SQL

[Superfluous_Nut]

Can somebody tell me what this is for? I know it's a database language, but exactly what can you do with it on a website? I have SQL capabilities on my site and I'm curious what they are good for. Will it drive an interface that people can interact with or is it more behind the scenes stuff?

I play in a weekly basketball game where we rent a gym. I'd be interested in putting something together where people can check to see who'll be making it week to week and maybe a repository of e-mail accts and who's paid up their dues, etc. Is that a use for SQL?

Everything I've seen on-line is WAY to complicated -- they assume I know what it is and they're just there to explain the syntax.

 

[Y2Buddy]

Try this web site
http://www.mysql.com/doc/W/h/What-is.html

 

[Superfluous_Nut]

Hmmm... still scratching my head. I don't want to read 10 pages of techno babble to learn that it's not what I want.

Howabout this one: Any examples out there of SQL databases running through an HTML browser?

 

[Savio]

The main basis for SQL is searching a database. It's used in many online technologies such as ASP (MS product). It's what drives many online businesses today. It's queries products, adds, deletes, updates, and so on...

SQL isn't client side, it's server side. It wouldn't be used/seen on HTML but rather on ASP.

 

[jasper]

SQL stands for Structured Query Language and is pretty much the standard that most relational databases use for querying and manipulating data. Most databases out there now use SQL for writing queries.

For example, if you've ever worked with an MS Access database, then you know you can use the GUI to create queries. Basically all you are doing is writing an SQL statement, like "SELECT * FROM Customers WHERE Customer.LastName = "Nut";", just the GUI does it for you.

In order to use a database for content for things like a website, you have to write web pages to pull, manipulate, and display the data. Some types of web pages that you can use for this are Active Server Pages, PHP, etc.

The SQL capabilities on your site that you are referring to probably means that whoever is hosting your site also can provide you with space in a database server like MySQL, Oracle, or MS SQL Server. But I think all that means is that they'll store the data for you - you probably have to write your own pages/applications to show and manipulate the data.

 

[Superfluous_Nut]

Okay, I think I get it.

So what would be the steps involved in doing something like I'm thinking? I can easily create and Access database, but then what? I've seen the SQL code it generates, so I can create that. Is this where PHP comes in? Seems like there ought to be a tool to take an Access database and make it "on-line" via PHP/SQL code generation....

 

[mathmajors]

One of the big advantages to SQL over Access is it's basic query operations. If you query an Access database on a server, your PC pulls the whole Access database down, makes the query/changes, puts the whole database back. SQL is server-based, so you save time and bandwidth.

I'm not the SQL engineer for our company, but we do have plenty of SQL-based systems that include an HTML front-end.

 

[jasper]

Math brings up a good point. When many people say "SQL" sometimes they mean MS SQL Server, not SQL the language. SQL has become a common abbreviation for it. Access uses SQL (the language) as well for queries. Math is right about SQL Server being much faster - it's incredibly faster if there's a lot of data involved. But you can use either as a back end for web applications.

Nut, to answer your question about making a web app from Access, yes, it's not too hard. But it depends on what type of web server software your webhost uses: Apache, IIS, etc. You will use different types of pages for different hosts: you would use ASP on a Windows-based IIS server, probably PHP on an Apache webserver on a Linux machine or maybe even Java.

I think people in general frown on using ASP on Apache, but you can use PHP on IIS - the configuration isn't easy, but it can be done. Anyhow, you probably don't have to worry about that if your host will be doing it. All you have to worry about is designing the database structure and crafting the pages to interact with it.

Programming in PHP or ASP isn't supereasy, especially if you haven't worked with databases before as well as have a moderate understanding of how a web server works. But it can be done, and there's lots of sites out there that give free advice, FAQ's, tutorials, etc. For a lot of people it's an entire career path. In fact, this entire message board was written in a combination of PHP and Javascript I think, and somewhere out there is a big mySQL or SQL Server database with all of our posts in it

As far as I know, there aren't a lot (any?) good WYSIWIG PHP or ASP editors out there. I know Visual Studio.NET can do a lot with ASP.NET (a version of ASP), and I think Dreamweaver UltraDev can help with PHP, but I'm not sure. Most of these pages are probably written by hand (as far as the underlying code) and then a graphics person gets a hold of the site. I write a lot of ASP pages, and I pretty much just use a text editor - sometimes I use MS Visual InterDev or .NET, but usually only for debugging.

As for SQL, if you're talking about it with database programmer types, you might want to refrain from calling it "sequel" or you'll get a lot of

So, now that you've waded through all that garbage I've posted so far, do you know what type of server your web host uses? And what type of database it is? I'd be glad to help you get started, or point you to some sites that can help....

 

[mathmajors]

You're right, Jasper. It didn't even occur to me that the question may have been about the actual SQL programming language. Sorry for the confusion everyone.

 

[Savio]

Dreamweaver MX (UltraDev built in) has good server side scripting. You just have to create your own database and setup your relationships within that database to be sure to keep cookies and sessions and the such. Access is a reliable Database from what I have learned.