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Garry Robinson
writes for a number of popular computer magazines, is now a book author
and has worked on 100+ Access databases. He is based in Sydney,
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The
The Toolbox
How can you put your database
on the Web ?You have now come to the conclusion that it would be a good idea if your companies or your clients database was on the internet driving your web site. How can you do it ?
The following issues will drive your solution
 | The cost of setting up a direct connection to the web Verses the cost of establishing the solution on a remote hosting site |
| The cost of building an online solution |
| Synchronizing the online and offline databases |
| All you want to show online are reports of your data |
| Number of online users |
| Your budget |
| Security |
| The kind of tools that you want to work with. Online store, ASP, Cold Fusion etc |
Now these are some of the issues that your customers/readers are concerned with
| The content off your site |
| That they can read the HTML that is being served upto them |
| That they can work out how to push the buttons that matter |
| That the site is quick |
| If the site has client side Java, Flash or some other power tool, that it works |
Customers do not care how you do it !!!!
 |
Click Here To See A Diagram Of The Configurations That Relate To Posting Your Database to The Web |
The following ideas relate to Microsoft Tools such as Access and Microsoft Internet Server / ASP but the concepts would apply to other databases and web servers.
Static Reports
Local
Database
Export
report locally
Publish pages to the web
This solution is suited to a web site whose online content does not changed very often and one that does not require user queries of the database. It involves running a local report and can be automated.
Static Pages
Local
Database
Software generates web pages locally
Publish pages to the web
This solution is suited to a web site whose online content does not changed very often and one that does not require user queries of the database. It will generally produce a hierarchy of html pages and can be made more versatile by adding a
Online Reporting
Transfer
Database To Web
Online User Query
ASP generates HTML Reports
The database that is transferred to the web does not necessarily need to be the full database. You only need to put on the web what the customers need to see. Online you will query the database and produce the HTML that the user sees using server side software such as Active Server Pages.
Online Reporting and Interaction
Transfer
Database To Web
Online User Query
ASP generates HTML Reports and Customer Forms
Customer Responses
Are Returned To You via email or Posting To Online Database or File
Manually/Automate
Response Into To Your Local Database
The syncronisation of data is starting to get more complex but you need not be too worried at this stage as your system may be profitable if you only get 20 inquiries a month and you can manually add that information back to your local database.
Full Online Database Interaction
The
Database Is Permanently Connected To The Web
Reports and customers responses are handled online
Data Management
Is Handled Online
At this stage your company database is either permanently setup online at an ISP or your local network is connected directly to the Internet. Internal company management of the database can be using a combination of traditional database forms and html forms. Security of data now becomes a big issue.
Use Of Browser Specific Tools For Reporting / Management
The
Database Is Permanently Connected To The Web
Reports and customers responses are handled online using
browser specific tools
Data Management Is Handled Online using browser
specific tools
Access 2000 is going to release some really useful tools for managing Access databases online. There will be a big cost though. Your customers will need IE 5 to make them work. This will probably limit these types of solutions to Intranets for quite a long time.
Integrate Your Database With A Online Store (3rd Party Solution)
Local Database
Transfer key data to
Online Store
Customer Issues Handled By Online Store
User Responses Integrated Into The Local Database
A perfectly sensible solution is to use a flexible 3rd party solution for your online business. In this case you be faced with issues of transfer of information to the database and integration of user responses back into your current database.
Next
Lesson
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