites wherever you look. Popular
sites like Yahoo! and Google use
databases for almost every aspect
of their sites. News sites like
CNN and MSNBC display the latest
news, sometimes displaying news
that is relevant to particular geographic
or cultural areas, all by using
databases. Weather sites, online
forums, and shopping sites all use
databases!
What can I do with a database
driven website?
The possibilities are endless. eSharp
Services has extensive experience
building database driven websites
-- it's what we do best! We can
evaluate your needs and recommend
a database driven website solution
that is right for your organization.
The sky is really the limit with
a database website.
