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Internet Database Programming
So how can I go from a static Web site to a dynamic Web site?
A database is the answer to your question. If the design is the skin of a Web site then
a database is the brain behind it. Database-driven Web sites are easier to maintain than
static sites. If you are serious about your Web site and want to maximize your Web presence then
you need a database to drive it.
Let MVI Solutions be your Internet database programmer.
Our stable of Internet database programmers are experts in delivering fast, affordable and
user-friendly Internet database solutions. MVI Solutions offers top-of-the-line Internet database
programming. Whether it's as simple as managing content on small Web site or as complex as
full-featured customer relations management system, MVI Solutions can provide you with the best
Internet database programming available.
Content is the most important part of your website. How does content get to your site? In the old days of web design there was only one model, and in fact this model is still in place on most sites of today. You, the site owner or manager, come up with the words you want on the site. But since you don't know things like web design and Photoshop and HTML and JavaScript, you don't make the site yourself. You give these words to your Webmaster or to the web designer you've hired, then they work their magic and the words appear on the site a few days later.
One problem with this "static" model is that it's expensive. Another is that it's time-consuming. Wouldn't it be great if you, the business manager who doesn't know the first thing about HTML and could tell a server-side include (SSI) from a FrontPage Extension, could write the words and they would magically, instantly appear on your site? With MVI Solutions's dynamic, database-driven websites, that's exactly what happens!
Our content-driven sites are easy to maintain. To add a page, you click the "Add New Page" button in your site administration. Deleting a page is just as easy. If you want to edit the content of your site, you just use our simple interface to do it. How much computer expertise does it take? Virtually none. If you can use Microsoft Word, you can manage your website content - it's about that easy.
Database-driven site design is very flexible. All of your site's content is in a database and is not tied to your website files. Why does this matter? It gives you much more freedom on the design part of your site. Let's say you've constructed your 300 page website using our content management system. Now you decide you want to change the design of your site. You can do it very easily. Remember the "design" and "content" portions of your site are now managed separately. So we just change the "design" portion one time and the 299 other pages automatically take on the new design. This is so much easier and less expensive than changing a traditional site.
MVI Solutions will provide you with a hands-on look at what's involved in building a database-driven Web site. We'll use two tools for this, both of which may be new to you: the PHP scripting language and the MySQL relational database management system.
Before you can start building your database-driven Web presence, you must first ensure that you have the right tools for the job. Two essential components you'll need: the PHP scripting language and the MySQL database management system. We can set-up procedures on both Windows and Linux, and test that PHP.
Second, Getting Started with MySQL. We begin with a database, the MySQL relational database management system in particular. If you've never operated a relational database before, this should definitely be an enlightening and will whet your appetite for things to come! In the process, we'll build up a simple database to control content.
Third, Getting Started with PHP. Here's where the fun really starts. Your introduction to the PHP scripting language, which can be used to easily build dynamic Web pages that present up-to-the-moment information to your visitors. Users with previous experience will probably be able to get away with a quick education, as we will train you on the essentials of the program from the ground up. This is a must-do step for beginners, however, as the rest of this education relies heavily on the basic presented to you.
Fourth, Publish MySQL Data on the Web. We bring together PHP and MySQL, which you'll have seen separately, to create some of your first database-driven Web pages. We'll explore the basic techniques of using PHP to retrieve information from a database and display it on the Web in real time. We will show you how to use PHP to create Web-based forms for adding new entries to, and modifying existing information in, a MySQL database on-the-fly.
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